Leader back calls to end privatisation of transport

Local leaders and a powerful campaign group have called for a national duty to provide at least one bus per hour everywhere, and for an end to privatisation after the massive cuts revealed on Friday.

In a report last year, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) said that 56 per cent of rural towns have become transport deserts or are at danger of becoming them.

They called for the government to recognise a universal basic right to public transport and back it with statutory duties for local transport authorities to provide a Swissstyle legal minimum service. Local politicians agree. “The system of private profit-led companies, regional franchising, and inadequate government funding, propped up by local taxpayers is unsustainable and will result in the collapse of a vital community service,” said Kevin Guy, the leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council. “A national solution is required now before a complete collapse of our bus network.”

Sarah Warren, B&NES transport chief, believes that the bus system, as currently organised, is fundamentally broken. “Transport authorities need the powers and ambition to directly intervene in the public transport market, either through their own wholly owned bus companies or through franchising,” she said. Labour’s Robin Moss, B&NES councillor for Westfield, has a similar view, suggesting that “local councils should be looking at running our own bus services as used to happen before privatisation”.

Leigh Redman, inset – the leader of the Labour group on the new Somerset (unitary) Council – believes that a comprehensive bus service for England should include a bus to every village every hour.

“We can have a bus system that is fit for the climate emergency and that will put an end to the inequality and social exclusion caused by the current car dominance of rural life,” said Mr Redman.

“So in theory the government could deliver a bus to every village, every hour across England from 6am to midnight, seven days per week, for £2.7 billion annually.”