Manchester bus franchising

[Barney]

RE: Manchester bus franchising

(06/09/2023 11:52)GMBuses North Wrote:  That's not quite the full story but that clearly doesn't matter with your "anti-franchise" views...

They are firstly oil powered, rather than specifically diesel (but that's a minor oversight) they are also here for test purposes and to provide backup for two very good reasons.

One: As its all new build equipment, faults can occur early on.
Two: Thanks to the incumbent operator making an absolute hatchet job of things, the whole project is seriously behind schedule. The PVR for takeover week includes the new electric Enviro400s. Do you suppose GNW just pull 50 buses out of thin air or drop many journeys (which you'd no doubt love) "over waiting for the power supply"..?

Why not just see how the next 5 years pan out before passing judgement eh?

I agree. For those of us with long memories we remember the total chaos that ensued following deregulation.

Operators intent on making a fast buck came and went overnight whilst journeys were dropped without notice (the internet and smart phones only existed in episodes of Star Trek in the 1980s) and routes and timetables changed constantly to the point that printed timetables were often obsolete before the proposed service ever ran.

Franchising is a massive step - some may even say that it is massive gamble - but it needs a reasonable timeframe, possibly as much as five years, before the doubters can say: "I told you so."