First Manchester

[iMarkeh]

RE: First Manchester
Quote from Buses Magazine.

Quote:Who owns what?

The parallel process of privatisation in London as contracting was introduced made some decisions easier. As the existing London Buses subsidiaries were sold off, they purchased the buses, and in most cases, the depots that they used at the time. A handful of depots were retained in public ownership, some which were surplus, and others which had complicated usage rights that mitigated against a straightforward sale. Greater Manchester starts from the point of owning no depots, and almost no buses – the exceptions are the fleet of hybrid and electric Optare Versas used on the Manchester free bus, run by Go North West, and around 50 school buses. These too are mostly Versas and are rented out, principally to smaller operators, for use on the contracts that go with them.

So GM hopes to buy depots from the existing operators, which would then be leased to its contractors. There is no guarantee the current owners would want to sell, especially if redevelopment for an alternative use proves a more lucrative option. Indeed, Stagecoach's Stockport depot was part of an active project planned by the local council that would have seen the depot move elsewhere, to be replaced by housing. However – and whether it has been influenced by the franchising proposals is unclear – funding allocated to the Daw Bank site has since been withdrawn.

In London, should a new operator arrive, it isresponsible for finding its own premises. This is easier for a single route with perhaps 15 to 20 buses, rather than a TfGM franchise contract which, we are told, will comprise of 34 to 185 buses.

Greater Manchester is therefore considering two options if it cannot agree terms to acquire existing depots. The first is to pursue a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). The authority says it has the powers, dating back to the Transport Act 1968, but it is unclear as to whether a CPO has ever been used to acquire a depot before, or even if it is acceptable for a CPO to be used in this way. Even if it is, it can take two to three years for the process to produce results.

The alternative now being considered is to set up multiple smaller depots, in some of the many light industrial estates that are liberally sprinkled across the north of the area, if not quite so numerous in the south. GMCA says these would be a temporary option, pending the construction of new, bigger depots in the future. In essence, this is not unlike some existing sites, such as Stagecoach's Ashton and Middleton depots, or that once used by Manchester Community Transport in Chadderton, and the now-abandoned depot First acquired from Stuarts in Dukinfield.

From one of the most respected industry news outlets.

https://www.keybuses.com/article/greater...ranchising





Quote from the GMCA consultation report in June 2020.

Quote:
7.2.4 The Assessment set out that the steady state model for strategic depots is that they would be controlled by GMCA in order to remove a key barrier to entry for bidders for large franchises. This supports the commercial model’s objective of delivering value for money by removing barriers to entry, driving competition, and creating an enduring market for franchising.

https://greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/medi...-draft.pdf (page 226)



TFGM want control of the depots for large franchises.