Council-backed Wrexham buses pass 220,000 passenger journeys

Council-supported bus services in Wrexham recorded 220,575 passenger journeys between the start of the investment programme in 2023 and the end of August 2026. Wrexham Council says it has approved £650,000 for additional local services over that period.

The money has supported new routes, later evening journeys and extra services on Sundays and bank holidays. The total covers journeys made on the services backed by this funding, rather than every bus journey in the county borough.

Passenger use rose in the latest full year

The council reports 57,149 journeys in 2024/25 and 91,797 in the following full year. That is an increase of 34,648 journeys, or 60.6%. A further 56,754 journeys were recorded from April to the end of August 2026.

There is a labelling error in the council release: it calls the second full-year period 2025/25, which is not a valid financial year. The sequence indicates that 2025/26 may have been intended, but Cover Wales has not treated that correction as confirmed. The passenger figure itself is stated clearly.

Which services are included

The supported network includes the evening service between Wrexham and Minera, Sunday and bank holiday journeys serving Borras, Barkers Lane, Penycae and Caia Park, the daytime Wrexham to Johnstown service, and an hourly service for Moss and Lodge.

The council says the Wrexham to Minera evening service has shown particularly strong growth, but it has not published route-by-route totals. The release therefore does not show which single route carried the most passengers or how much of the overall rise came from each service.

What the numbers do and do not show

These are passenger journeys, not a count of unique people. One person making a return trip would normally account for two journeys. The figures show use of the funded services, but the figures do not by themselves measure punctuality, cancellations, passenger satisfaction or the effect on car use.

Councillor David A Bithell, the council's lead member for environment, said the authority would continue working with operators and partners to improve the local network and passenger facilities. The announcement does not identify a new funding allocation beyond the £650,000 already approved since 2023.