Bus operators in West Yorkshire have issued a final call for adoption of their Enhanced Partnership Plus proposals as the countdown to Mayor Tracey Brabin’s decision on the direction of industry reform in the region enters its final fortnight.
Ms Brabin will announce on 14 March the path that will take, with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) having made clear that franchising is the preferred option.
However, the group of operators, calling themselves The Best for West Yorkshire, has underlined its claim that an Enhanced Partnership Plus approach will deliver “significant improvements to passengers’ journey much quicker than franchising” if it adopted, while giving the required level of public control of bus services pledged by Ms Brabin.
Commitments under such a mechanism that were previously issued in a position document include a fully zero-emission bus fleet in West Yorkshire by 2036; agreed processes for network reinvestment of savings realised via public capital investment; simplified and integrated fares; a unified brand; and a passenger incentive programme.
A spokesperson for The Best for West Yorkshire group says: “Our solution has been designed around the particular requirements of West Yorkshire, and it comes with significantly less financial risk at a time when local authority budgets are increasingly under pressure.”
Those operators previously claimed public support for Enhanced Partnership Plus and that 66% of people in West Yorkshire want the financial risk of bus operation to remain with businesses, rather than the public purse.
WYCA’s franchising proposals could see reregulation rolled out in the conurbation from 2026. A consultation document noted that full implementation would cost West Yorkshire around £358 million when the purchase of 868 zero-emission buses over 14 years is included. Setup costs are estimated to be at least £100 million.
Under the plans, the region would be broken into 10 zones, with those each then split into one large lot and numerous smaller lots. WYCA has already acknowledged worries around franchising aired by SME operators in West Yorkshire.
In its consultation document, the Combined Authority accepted that engagement with those businesses has proved “difficult.” Connexions Buses Managing Director Craig Temple has described the franchising plans as posing a severe threat to SME bus operators and that they are bringing “unnecessary stress” to those businesses.
