Radical plan to boost quality of bus network

THE Liverpool city region is moving towards a radical new bus system where local leaders will take control of routes, fares and timetables as part of an integrated transport network.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced that a new franchising model is his ‘leading option’ for improving the bus network in a move that will begin the biggest shake-up of the way buses are operated around the region in decades.

Mr Rotheram believes franchising will be a key way of delivering a London-style integrated public transport network around Merseyside and no longer put up with a ‘second-class’ bus network.

Combined authority papers, published last Thursday recommended that a new model of franchising is supported as the emerging leading option, among others, for the future of the city region’s bus network and services and that a detailed and independently audited assessment is now completed.

The recommendation is based on two years of intensive work, including a year-long ‘Big Bus Debate’, in which local people shared their current experiences of bus travel and what they would like to see in the future.

Mr Rotheram said that too many people in the region felt isolated and poorly served by the fragmented bus network and that making no changes was simply not an option.

The current system for networks outside London is something of a free-forall, where any bus company can pick up passengers on any route and charge however much they wish.

The idea of this model, brought about by the deregulation act in 1986, was to inspire competition but many felt it left passengers much worse off.

The big bus companies have a stranglehold on the markets and will cancel routes they don’t see as commercially viable – often leaving communities isolated.

This means buses are often less frequent and often late, and passengers can end up having to buy a new ticket if part of their journey is with a different operator.

The main change with a new franchising model is that local politicians would be given the power to set bus routes, timetables and fares for the region.

The combined authority would decide on these factors and stipulate what people want and then private bus operators would bid to run the services.

Not only would this model give the region power over routes and fares – but it would mean the combined authority could take action if operators were deemed to be running a poor service, as has been seen with the Government and Northern Rail.

Franchising would fit into Mr Rotheram’s vision for an integrated wider public transport network, as it would mean trains, ferries and bus networks could be planned out alongside each other in a bid to serve the public with the most efficient, convenient and affordable joined-up system.

It is also felt that under franchising, the combined authority would be able to use profits from popular bus routes to subsidise less busy routes that are vital to communities.

If accepted as the way forward, the combined authority would use new powers granted under the 2017 Bus Services Act to make the sweeping changes.

Mr Rotheram said: “Good public transport is vital for connecting people with opportunity. I use our public transport system every day, so I know its strengths and weaknesses only too well.

“Recently we’ve made real improvements to transport introducing discounted fares for young people and apprentices, opening new and upgraded stations and of course introducing new publicly owned trains later this year. But we still need to do more.

“Over the past 30 years, London has enjoyed record levels of funding in its transport network and it shows. As an MP I relied on public transport to get about down there. It was quick, easy and cheap. However, the rest of us have had to settle for fragmentation, deregulation and austerity.

“Too often, our communities have had bus routes withdrawn at short notice by operators because they don’t make them enough money. Meanwhile, we’re being asked to pay twice as much for some journeys as they do in the capital.

“I’m not prepared to accept this second-class service for our city region.”

He added: “We have been working for two years to develop these plans, ensuring they are designed around what we know our communities want and what our local economy needs. We have to provide people with a genuine, quality alternative to the car to help tackle the climate emergency.

“I’ve recently spoken about my ambitions to build a London-style transport system and well-run bus services will be the cornerstone of this.

“It is over 30 years since Thatcher opened our buses up to deregulation. In that time, areas like ours have seen the quality of our services worsen, while communities have been left behind by private companies cancelling services that many people rely on.

“This is the first step in us reversing this, and running our bus services around the needs of our people.”

Should the combined authority approve the recommendations, Merseytravel officers will complete a detailed and independently audited assessment of bus franchising, alongside continuing existing partnerships and an enhanced partnership model, upon which the public and other statutory bodies would be consulted later in the year.