A second local authority in the West of England is to call on Metro Mayor Dan Norris to bring the bus services in the region back under public control through a franchise system.
A report to leaders of Bath and North East Somerset Council next week is recommending that Mr Norris be asked to start a review of options to create a ‘franchise’ system for running the buses across the West of England, which would include Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset.
Such a system has already been called for by Bristol City Council, and forms part of Bristol Live’s ‘Better Buses for Bristol’ campaign, which launched last month.
Read next: What would a franchised bus service look like in Bristol?
With leaders in Birmingham announcing they were investigating the ways to bring back public transport into public control again, the West of England remains the only regional authority controlled by a Labour Metro Mayor in the country who isn’t. Mr Norris has previously said he would rather wait as long as 2026 to see the results of Greater Manchester’s moves to set up a franchise system go first.
The report to B&NES cabinet pulls few punches when it comes to the bus services across its area, which runs from Whitchurch Village and Keynsham on the edge of Bristol, out to Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Paulton and Bath itself. It describes bus services as ‘currently unstable and confusing’. It says franchising would provide simple, unified and integrated ticketing in one easy to use network with a single point of contact for passengers.
A franchise system would effectively mean every bus service is paid for by the regional authority, who would receive the income from fares, and hire private bus companies like First West of England or Stagecoach, to provide the buses.
The franchise system works well in London - albeit in a huge city which spends around five times public money per head on public transport than in the south west - and is being brought in in northern metropolitan cities like Manchester and Birmingham, which also have mass rapid transit systems like trams, which make money and can subsidise less well-used bus services.
B&NES’ report also asks Dan Norris to consider the adoption of ‘precepting’ powers. Under the current devolution deal, the West of England Combined Authority does not have the power to raise a Mayoral precept. Other Mayoral Combined Authorities do have precepting powers, meaning they can raise a precept on Council Tax to fund mayoral responsibilities, including public transport, as part of their annual budget setting process.
“The Metro Mayor has said he would like to see London-style bus services, but London works on a franchising model - our own bus system is broken,” said Cllr Sarah Warren, the deputy council leader and Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainable Travel,
“We urgently need high-quality, co-ordinated. bus services that link up the places where people live and want to go. People need a stable network they can depend on, without all the constant changes we see now. With transport currently accounting for 29 per cent of carbon emissions in the B&NES area, it’s time for new thinking that contributes to our net zero targets and puts the needs of passengers first,” she added.
Read next:
- More Bristol bus services to be scrapped in April but franchising is still not on the table
- New bus franchising deal backed in key vote at Bristol City Council
- Bristol Live demands better buses for Bristol
- Pensioner says of Bristol buses: ‘We may as well be living on a desert island’
- Full list of Bristol bus services set to have increased frequency
- First Bus boss ‘not satisfied with Bristol’s bus services’ but promises improvements soon
