Recent content by nerd

Traffic Commissioners could withdraw or amend licences, but only with reasonable cause; hence the establishement of a statutory appeal process. The issue is not whether an incumbent bus operator had 'goodwill'; but whether such goodwill attached to a right to pick up and set down passengers at...

They all arise from the abolition of road service licenses. Think of it from the perspective of National Accounts; before 1985, the asset value of bus routes stood as road service licence assets on the books of road transport operators (many of whom were municipal transport undertakings)...

you don't need to look very far TGW; this is section 1 of the 1985 Act; " Abolition of road service licensing. (1)The provisions of Part III of the 1981 Act (road service licences) shall cease to have effect. (2)Those provisions are replaced— (a)in relation to London local services, by Part...

I think you have put your finger on it TGW; by purchasing the depots, GM remove any advantage/barrier value to entry, favouring the current owner-operator. So all prospective operators start on a level playing field in respect of all franchise contracts. Of course, if a current owner has...

Taking five continous years immediately before the change is not 'selective'. There was a definite change in the long-term trend; with the turning point around 1981 (trust me, this is the nerd's day job; it is so far different from the previous trend that it cannot simply be year-on-year...

The data can be downloaded here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus01-local-bus-passenger-journeys the data series I referred to is on BUS0103. This shows increased bus usage in Metropolitan areas outside London from 1981 to 1985/6 from 2,033 million to 2,068 million; in...

As I read it; the aspiration for TfGM is more directed towards the goal off MaaS (Mobility as a Service). This is stated in respect of possible Phase 2 objectives. As I understand it, MaaS is rather wider than Verbundtarif, in that it also encompasses travel by autonomous vehicles and...

We have been round this many times; bus patronage was indeed declining right up to 1980, but in the years immediately prior to deregulation, it was increasing in UK cities. That increasing trend continued in London, but outside London the gains of the early 80s were lost immediately in...

In addition to the one-off purchase of 10 depots, the proposals envisage bus service development in Greater Manchester in two phases. Phase 1 establishes the franchise regime - 10 big contracts (running 5+2) years; and up to 25 smaller contracts (running 3 + 2) years. There will be limits on...

You are certainly correct TGW, that the scheme is not presented as a 'subsidy' (as that would create difficulties with the EU). And nor was the subsidy incentive proposed as its primary aim. Rather it was one of a range of older persons 'universal' benefits (like TV licences for the over 75s)...

Supposedly the funding formula allows for increased service frequency (and possibly increased vehicle size under 'Other issues') due to boosted demand levels on busy routes. Worked example is here: The subsidy element here is in the assumption that the 90 journeys that would have been made in...

I realise I may not have responded with enough detail here SD. The packaging of the scheme as "no better/worse of" ostensibly claims that reimbursement to operators simply retains their financial position as it would have been had there been no scheme; and hence had older persons been compelled...

So long as the BSOG monies are not then siphoned off into other local authority priorities (a big assumption); then the overall level of subsidy support will not change, so operators would not see a revenue drop overall. But obviously, some routes that are commercially viable with current...

Because the scheme was introduced into a market where bus travel for pensioners was already generally recognised as a charge against public funds; the national scheme replaced a plethora of local schemes by which bus operators were subsidised in support of pensioner and disabled person off-peak...

That is exactly the question being raised in the LGA report; formerly the ENCTS reimbursement was set at a level at which providers were incentivised to run services. Now, it is being asserted, that is no longer the case. So services that had been economic due to ENCTS reimbursements enhancing...