Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

[iMarkeh]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(24/07/2023 00:12)CUL 73V Wrote:  The reality is that in order to put this into practice, it's going to cost money the city region cannot afford. Start up costs would require a £341 million loan, with associated interest payments estimated at £140 million. Additional capital will also have to be borrowed to purchase depots and fleets from operators. Estimated interest payments for this loan are £150 million. When you add all of those figures up, we're looking at close to a billion pounds to implement bus franchising in the Liverpool City Region. This simply isn't a worthwhile investment whichever way you look at it. Cheaper fares won't happen, nor will less profitable services be reinstated because that money will need to be paid back within a reasonable time period. A significant increase in ridership would be required, which franchising isn't going to achieve. There's no incentive for car drivers to leave their car at home and use the bus instead.

To put it into perspective, £1bn would cover the costs of putting 100 free buses into the Merseyside bus network for the next 50-60 years.