THE Assembly has pledged over 250,000 towards a pioneering scheme that could dramatically improve public transport services in Caerphilly.

KickStart is a three-year initiative by Stagecoach, one of the largest bus operators in the UK, to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and hop on a bus.

Stagecoach will be contributing 1.5 million to the scheme, and the Assembly will give 260,000 over a three-year period.

The third partner, Caerphilly council, will provide 50,000.

Andrew Davies, Assem-bly minister for economic development and transport, said: "I'm delighted to support this exciting initiative, which will see 16 state-of-the-art buses introduced on two routes in Caerphilly."

The new Stagecoach services, identified by the name justgo, will increase the frequency from both Graig-y-Rhacca and Senghenydd to Caerphilly from every 15 minutes to every ten minutes, during the daytime from Monday to Saturday.

A half-hourly service between Caerphilly and Cardiff is being retained, and passengers with mobility problems or buggies will benefit from the new low-floor vehicles when they travel to the Heath Hospital or city centre shops.

All the parties involved in KickStart are hoping it will be self-financing within three years.

Mr Davies said: "I am absolutely convinced it will be very successful."

Harry Andrews, leader of Caerphilly council, said: "The council recognises the importance of good-quality public transport and has worked hard to deliver improvements.

"KickStart is an exciting project for Caerphilly and will revitalise a large part of the town's bus network."

The KickStart concept originated in New Zealand and has also been trialled in Perth, Scotland, where it resulted in a 70 per cent increase in usage on one main route.

John Gould, managing director of Stagecoach Wales, said: "It's vital that we continue to promote the introduction of such schemes in the near future, as public transport not only has a role to play in sustaining the local economy and environment, but also in boosting local communities and social inclusion."

The 16 buses will have on-board security in the form of CCTV cameras to protect passengers and staff against anti-social behaviour.