MORE should be done to encourage people in Wales to leave their cars at home and take the bus instead, a Welsh Assembly committee has said.

A report by the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, which includes among its members South Wales East AM David Rowlands, has said bus services in Wales are "caught in a vicious circle" as a result of an increase in the number of cars on the roads.

This, the report says, has created more congestion, leading to buses being delayed, pushing up costs and ultimately making people less likely to use them.

The committee has called on the Welsh Government to set out how it will tackle the impact of congestion on bus services.

Chairman Russell George said: "At its heart, this is an issue that requires stronger political will. Broadly speaking, the powers, levers, and legislation are in place.

"What we need now is a Welsh Government action plan which pulls together what works, and encourages local authorities to adopt and adapt good practice."

Responding, a Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "Congestion is a significant challenge and if left unchecked will impact both the bus industry itself and our ambition of making bus travel more attractive to passengers.

"We have already put in place a range of measures to help tackle congestion and to help improve the punctuality of bus services, for example, to enable local authorities to adopt powers to tackle parking, bus lane and moving traffic contraventions.

"Congestion will be specifically discussed during workshops with our partners later this year."