Blueprint will deliver better bus services
I WRITE to you in response to the Mayor’s article on his proposed council tax increase, which he claims will tackle declining bus passenger numbers in Greater Manchester (My budget gives us more police and better buses, MEN, February 1).
As the chief executive of OneBus, an organisation which represents all commercial bus operators on the key issues facing the bus network, my priority is better bus services for Greater Manchester and an affordable service to get the region moving.
Andy Burnham is right that buses are the backbone of Greater Manchester’s transport system. The problem is that for years, buses and the passengers that depend on them have not been given the priority by politicians at national and local level that they deserve.
Declining numbers of people using buses is clear – what is not understood is why. The biggest reason is the failure to tackle congestion, making bus journeys slower, sometimes unreliable and less attractive to car users. The result is that we have an unsustainable number of cars on our roads.
At the same time, huge cuts to public investment in buses – while huge sums have been spent on tram services– does not support the fullyintegrated public transport that Greater Manchester needs.
Against this background, it is astonishing that the drop in bus use has not been worse. Bus operators’ investment in greener buses, new technology offering contactless travel and the introduction of cheaper travel for young people in partnership with the Mayor have helped maintain what, despite its weaknesses, is a solid bus network.
We agree with the Mayor that the bus network can be better. But delivering better bus services for Greater Manchester is a shared responsibility – and the prescription of franchising proposed by some is simply the wrong medicine. It is practical measures to make bus journeys quicker and easier that will make a difference, not a contracting system.
The recent experience in London shows that is the case. According to official statistics, the bus network is losing close to £2m a day, with passenger numbers down 6% in the last three years and bus routes being cut. We do not believe Greater Manchester’s hard-pressed taxpayers either want or should be forced to pay for such a costly and unnecessary system.
Last month, bus operators published a £100m blueprint for better buses in the region that won’t cost taxpayers any additional Mayoral tax. What it will deliver is hundreds of new low-emission buses to help tackle the region’s air quality problem; more affordable travel for people of all ages; improved integration of bus, tram and rail services; and an action plan for Transport for Greater Manchester and other agencies to cut gridlock for all road users. Gary Nolan, chief executive, OneBus