Manchester bus franchising

[Barney]

RE: Manchester bus franchising

(28/01/2023 11:32)Mayneway Wrote:  I’m no cynic but as a time served driver in Manchester with years of watching TFGM miserably fail at things the whole network in their hands will be a disaster. They have spent years running down the bus network with a fixation on the tram network. Sadly there will be two big losers in all this, the regular bus user and us council tax payers who will all be forced to stump up more money to keep it going.

Since 1986 - outside of London - no local authority has been allowed to regulate or plan a bus network; it has been left to the whims of individual operators.

TfGM, like every area/local authority, was only allowed to fill the gaps where the private operators deemed that the bus service would not generate a profit. Over time, the funding from central government for such services has been drastically cut from their budgets to the point where many have been withdrawn completely. That's why many areas in Manchester have been left with inadequate bus services.

The reason why TfGM has "a fixation" with the tram network is simply because it it is within its remit and powers to do so, something it can't do with bus operation until franchising is fully implemented.

I'm not too sure how you conclude that the regular bus user "will be forced to stump up more money to keep it going". Hasn't Manchester recently benefitted with the introduction of the maximum £2 fare?

If a local precept of a £1 per week per household is introduced to maintain the new network I'd say that that was a bargain.