Bristol: buses and CAZ fines

[DaveHarries]

Sounds like Bristol City Council might be about to do something sensible for a change (who'd have thought it?) and have announced plans to tender for new routes and improve existing ones which would be paid for by using the money raised from CAZ fines. The new routes will likely start in April 2025.

Millions of pounds raised from the Clean Air Zone will be used to pay for better buses in certain parts of Bristol. From April, new and improved routes will start running in some areas across the city, as part of an upcoming deal with bus companies. [...]

Millions raised from Clean Air Zone to pay for better buses

Bristol Live has been campaigning for better buses for Bristol

www.bristolpost.co.uk

I wouldn't mind seeing slightly higher frequencies in my part of Bristol which is densely populated and yet only has 2bph Monday to Saturday daytimes: let us see what happens - I will be interested to see what comes of these plans.

Dave

 

[Man of Kent]

Sounds like Bristol City Council might be about to do something sensible for a change (who'd have thought it?) and have announced plans to tender for new routes and improve existing ones which would be paid for by using the money raised from CAZ fines. The new routes will likely start in April 2025.

Millions raised from Clean Air Zone to pay for better buses

Bristol Live has been campaigning for better buses for Bristol

www.bristolpost.co.uk

I wouldn't mind seeing slightly higher frequencies in my part of Bristol which is densely populated and yet only has 2bph Monday to Saturday daytimes: let us see what happens - I will be interested to see what comes of these plans.

Dave

I remain confused as the nature of the split of public transport responsibilities between the West of England Combined Authority and the three unitary councils, including Bristol. I thought WECA was now the principal tendering authority, but this announcement suggests that the city could be doing its own thing. Or does it just hand over the money to WECA?

 

[freetoview33]

The situation is all messed up. There are still multiple people pulling if different ways with very little joined up thinking.

 

[The exile]

The situation is all messed up. There are still multiple people pulling if different ways with very little joined up thinking.

Presumably Bristol City Council are perfectly entitled to subsidise bus services using CAZ money if they want to over and above whatever WECA is doing. Wouldn’t be an issue if our politicians had the guts to sort out sensible boundary reforms.

 

[freetoview33]

Presumably Bristol City Council are perfectly entitled to subsidise bus services using CAZ money if they want to over and above whatever WECA is doing. Wouldn’t be an issue if our politicians had the guts to sort out sensible boundary reforms.

It's more a case of WECA are now the authority so the assumption was Bristol City Council couldn't do anything at least without WECA agreement.

 

[The exile]

It's more a case of WECA are now the authority so the assumption was Bristol City Council couldn't do anything at least without WECA agreement.

Im not advocating it but as there is no franchising as yet and therefore anyone (within reason) can set up a bus service, there’s presumably nothing to stop the City commissioning bus services using their own money. I imagine they will have to stay firmly within the city boundary though and there might be an issue if they they try to cut their payments into the WECA pot.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Im not advocating it but as there is no franchising as yet and therefore anyone (within reason) can set up a bus service

No reason required. I could set one up if I wanted - I'd have to pay a bus company to run it, of course, not run it myself. This has been done occasionally, e.g. groups of residents paying for a rural service.

 

[The exile]

No reason required. I could set one up if I wanted - I'd have to pay a bus company to run it, of course, not run it myself. This has been done occasionally, e.g. groups of residents paying for a rural service.

Indeed - I was thinking of the actual operator - but the basic point remains the same.