Bus operators in areas where franchising plans are not currently on the table must play a long game engaging with politicians to maximise clarity on business and network planning, ALBUM Policy Advisor Tony Depledge told the Association’s 2025 conference in Nottingham.
Mr Depledge will soon stand down from that role after a long career in public transport. He notes that if operators lack stability over a sufficient period to maximise investment, there is a risk that they will do little more than tick over, which he calls a “fatalistic” approach.
“Some companies did that in 1986 with deregulation. I do not think it is the right way to run a business,” Mr Depledge continues.
He believes that politicians have a grasp that risk but adds that the reshaping of some local authority (LA) areas in England could complicate longer-term direction.
“My biggest worry… is not about the areas where bus franchising is planned. The risks are more about [those] where LAs are not looking at franchising, or at least not now.”
Engagement is thus key to managing risks there. Also important is developing stronger binding agreements with LAs outside franchising areas. Mr Depledge believes that the sector should look “much more seriously” at how those are delivered.
“Please talk to your MPs… to help them to understand the risks that you and your networks face,” he continues. “Make sure that they are clear about what can be done and how bus operators on their own cannot fix the key problem of punctuality.”
That narrative should include how much franchising costs. On reregulation, Mr Depledge questions any cross-subsidy argument. He notes how commercially strong services generally serve lower income areas while routes in higher income locations can struggle financially.
“If we use money from successful services to pay for unsuccessful services… you are redistributing money from the poor to the better off,” he suggests. “That seems to be a deeply unsatisfactory solution.”
Separately, any plans to devolve BSOG outside franchised areas must be scrutinised closely, Mr Depledge believes. “Given that funding cannot be ringfenced when it is devolved from central government to LAs, I have no idea what the benefits to passengers might be from devolved BSOG. It seems completely mad.”
