Local Authorities’ Increased Control Over Bus Services Receives Support

A local council expressed approval for government proposals aimed at granting local authorities greater authority over bus services. New legislation is under consideration to implement a franchising model, which would empower councils to determine routes, schedules, and fares, with bus operators then bidding for service contracts. Two years prior, Milton Keynes City Council had already supported a motion advocating for enhanced control, following councillors’ consensus that inadequate service provision was failing thousands of commuters. Councillor Jennifer Wilson-Marklew stated that “franchising is really promising,” prompting an inquiry into the perspectives of local residents and bus users. The Shenley Retirement Village, situated three miles from Milton Keynes’ primary retail district, houses approximately 308 individuals, all of whom are over 55 years old. Although the village has two bus stops at its entrance, neither is currently operational due to the absence of a bus service connecting to the city centre. David Tunney, a resident, commented, “Roughly half of the people in the village do not have access to a car and many are elderly and have problems walking.” He added, “The bus service is desperately needed for those people who are feeling particularly isolated, mentally depressed and trapped within the village.” Alan Francis, a member of the Milton Keynes Bus Users Group, expressed cautious approval for the concept of local authorities managing bus services, following his disembarkation from the No.2 service bound for Newport Pagnell. He stated, “This is what passengers want because they can lobby the council who are much more responsive to what local people want.” He further explained, “If the council was funding the buses then it would be able to set the times and the frequency, including the times of the first and last buses on the route.” Nevertheless, he issued a caution: “The powers that are being offered by the government to the council are no good without some funding attached.” The government recently allocated nearly £1bn in its budget “to deliver high quality services and protect vital bus routes up and down the country.” However, it remains uncertain whether a portion of these funds will be allocated to councils for the proposed franchising initiative. Additionally, the fare cap was increased to £3 per journey. Despite this rise, the expectation is that bus ridership will grow, leading to an increase in revenue for the service. The Transport Act, enacted by the 1985 Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher, led to the privatisation of bus services. This legislation implied that operators would only maintain routes that generated profit. Wilson-Marklew described the franchising aspect of the Better Buses bill, anticipated for parliamentary debate later this year, as “really promising and it is something the council is looking at.” She further stated, “As a city we have tried very, very hard to make public transport affordable and as available as possible to as many people as possible.” She observed, “But the decline we have seen over the past twenty years is continuing and if anything is increasing.” She concurred that prompt change is necessary, asserting, “as long as we continue to run buses on a commercial basis, we’re going to continue seeing those services decline.”