The West Yorkshire bus services will be brought under public control, following the footsteps of Greater Manchester and Liverpool, who have already reversed four decades of deregulation to return to a franchised system. This means that private operators must win contracts to run routes, and the local authority will decide on timetables, fares and take revenues. West Yorkshire’s mayor, Tracy Brabin, stated that this decision was historic and would impact generations to come. Buses are vital for communities, and franchising offers a better-connected network that works for everyone, Brabin added.
The deregulation of buses outside London enforced by Thatcher’s government in the 1980s has led to a wild west of private operators, leaving councils to subsidize essential public services. Campaigners and Metro Mayors have criticized this system and have been working towards reversing this decision. Under devolution, Metro Mayors have had the right to take buses under local control since the 2017 Bus Services Act, but the legal and political processes required remain arduous.
The move took a while for Greater Manchester to officially announce, as it faced legal challenges from firms. Matthew Topham of We Own It and the Better Buses campaign supports the move. Introducing profit-hungry shareholders to our bus network has led to daily suffering for people in West Yorkshire, similar to that of sewage in rivers and spiraling energy bills, he added. Moreover, buses in West Yorkshire received the lowest rating of more than 50 bus companies nationwide in a recent passenger survey.
Buses are essential in a county with 2.3 million people and no mass transit system, and the move to public control has been welcomed by bus users in Leeds city center. It is believed that franchising will add services, lower fares, and boost reliability. Andrew Griffiths, a musical theatre lecturer, sets off at 6:30 am to teach at 9:00 am, traveling just eight miles into Leeds. “Sometimes I wait longer for the bus than the journey actually takes,” he said. He adds that buses are a basic human need, and they should not be run for profit
Read the full article from The Guardian here: Read More