The first buses to be brought back into public control in England since deregulation in the 1980s will set out from depots in Bolton and Wigan on Sunday morning.
Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, said the launch of the network – and particularly the introduction of franchising for buses – was “devolution in England coming of age … It’s a major decision that will have a significant impact on people’s lives”.
City regions under metro mayors were given franchising powers in 2017, but private operators initially fought to stop Burnham going ahead, with Stagecoach trying, and failing, to get a judicial review in the high court last year.
Go-Ahead, which is running the first franchised routes, has seconded dozens of drivers from around Britain to ensure a smooth start, and said it looked forward “to delivering exceptional public transport for Manchester”.
The cost of franchising remains a major issue, with an estimated £135m bill for the city, covering buying back depots, investing in buses, and subsidising fares among other things.
Other mayors were hoping to follow Burnham’s lead for “their region to be the next stop on the journey to making all Britain’s buses work for people, not profit”, Topham said.
The original article contains 524 words, the summary contains 201 words. Saved 62%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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The first buses to be brought back into public control in England since deregulation in the 1980s will set out from depots in Bolton and Wigan on Sunday morning.
Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, said the launch of the network – and particularly the introduction of franchising for buses – was “devolution in England coming of age … It’s a major decision that will have a significant impact on people’s lives”.
City regions under metro mayors were given franchising powers in 2017, but private operators initially fought to stop Burnham going ahead, with Stagecoach trying, and failing, to get a judicial review in the high court last year.
Go-Ahead, which is running the first franchised routes, has seconded dozens of drivers from around Britain to ensure a smooth start, and said it looked forward “to delivering exceptional public transport for Manchester”.
The cost of franchising remains a major issue, with an estimated £135m bill for the city, covering buying back depots, investing in buses, and subsidising fares among other things.
Other mayors were hoping to follow Burnham’s lead for “their region to be the next stop on the journey to making all Britain’s buses work for people, not profit”, Topham said.
The original article contains 524 words, the summary contains 201 words. Saved 62%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!