THE long-awaited first steps towards public control of bus routes and fares in the region are finally set to be taken.
At present, private companies such as First and Stagecoach run the area’s buses on a commercial basis, with local authorities subsidising services that are seen as vital but lose money.
Now Metro Mayor Dan Norris and the leaders of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils, who sit on the West of England Combined Authority committee, are being asked to commit £500,000 to develop plans for a “radical rethink” that could see them taking back control of routes and fares.
Franchising would bring all services into one network overseen by a single organisation, along the lines of Transport for London in the capital.
Metro mayors in Manchester and Sheffield have moved to franchising, deciding when and where buses should run as well as ticket prices, then commissioning bus companies to run them.
Mr Norris has previously warned franchising is not a “silver bullet” to solve the region’s transport issues because the West of England does not have a mass transit system like a tram network, which in other regions provides a huge income to help pay for buses.
The other big stumbling block is that the West has no passenger transport executive (PTE) to make operational decisions at ‘arms-length’ from WECA, which deals with strategic transport planning.
Now WECA could explore options including franchising and establishing a PTE.
WECA’s committee is being asked to fund a £500,000 feasibility study by external consultants into the possible choices for local bus reforms, which would report back next year or in 2026.
The report said the study would “consider a wide range of options for future bus reform”, including bus franchising, municipal ownership of the whole system and “enhanced partnership” models where authorities work closer with commercial operators without taking on the financial risks of franchising services.
This week the government unveiled “bus revolution” measures in Parliament that would give all local transport authorities new powers to run their own buses.
The Department for Transport also launched a consultation on new, simplified guidance to speed up processes and reduce the costs of bringing services under public control.
The Buses Bill will introduce changes to further support franchising, as well as other measures on areas such as funding and accessible travel.
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service