Passengers Surprised by “Hefty” Bills for Vale of Glamorgan Council Transport Service

Passengers who use a council transport service in the Vale of Glamorgan have been surprised with “hefty” bills after a backlog issue.
Vale of Glamorgan Council is supposed to invoice people who use its Greenlinks service every three months. However, yearly invoices were sent to some service users after a backlog occurred.
One resident who uses the service received a bill for more than £500, according to one local councillor.
Vale of Glamorgan Council has asked anyone wishing to settle their invoice over an extended period to get in touch and said it hopes to introduce a new payment plan soon.
Cabinet member for sustainable places, Councillor Bronwen Brooks, said: “Greenlinks buses have been cashless since the Covid pandemic. When people sign up for the service, they become members and are invoiced for the times they use it.
“This is supposed to happen every three months, but a backlog meant in some cases a yearly invoice was generated instead. Anyone wishing to settle their invoice over an extended period is asked to contact the council to set up a payment plan.
“Any individual who feels they are being charged for transport they have not used is also urged to get in touch.
“The council hopes to soon introduce a new payment system to the Greenlinks service, allowing users to pay per trip with their credit or debit card if they prefer this arrangement to invoicing.”
Greenlinks provides accessible transport for residents in the Vale, taking them between rural parts of the county and nearby towns.
The issue regarding the service’s invoicing was raised by Councillor Nic Hodges at a Vale of Glamorgan Council learning and culture scrutiny committee on Thursday, February 8.
The Plaid Cymru councillor called the service “vital”, but said he’d heard concerns from a number of people who use Greenlinks regularly that they hadn’t been billed for 18 months.
He added they were beginning to receive “hefty” backdated requests for money, “including one lady who had a bill for £550”.
Greenlinks fares are also set to go up as part of the council’s proposals to help it bridge a £7m budget gap in the next financial year.
The community transport scheme has four accessible minibuses, and two accessible cars. Fare costs are decided according to zones.
Under the council’s proposals, the cost of a zone one return fare would go up by 20p to £3.50; a zone two fare would go up by 60p to £5; and a zone three fare would go up by 50p to £6.
The cost of a Greenlinks membership fee would go up by 50p to £6. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​