Bus franchising plans

Credit: Onclusive News

Seizing bus services from private providers into public ownership remains firmly on the table, says the East Midlands Mayor, with trailblazer Andy Burnham now Prime Minister.

Bus franchising is the process through which services are seized from private providers and placed back into public ownership – then rendered to be run by those firms under one banner with ticketing and prices decided centrally.

This process was pioneered in Greater Manchester by the city region’s former Mayor and now Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, following years of wrangling with private firms to form the Bee Network.

The Bee Network already extends its bus routes into northern Derbyshire, with services running to Glossop and its rail routes are set to join the town from December and then to Buxton from 2027.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has previously been asked about pursuing bus franchising herself and now Mr Burnham is in Number 10, whether there is a fresh push for this approach.

As it stands, Mayoral colleagues in surrounding regions are already pushing for bus franchising, which could see Derbyshire joined by numerous different patches of franchised buses, in South Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester – but none of its own.

Ms Ward, interviewed on a bus in Swadlincote town centre, said: “We have always been really clear, we have those powers as does any other mayoral transport authority, but there is no lift and shift from Greater Manchester.

“We have very different needs, we have rural communities, we have small towns, we don’t have one big city where the majority of people are moving in and out and inside of that city, therefore our solution will have to be different.

“I have only just taken on the responsibility for public transport and I have made it clear I will work on an enhanced partnership as the starting point and we are getting those partnerships up and running and setting expectations about what we want from bus companies.

“Within this region only 12 per cent of all routes are subsidised, all the rest are commercial routes, so we are in a very different place from where Greater Manchester is.

“Other Mayors are moving towards franchising, in South Yorkshire and in the West Midlands and in West Yorkshire, but it is not a quick solution, it is certainly not a cheap solution and therefore I am starting with enhanced partnerships.

“But I am very, very clear that in the longer term, if we don’t see the improvements that we need, the option of franchising is always still there.”

In March, Ms Ward told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that continued public dismay with unreliable, irregular and inconsistent bus services, underserved areas and lack of widespread electric vehicles were top of her agenda.

She had said: “People expect good, clean and reliable buses with timing available and that actually turn up when they are expected.” 

The East Midlands Combined County Authority formally took on the responsibility for public transport, including buses, in April, with the remaining highways issues staying with the four constituent councils – Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.