Greater Manchester Mayoral Election 2017 - Bus Policies

[urmstonian]

Greater Manchester Mayoral Election 2017 - Bus Policies
Here's the policies of two candidates for Mayor of Greater Manchester in respect to bus services - both seem very familiar.

Andy Burnham - Labour - http://www.burnhamformayor.co.uk/ourmanifesto

Quote:For the last 30 years, the public of Greater Manchester have been badly served by the bus companies. They have suffered a bus service run in the private rather than public interest.

Across Greater Manchester, there are 22 different bus operators with 140 different types of ticket available. Busy, lucrative routes like Oxford Road in Manchester see buses of varying standards nose to tail. Other more isolated estates receive no service at all. There is no Oyster-card style scheme because no common standards can be imposed on the operators. Single journeys can cost £3 or more - double the £1.50 cost in London.

All of this means that, for many, buses are neither reliable, convenient nor affordable enough to make them a realistic alternative to the car. Only eight per cent of people in Greater Manchester now use the bus to get to work.

The new Mayor will be given powers over bus services across Greater Manchester, including over fares, routes, frequency and ticketing.

We will use these new powers to make our bus services more affordable, more reliable and more accessible to disabled people and families with pushchairs.

Sean Anstee - Conservative - http://www.seananstee.com/transport

Quote:I will bring Greater Manchester’s buses under the Mayor’s control, subject to legislation. At the moment the routes, timetables and fares for our buses are decided by the bus companies. I will ensure, subject to legislation that Transport for Greater Manchester plans the right services for our needs, using data on where and when people want to travel. These will be run by the private operators, selected through open competition to ensure the best value.

I'm not sure what the other candidates policies are though?