How to tackle congestion and falling bus speeds will be among awkward decisions that local authorities need to make regardless of whether enhanced partnership or franchising is the service delivery model, Stagecoach East Managing Director Darren Roe (pictured) has said.
Mr Roe was speaking in an open letter that refers to a consultation on bus franchising by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA).
He says that the process behind potential reregulation “has dragged on enough… and needs to be sorted,” with a decision either way being the priority of bus operators in the region. A consultation on franchising closed on 25 November, with Mr Johnson due to decide on the course of action on 22 January 2025.
Franchising has been on the political agenda locally since 2018. Mr Roe notes that service improvements are key to passengers and that under the current partnership arrangement, operators and CPCA have collaborated to deliver tangible benefits “in a matter of months – not years.”
While Mr Roe says it is right that the choice lies with elected officials, he notes that if franchising is adopted – which seems to be the likely outcome based on Mr Johnson’s previous comments – then the burden of responsibility that will transfer to CPCA will be significant.
That will capture the difficult question of provision of rural bus serves in Cambridgeshire, revenue risk, and management of bus stops and roadside publicity, but the greatest – and something applicable under either regulatory mechanism – is punctuality, the Stagecoach East chief says.
The operator has already been vocal on its concerns around worsening congestion and the difficulties created by roadworks. In his open letter, Mr Roe says that in the high morning peak, one journey in Cambridge that in 2023 took 22 minutes on average has slowed to 29 minutes in 2024, an extension of 32%.
“Congestion in our crowded city and town centres is a huge challenge, and that can only be improved by public policies that promote the use of bus over car,” he notes. “There are no secret formulas; we have operated in this area for nearly 30 years – so we know the issues.”
Dealing with congestion will be difficult for local authorities under franchising and enhanced partnership. Mr Roe says that leaning on best practice from elsewhere in the UK would be worthwhile. Fellow operator Whippet has also called for urgent action on congestion in Cambridge
If no solution to falling bus average speeds is found, a circle of decline will continue where costs increase and/or frequencies reduce. Both will drive passengers away, Mr Roe warns.
