Operators in Manchester have hit back against Mayor Andy Burnham’s proposals for bus franchising.
The city’s bus operators are up in arms after spending the last two years developing plans for a partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
In January OneBus, formerly called the Greater Manchester Bus Operators Association (GMBOA), launched its £100m partnership blueprint, which promised 450 new low-emission buses in the next three years, more flexible ticketing, and unified branding across operators.
Gary Nolan, CEO of OneBus, says: “If the local authority truly wants to be ‘doing things differently’, they can do better than replicate a London-style system that expects to operate under a £742m deficit by the end of this year, cutting routes and consuming government subsidies.
“We agree that Greater Manchester’s bus network can be improved, and encourage the mayor to use his existing powers to cut congestion now, before it inflicts further damage on bus punctuality and air quality.
“Our partnership proposal can deliver a better network at no extra cost to the public purse.”
When the Bus Services Act was made law in 2017, the city’s operators – including First, Stagecoach, Arriva, Rosso and the other operators in OneBus – made clear to TfGM and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority that they would prefer to pursue a partnership scheme rather than franchising, an option also covered by the Act.
Since then TfGM has been involved in regular working group meetings with the operators to develop the partnership.
In a statement, Stagecoach Manchester says: “This is not a choice between franchising and the status quo.
“The Mayor has had on his desk for months a compelling £100m blueprint from bus operators which could further transform the region’s bus network right now.
“People in Manchester and districts across the region must be asking why TfGM has needlessly spent £23m of taxpayers’ money on consultants’ reports assessing franchising, when practical improvements have been delayed and the partnership solutions are already staring politicians in the face.”
