Manchester bus franchising

[Mayneway]

RE: Manchester bus franchising

(26/12/2022 19:46)iMarkeh Wrote:  How very naieve of you. TFGM can't organise the stuff they have now. Each year, they have the job to sort school buses by September and yet they award the contracts last minute to operators miles away because they can't cover stuff. The staff there are godawful.


Not really. TFGM are doing things on a per depot basis which makes it harder to move routes around. If they went down the London style franchising, this would have been significantly easier to make work. Low on staff, don't retender for a route and let someone else run it. It's not so easy when it's a depot load.

As for the Traffic Commissioner, are you sure that the TC will apply in Manchester when franchising properly takes place? The Traffic Commissioner does nothing in London really. Registrations are covered by TFL (under London Service Permits). I think the only regulation on buses in London would be DVSA if they do roadworthiness, the rest is devolved down to TFL.

Having been a driver in Manchester for many years I have to agree with you. TFGM couldn’t organise a teddy bears picnic. It’s got disaster written all over it. From next September things like revenue protection and customer services become TFGM’s concern. There’s been talk of job fairs and recruitment drivers to try and recruit the staff they will need yet there’s been absolutely nothing. Anyone who thinks TFGM will have this all sown up are in for a shock.