Greater Manchester Mayoral Election 2017 - Bus Policies

[Barney]

RE: Greater Manchester Mayoral Election 2017 - Bus Policies

(21/03/2017 18:48)rod_259 Wrote:  This could get silly! Without profit there would only be the old sheds of GM buses which thankfully have been replaced by much more modern buses. Just get real if you want a bus service that doesn't make a profit and runs quite well under present legislation it ain't going to happen. Bus companies should be allowed to cross subsidise services so more rural areas could be served a lot better and the companies could provide 'feeder' services for the main arterial routes. That way they could make a profit and provide much more comprehensive services. There has never been a nationalised industry that has been run well because as soon as funding gets tight they are starved of investment and go downhill all the way. It is very sad but true.

Do you have any memory of bus operations prior to 1986 when privatisation was introduced by the Thatcher government? Up till that point the GMPTE and MPTE ran very modern fleets with a policy of retiring vehicles more than 14 years old. The thinking behind deregulation was in order to halt the decline in passenger numbers and improve services the private sector should take control, which is and always has been the mantra of the Conservative party. As we all know, the reality was something else.

As for your suggestion that bus companies should be allowed to cross subsidise services to more rural areas that is a none starter for two reasons. Firstly, it is illegal under current legislation and secondly, why on earth would a commercial company want to reduce its profits by running uneconomic services? You only have to look at what has happened in the shire counties over the past two years when subsidies were withdrawn as a consequence of central government austerity measures.