Greater Manchester bus services back under local authority control

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, announced the decision that Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) would now control local bus services on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

Local control will mean simple fares and tickets with price capping, integration between trams and buses, and a "one-stop-shop" for travel information and customer support, it is claimed.

It is the biggest change to local public transport in the region in more than 30 years, after bus services were effectively privatised in 1986.

Mr Burnham said: "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."

Buses in Greater Manchester are going to be run under a franchising system from 2023 onwards, whereby the GMCA will co-ordinate the bus network and contract bus companies to run the services.

Nine of the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester backed the move, though some local bus companies - privately run firms - are not supportive.

Greater Manchester is the first region outside of London to end the deregulation of the bus network.

TfGM will control the bus services in the region as Transport for London manages the fares, routes and standards of bus services in the capital.

Pascale Robinson, from campaign group Better Buses for Greater Manchester, said: "Bringing our buses into public control will transform our bus network so that it can work for passengers, rather than for private profit.

"For too long private bus operators have used our buses as a cash cow, sucking juicy profits out of the network while cutting routes and undermining the rights and conditions of workers.

"With Andy Burnham making the right call today, it's now time for the mayors of England's other city-regions to follow suit, and deliver a proper bus service, run for the benefit of our communities up and down the country."

Jonathan Webb, senior research fellow at think-tank the IPPR North said: "The Mayor of Greater Manchester's decision today to re-regulate buses in the city region is excellent news.

"It will give local people control over such an important part of the public transport network.

"From achieving net-zero carbon emissions to building an inclusive economic recovery - strong, locally controlled bus networks are essential.

"It's time for combined authorities across the country to join Greater Manchester and move to franchise their bus networks too."

Labour's shadow buses minister, Sam Tarry MP, said: "The decision to take local public control of Greater Manchester's buses will benefit all users, after Conservative governments have spent the last 10 years presiding over a toxic mix of cuts to services and ever-rising fares."