The plan modelled on Manchester to end 'postcode lottery' of bus services
11.04.2024 - 09:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The Labour Party has pledged to follow the route of Greater Manchester and end the 'postcode lottery' of bus services by speeding up the franchising process.
Under the Bee Network, the first publicly-controlled buses outside of London for around 40 years were rolled out in Bolton, Wigan and parts of Bury and Salford in September last year, with the whole of Greater Manchester's network set to be franchised by 2025.
Since de-regulation in 1985, the party said bus services outside of London have 'collapsed'. Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said today Labour's plan would kickstart a revival of bus services across England. The plan aims to create 250 million more passenger journeys per year and allow local transport authorities to 'take back control' as Greater Manchester has done.
Private operators here now have no say over routes, fares, frequencies, timetables and overall standards, giving power back to the paying public.
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It comes after the Manchester Evening News revealed calls for a 'bus renaissance' after research laid bare a huge decline in services across Greater Manchester in more than a decade.
Researchers from the University of Leeds carried out the study on behalf of Friends of the Earth. They said bus services outside of London have seen a staggering fall, with provision plummeting by more than 60 per cent in 80 local authority areas.
The results, they said, showed commuters in Wigan have suffered the most reduced services over a 13-year timescale. In 2010, just over 250 trips per hour were made across the town, compared to 147 now, a decrease of 41 per cent.
In addition to removing barriers to