Lancashire County Council Cuts to Bus Services

[Barney]

RE: Lancashire County Council Cuts to Bus Services

(01/03/2016 16:23)Mayneway Wrote:  The problem is everyone has different opinions. I'm assuming your pro labour and that is your choice it's mine not to particularly like any of them. They all live in a different world down there with there subsidised bars and restaurants, they haven't got a clue how us northerners live.
I quite like the views and beliefs of Oldham council leader Jim Mchanon who's labour but he's a very small fish in a very big pond.

As for franchising no body knows how it will work so how can you call it nonsense? It was my understanding that groups of bigger and smaller (subsidised) services would be bundled together and the winning bidder would operate them all on a commercial style basis with no subsidies paid. It would also so away with the current situation where an operator is happy to run a commercial frequent service on a semi major corridor mon-sat daytime but operates it with a subsidie in the evenings and on Sundays/BH so effectively you bid for a major service you run it 7 days a week, but as said no one knows the exact details of how it would work so don't call someone's comments nonsense because they don't tally with your thoughts etc.

I don't think franchising is nonsense. As much as I would like to see it happen, I just can't see the government doing anything to help the current bus service provision outside of London. The government promised a Buses Bill when it was elected but so far nothing has happened probably because the big four don't want to have their profit margins squeezed.

BTW the last Transport Minister who was in anyways effective was Norman Baker and he was a Lib Dem.