Talks of Liverpools bus network being "council" run

[Metroline1511]

RE: Talks of Liverpools bus network being "council" run

(29/10/2014 21:50)kuyoyo Wrote:  Exactly. As mentioned, Nexus here in the North East are presently on course to rip the profits presently used to generate the new stock the companies buy to pay off their large debts unless they are stopped (the operators are ready to take them to court, but are waiting until after the Traffic Commissioner and a panel of industry experts have reviewed it). The ITA (made up of Durham, Northumberland and the Tyne and Wear Councils - called North East Combined Authority when it doesn't included the whole of the North East).

Basically, what the councils and PTEs need to do is look at their colleagues in South Yorkshire and the award-winning Sheffield Partnership scheme. Operations take most of the cost for operating services (still a small number of contracted services but these are mainly operated by either TM Travel or Sheffield Community Transport) while the PTE do the timetables and spend money on infrastructure work. All changes are consulted on in a fair and equal way. This is the way places should be going - and indeed here in the southern part of the North East, we are on the way to that.

Sheffield works better than before the bus prtnership. There are more even frequencies on routes run jointly by First and Stagecoach, and a broader range of tickets including a Sheffield Citywide ticket, also valid on other operators most notably TM Travel.

A flaw in the Nexus proposals compared to London, highlighted in Buses magazine about 18 months ago, is that there will be 3 or 4 area franchises rather than London-style route tenders. So this pre-supposed for example that Go-Ahead or Stagecoach could absorb the other's network in the area, or an outside operator (even if Arriva) absorbs both current operations.

(30/10/2014 19:26)wirralbus Wrote:  Would Stagecoach do what they threatened to do on Tyneside and pull the plug on there Merseyside operations if these proposals came in .

Would we get to the situation like in London though where there would be a continuous merry go round of routes passing between operators , another thing also would this mean the end of a multitude of bus colours and one standard livery being adopted for operations.

It would be interesting to see routes operated by the likes of Arriva, Stagecoach, MTL Buses, Peoplesbus, Halton Transport etc, and sometimes switching operator.

(31/10/2014 20:40)wirralbus Wrote:  Notice how Arriva have kept very quiet in this debate about reregulation of the buses.

Arriva if they wanted to could put a massive spanner in the works here on Merseyside , there just letting Stagecoach give the operators opinion as they to all intents any purposes are the smaller of the major operators here .

I do wonder what First Bus opinion is on reregulation as Manchester could be a minefield if Greater Manchester went down that line .

As Arriva parent company Deutsche Bahn operate many franchises in Europe, and Arriva has been in London since the early days of route tendering, I think they will be pragmatic and accept route tendering in Merseyside. They may prefer to lose a few routes than fall out with Merseytravel.

As First specifically pulled out of London last year, in part through having had to make 45% of their national investment into just the 14% of their national operation in London, I doubt they will welcome re-regulation in Manchester or any of their urban areas.