Andy Burnham to bring bus network under local control

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has announced that the city-region will begin a proposed reform of the bus network to bring it under local control by 2025.

Greater Manchester will become the first local authority outside of London to move to a ‘franchising’ model for its bus network, giving Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) greater control over fares, timetables and routes, which had previously been controlled by operators.

The reforms were broadly welcomed by the public during two consultations on the proposals in 2019 and again in 2020 to consider the impact of Covid-19. Following the results of both consultations, nine out of the ten local authority leaders recommended reforms to move forward; only the Conservative leader of Bolton Council voted against the change.

Under the plans, the first franchised buses will start to run in Bolton and Wigan in early 2023, with the transition complete by the end of 2025. Plans will do more to integrate bus services and timetables with other modes of public transport and offer passengers simpler fares and ticketing, with the ability to offer price capping for journeys across both buses and trams. All buses across the city-region will also come under a single livery, regardless of the operator responsible for the route.

Announcing the change Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

Public transport is essential for any successful city-region, and our buses are the backbone of Greater Manchester’s transport network. As Greater Manchester recovers from the pandemic and grows in the future, we must develop our public transport network, alongside walking and cycling, to support the increasing number of journeys we will all be making.

“In Greater Manchester, we’ve always done things differently and been trailblazers especially in the field of transport; we had the first passenger railway; the first ‘bus’ route with a horse-drawn carriage and now I’ve decided that we will be the first outside London to run our buses differently – under local control, so that decisions are made at a local level for the benefit of our passengers.

“My decision will mean that we can integrate our buses as part of a joined-up network, so passengers can easily switch between different types of transport. It means simpler fares and ticketing with price capping, so no one pays more than they need to. It also means a ‘one-stop-shop’ for travel information and a single identity for the whole public transport network, which is attractive, clearly recognisable and easy for passengers to navigate and understand.

“Ultimately, this means a different way of moving around for everyone in our city-region, as we move towards Our Network; our ambition of a world-class, integrated transport network which can unlock opportunity for all; providing access to jobs and education, reducing pollution, attracting investment and reducing isolation.

“Bringing buses into local control will be the biggest change to Greater Manchester’s buses since de-regulation in 1986. But as with all change for the better, it will take time; it won’t happen overnight and we are just at the start of our journey. I hope the people, businesses and communities of Greater Manchester come with us on the journey, so we can create a joined-up public transport network that works for the benefit of passengers and our city-region.”

Andy Burnham’s powers move to a franchising model for the bus network were granted as part of the 2017 devolution deal that created the city-region mayor’s office and comes following an increase in the number of routes being supported by local authorities after private operators deemed them unviable.

Bus companies have opposed the changes, proposing instead a closer partnership between transport operators and the local government; however, alternatives were not suggested in the more recent consultation. Operators continue to oppose the move, arguing that insufficient consideration of the pandemic’s long-term effects on transport use was given before the decision was made.