More local authorities in England are to be given powers to take control of bus services under legislation being laid before Parliament on Monday. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh says the changes will deliver a “bus revolution” that will save vital routes.
It will allow all authorities to introduce a franchising system, under which they can decide routes, timetables and fares, with operators bidding to run services for a fixed fee. Some industry figures, however, said minimum service level guarantees should also be set out as routes and timetables have faced cuts in recent years.
But services have been in long-term decline, with the pandemic hitting passenger numbers and profits hard.
According to the Department for Transport, the number of local bus passenger journeys in England rose by 19.4% to 3.4 billion in the year ending March 2023.This is much lower than usage levels before the pandemic, when journeys totalled 4.1 billion in the 12 months ending March 2020.
Until the 1980s, most bus services were delivered through publicly owned companies, often run by councils, but in 1986 services outside London were deregulated and privatised, leading to the mass sale of council bus companies. In London a franchising system was introduced, with Transport for London deciding routes, timetables and fares and operators bidding to run services for a fixed fee.
There are only a few areas in England where the local bus company is still owned by the council, and currently only areas with metro mayors can introduce “franchising” to private companies.
Source: BBC
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