Improving bus routes would only add to cost
VIEWPOINTS
Write to: Viewpoints, M.E.N, Mitchell Henry House, Hollinwood Avenue, Oldham, OL9 8EF Or email: viewpoints@men-news.co.uk YOUR article ‘Tram ticket confusion costs passengers £78k’ highlighted how Metrolink is raking in extra cash from customers forgetting to tap out of the new contactless system (M.E.N., September 19).
However, the £78,000 that passengers are out of pocket sadly pales in comparison to what each household could face under the council’s plans to franchise the bus service in Greater Manchester.
A new independent report by passenger transport specialist TAS has just estimated that the franchise model could lead to an extra £81m burden on the public purse, with operational costs increasing by up to 73% in the first seven years. This estimate is based on replicating the existing network – so any additional enhancements, such as more routes or subsidising lower fares, would increase the public cost further.
The TAS report confirms that millions more pounds would need to be spent on additional administrative staff and drivers. Meanwhile, public money would need to be invested in new buses on an ongoing basis: currently the typical cost of each double-decker bus is a quarter-of-a-million pounds, with newer low-emission buses costing significantly more.
All of this could mean an increase in costs for every household of up to £68.10 every year, regardless of whether those households even use the buses. The only alternative to higher taxes would be raising fares or cutting out bus routes.
A YouGov study in March 2019 revealed an overwhelming majority of Greater Manchester residents (76%) are not willing to accept further increases to council taxes to fund public transport, yet local authorities have already spent £20m on consultants for the proposed franchise model.
The TAS report sends a clear message to TfGM that the costs of operating the bus network are far higher than they imagined. We believe in a new partnership approach where operators would invest profit into improvements; rather than franchising, where investment would simply heap more misery on our region’s taxpayers.