Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

[CUL 73V]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(24/06/2023 15:33)moreton407 Wrote:  I have read with interest, the leaflet that has been pushed through my door in the last week or so....

Some of the big costs of franchising would cost £341m, £252m investment in buses, £62m investment in bus depots and £27m to change over to franchising......

And where do they get the money for this.....

Transport Levy from local councils - so council tax.
Mayoral Precept - this is the additional charge residents pay to the combined authority - so council tax.
Mersey Tunnel Tolls - Will tolls go up in order to pay for this? And i was under an impression from many years ago that once the
debt of building the tunnel etc was paid back then the tolls would be abolished?
Government funding - so more taxes.

I rarely use public transport these days but am i going to better off by a franchised system?

Nobody will be. The fares will probably be the same as they are now, but with more expensive council tax to subsidise it. Even if you use the buses regularly, that's a poor deal. As for buying more buses to lease to operators, the ones they've bought so far don't work and won't be in service for at least another three months. Being the pilot customer of a completely new type, especially one this complex, is very poor practice. At least TfGM had the sense to order a proven product.

Let's be honest here, franchising is about LCR's powers that be wanting more control. Franchised buses offer no benefit to the taxpayer. None. Then when you factor in the organisation who'd be in charge of said system, that's the real deal breaker. The private sector isn't perfect, but I'd rather have my employer, and other operators, running the system than local politicians.

This is a flight of fancy which the region doesn't need and obviously can't afford. Get it in the bin. Now.