Is Bus Franchising for ever?

[greenline712]

How hard is it to undo a decision to go with bus franchising?

Political winds can shift, and that can spell change for transport strategies. What happens when a politician throws a decision into doubt?

www.route-one.net

Discuss!!

 

[mangad]

How hard is it to undo a decision to go with bus franchising?

Political winds can shift, and that can spell change for transport strategies. What happens when a politician throws a decision into doubt?

www.route-one.net

Discuss!!

Nothing is forever. Everything is at the whim and mercy of the politicians voters elect. Of course once any system is in place, it is difficult to unpick (e.g. bus deregulation, privatisation of railways) but it's not impossible to get rid of if there is enough determination (e.g. bus deregulation, privatisation of railways.)

 

[Tetchytyke]

The article reads like the civil servants were getting an idea of the costs so that if the mayor gets any bright ideas he can be told exactly how much it will cost his authority. There’s nothing like pounds and pence to dissuade any bright ideas.

As for the wider sector, nothing is forever, anything can be changed if there’s a will. Going back to privatised buses wouldn’t be cheap and wouldn’t be easy, but it would be possible. But, as with GBR on the railways, generally it will involve waiting for the existing contracts to end then changing the system.

 

[Magdalia]

The author of the article has not kept up with events.

The new Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor, Paul Bristow, has committed to proceeding with bus franchising. This was in an interview on local TV on 11 May, see BBC report here:

£1 bus pass, staying says Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor

The pass allows children and young people under 25 to travel for £1 per journey.

www.bbc.co.uk

The new mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough says he plans to keep the Tiger bus pass.
The pass - used on over one million journeys - allows children and young people under the age of 25 to travel for £1 per journey.
Paul Bristow, who won the area's mayoral election for the Conservatives, made the promise in an interview with the BBC's Politics East programme.
He also said he would proceed with the bus franchising agreement signed by the previous mayor, Labour's Nik Johnson.
But he said he would not increase the council tax precept, which currently subsidises some bus services and fares.

The decision to opt for franchising and not enhanced partnership was made by the previous mayor, Nik Johnson, but only in February, see here:

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's mayor agrees to franchise buses

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's mayor Nik Johnson agrees to franchise buses, starting in late 2027.

www.bbc.co.uk

A mayor has signed off plans to franchise local bus services and ultimately take control over various routes in the area.

Nik Johnson, of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), said the decision was a "major step" towards more reliable bus travel.

The CPCA said it would have more power to set timetables, routes and fares, taking those decisions out of the hands of private companies.

The first publicly-run routes could begin in late 2027.

The date of that decision means that no franchises have been negotiated or delivered. The new mayor can start with a blank sheet of paper. The operators will have known that the election was coming, that there would be a new mayor whatever the result (Nik Johnson did not stand for re-election) and the likely outcome. They won't have made any major financial commitments on the basis of assumptions about franchising.