Manchester Bus Franchising

[Barney]

Manchester Bus Franchising
It's just been announced on the BBC that Andy Burnham has decided to take control of all bus services within Manchester and press ahead with a franchising system similar to TfL's. Any thoughts?

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising
Be interesting to see how this affects cross boundary routes.

[B10B6514]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising
It's the way forward. hopefully Manchester can lead the way forward providing buses as a public service ,which they should be, instead of being a cash cow run purely for maximum profit.

The essence of deregulation was a good idea to provide opportunity, but has developed into only the most profitable services operated 33 years later by the big conglomorates. With subsidies slashed through relentless government cuts especially over the last 9 years comprehensive networks have been butchered to mere skeletons.

Bus services these days are too expensive and byproducts of this are seen on the High Street as they should be treated as a fundamental part of the local economy feeding other businesses. I know internet shopping also affects the High Street but it still relies on being fedby a transport infrastructure.

It has come to something when taxis have become a cheaper form of transport than the bus. Also with today's technology buses can add to a better environment, so need to be made more attractive to achieve a lower usage of cars.

In conclusion, I would like to congratulate Andy Burnham for his stance but it will take a few years of govermental investment to reverse the effects of the last 33 years.

[Neukit]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising
It will be very interesting to see the figures, as whilst the idea is laudable, it will require a significant step change with regard to funding.

[B10B6514]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising
Without getting too political, franchising/reregulation will go a long way to this government's pledge of 0% carbon emissions by 2050. They need to put major investment into public transport to make it attractive again and rid it of its' 3rd class stigma.
Investment has to go on more development of affordable and sustainable alternative fuels which in some cases, such as hydrogen, is in its' infancy.

Andy Burnham has set the stall out for the other metro mayors to follow. It's a beginning. I would hope the main metropolises throughout the British Isles follow suit and Whitehall to sponser him through reinstating rebates, adequate pass payments and substantial Green Bus funding. It can be done.

[wirralbus]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising
Lets see how the franchising system works that model is falling over in the rail industry.

[Barney]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising

(24/06/2019 14:37)wirralbus Wrote:  Let's see how the franchising system works that model is falling over in the rail industry.

The Secretary of State who introduced bus deregulation in 1986 was a fierce opponent of the franchising of the railway network as he believed it would be a chaotic failure. He wasn't wrong there.

[gilesbus1]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising
It was inevitable and is no surprise that Andy Burnham has gone down this route, it was always backed by the 10 councils as well, without exception. Whether it will be smooth remains to be seen as Stagecoach intends challenging them as they did in Tyne & Wear in the courts. That action in Tyne & Wear led to the scheme there being scrapped.

Then there is the tax question, one which Andy Burnham and others are keeping quiet about, it will have to be paid for and won't be free, I guess its a matter of what people are prepared to pay and whether or not in Manchester something else would need to be delivered in order to gain backing from people who are not bus users and don't subscribe to it.

Then there are other issues such as whether an operator could just set up a Dial a Bus system on taxi plates to try to get round it, and in the longer term anyway driver-less cars may mean buses are no longer needed or required, unless we start looked at the fact they also cause pollution and the aim is to share transport solutions in order to reduce it, and also make it easier for people to cross the road.

I think if it still comes in we would be looking at around 5 years at least before anything actually happened. I believe what is expected is tendering in three schemes, presumably on a route by route basis, on three different dates, circa my guess would be in 2024 and 2025 or 2026, presumably on service change dates, almost certainly one scheme would be at the beginning of a school term as that sets out the transport requirement for a particular year in regards to schools. Wigan has the largest requirement for school transport so the scheme involving that area would be around a September start date.

Electric buses will be the other thing that is rolled out across the network, the first electric vehicles on a mass scale for operators are due at the end of the year or early next year, and other electric buses will no doubt follow on a yearly basis prior to franchising in order that buses meet both the clear air legislation in Manchester and also bus franchising, I would also expect that some Hydrogen units might also follow as an alternative on better used routes, depending on available grants as London and Aberdeen already have these, and Liverpool, Dundee and Brighton are to follow so experimentation with these would make sense, despite the fact they are very expensive. If Hydogen was introduced before the buses are brought under control you would be looking at the Vantage services as that is the only route that TfGM has control over at all times at the moment.

[knutstransport]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising

(24/06/2019 10:50)St Helens Rider Wrote:  Be interesting to see how this affects cross boundary routes.

I think there would be too much opposition to literally chopping routes at the boundary. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there are changes - would TfGM want their buses running as far out as Macclesfield and Northwich? Unlikely. Would they object to them running out to Wilmslow? Also unlikely.

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: Manchester Bus Franchising
Looks like Legal Action is on the cards, can see this going the same way as Tyne and Wear

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/...y-16479101