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The Bus Services Act 2017 "provides for combined authorities to partially re-regulate bus services by creating franchise schemes similar to the one operated by Transport for London. It, however, prohibits local authorities from reversing complete deregulation" (source: Wikipedia). The Bus...

London, the franchised Bee Network and similar forthcoming initatives from Merseyside, West Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire are the way buses should have been operated from the 1980s; according to a quote from a book, the title I've forgotten, is "allow them to compete for the road, not on the...

Looking back prior to deregulation in Portsmouth/SE Hampshire and parts of adjoining West Sussex there was a certain element of economical working as the result of the MAP (Market Analysis Project) by merging routes to make them longer, e.g. Southdown 327 between South Parade Pier-Rowlands...

I could imagine a strong local unified image (and interavailable tickets) created such as the former Bws Gwynedd network, which comprised both commercial and tendered services, with its distinctive red fronts and yellow band https://www.flickr.com/photos/rootymasters/24776508375

I think competitive tendering would have been introduced across the country. In 1985 the first London bus routes were tendered. That would have created precedents on how to deal with situations for the rest of the UK. County councils with input from district councils would establish tendering...

Several A3s were based at Leicester (ex-Great Central) between 1949-1957. 60103 Flying Scotsman was based there between 1950-53. https://www.brdatabase.info/sites.php?page=depots&subpage=locos&id=315

I'd start franchising Manchester Piccadilly to Glossop/Hadfield and Rose Hill Marple services. The Rose Hill Marple trains finish earlier than Glossop/Hadfield services, moreover the Rose Hill Marple trains don't run on Sundays! If Bee Network can get its hands on Anglia Railways' 755s at a...

A Bee Network franchise would be an ideal clean sheet for new staffing patterns, terms and conditions in tune with running a frequent urban transit service. Something like a combination of Merseytravel's station staffing hours opening from first service to last train at night, and if not...

I think Andy Burnham really wants Bee Network trains running as a separate franchise. Also seeking opportunities ordering new rolling stock, perhaps with provision for driver-only operation, and establishing a new depot. Northern and other operators will still run into and out of Greater...

Several Gresley pacifics were based at Gorton 1924-1925, a few first entered service there, but all transferred away after a few months or even sooner according to BRDatabase (locos allocated at Gorton). Locos allocated were 2543/44/45, 2550/51/53/55/57/58/59/60/61 (pre-1946 numbering)...

I'm looking forward to the new electrics appearing on route 7 (Harrogate-Leeds via Wetherby). The 7 is currently rostered with single deckers with double deckers appearing at times. Will this arrangement continue with the new buses, and are some older vehicles to be retained in reserve in case...

Some existing bus routes could be designated as such: Stagecoach Midlands X4 Northampton-Peterborough via Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby First Eastern Counties Excel Peterborough-Norwich via Wisbech, Kings Lynn, Swaffham and Dereham Stagecoach X4/X5 Workington-Penrith via Cockermouth and...

D6319 was set aside for preservation but the loco was cut up by mistake, examples of other locos considered for purchase but scrapped https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/112063-locomotives-that-were-failed-to-be-preserved/

Next year's £3 cap will mean more people asking for return fares or day riders from drivers. If operators allow timed transfers (hopper fares) on £3 single fares it'll be welcome, but suspect day riders will be sold instead. Living in West Yorkshire I suspect DaySavers will cost £5.50 next year

£3 cap won't mean all buses outside London or Greater Manchester start charging that as a flat fare. It allows flex for shorter distance urban fares up to about 4 or 5 miles. It could mean incentives for greater use of tap and cap and a "hopper" facility. £3 will still be a great price for a...

I think the main way for local authorities to gain control of local buses would be via one of the privatised operators selling its depots or as a last resort measure. There's the Public Works Loan Board (now the UK Debt Management Office - Wikipedia) that could advance finance to pay for the...

I' agree with that, it's an upfront, explicit central government subsidy meeting economic and social objectives. What would be desirable are incentives to increase bus patronage and targets set in return for increasing the fare cap. Subsidy would be tapered off once bus usage reasches pre-Covid...

In many cities around the world you can buy a single journey which allows free transfers within a specified time limit, in some cases allowing multi-modal interchange without extra penalty. London does that with its hopper fare on its buses.

Confederation of Passenger Transport asked KPMG to study alternatives to the £2 fare cap https://www.cpt-uk.org/media/oxgjxg1b/crt152726a_cpt_study-on-alternatives-to-the-national-fare-cap_130224_final.pdf Scenarios outlined on page 29 produced high benefit-cost ratios (BCR) from 1.8 (local...

Guaranteed empty seats from Leeds Last year a friend and I with heavy luggage alighting from Eurostar caught two TfL buses from St Pancras to Golders Green, a 46 bus changing at Hampstead onto a 268 to avoid peak hour Northern Line services between those two points, for onward travel from...