LCR Bus Franchising

[iMarkeh]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising
The only pro that I can find to franchising is that it would maybe help fix the problems that Mayneway is speaking about.

If local authorities see the actual impact it has, on buses because they are running them, there is more chance of bus priority and other measures put into place.

The down side is lower resistance from the buses with regards to road changes. For example in Manchesters case to the proposed mass pedestrianisation and trying to force all of the buses out of city centre.

[SK15 GZG (Moderator)]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising

(28/02/2022 09:35)Barney Wrote:  I find it quite odd that the very people who set up this site are so anti-bus and state that they have no intention of using buses now or at any time in the future. As for not wishing your taxes to be spent on services you don't use, I pay over £300 a year for the police and fire and rescue services neither of which I have ever required.

I'm not anti-bus in the slightest. I don't use them very much because I need the convenience of owning a car

My council tax bills have gone up year on year and the fact is the state of the roads and pavements in my area is even more dreadful than they were several years ago. I would much rather any increase in my council tax went towards paying for those to be rectified - and funding social care - than a franchised bus network which my family and I will very rarely use. I'm sure there will be many others across the city region who agree with me

[MPTE1955]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising

(28/02/2022 18:31)SK15 GZG Wrote:  I'm not anti-bus in the slightest. I don't use them very much because I need the convenience of owning a car

My council tax bills have gone up year on year and the fact is the state of the roads and pavements in my area is even more dreadful than they were several years ago. I would much rather any increase in my council tax went towards paying for those to be rectified - and funding social care - than a franchised bus network which my family and I will very rarely use. I'm sure there will be many others across the city region who agree with me

I agree, I use the bus to go to work and use my car when not. I don't believe franchising will make much difference, its not going to cheapen fares either, but then weekly/daily tickets are really good value as it is. I wouldn't trust metseytravel or the metro mayor to run a bath and I'm definitely not prepared to pay more council tax for a franchised bus service I think we pay enough things out in tax and N.i, as well as ct rising anyway and then the cost of fuel for out cars constantly rising.. So anything else is a travesty..

[Barney]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising

(28/02/2022 19:36)MPTE1955 Wrote:  I agree, I use the bus to go to work and use my car when not. I don't believe franchising will make much difference, its not going to cheapen fares either, but then weekly/daily tickets are really good value as it is. I wouldn't trust metseytravel or the metro mayor to run a bath and I'm definitely not prepared to pay more council tax for a franchised bus service I think we pay enough things out in tax and N.i, as well as ct rising anyway and then the cost of fuel for out cars constantly rising.. So anything else is a travesty..

Thankfully, you won't be the ones making these decisions.

[SK15 GZG (Moderator)]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising

(28/02/2022 23:31)Barney Wrote:  Thankfully, you won't be the ones making these decisions.

MPTE1955 has a far better understanding of what the city region should be prioritising above the introduction of an expensive and unnecessary franchised bus network. The cost of food, fuel and energy are all increasing and the city region wants to add to this by increasing council tax bills (yet again) for a service which isn't needed. I'm sure I'm not the only Liverpool City Region taxpayer who would prefer to have good quality roads, pavements and social care over a franchised bus network. Having my wheelie bins emptied more often than fortnightly would be nice as well

[MPTE1955]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising

(28/02/2022 23:31)Barney Wrote:  Thankfully, you won't be the ones making these decisions.

And even more so neither will you. I work for a government department so I'm certain that I know more about these things than you. You seem to think that franchising will make everything all rosy in the garden and will take us back to the so called glory days, well it certainly will not. We are now in times when everything has to run for a profit. You are living in the past.

Additionally this council has made a mess of just about everything , the city centre is a nightmare whether getting in or out at both ends of the day, they are also the reason why people who want to go from one end of the LCR to the other have to get their way across from one bus station by either using another bus to get them across or walk all the way across. How is this good for people that are not so able bodied. Their bus stations are awful and this is down to the council. Franchising is just a way of the metro mayor trying to justify his position when in truth he is clueless. You only have to look at the new trains as doing nothing 2 years after delivery to see how inept he is, yet he had the cheek to say aren't I wonderful by getting these done a few months ago. The pandemic cannot be blamed for not having those in service.

,This council and merseytravel get so little right and they prove it time and time again, they will also get franchising wrong and we will all pay for it at a time when everything is getting far more expensive. Those of us that work are about to get what is over a 10% rise ( 12% to 13.5%) in our national insurance contributions so is akin to a pay cut, why should we have to pay more out in our council tax for franchising.whilst everything else is also rising.

[Mayneway]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising
Barney very cleverly keeps over looking the comments from me regarding the London System. It’s weeks away from collapse unless a huge chunk of money (£40 million I think it said), is injected into it very soon.
Burnham has said many times he wants a ‘London style system’, I’m assuming the Liverpool mayor has said similar, but how can you want a system for a city that is running at a massive loss, will need constant cash injections and won’t do the job any better than what we have now. It’s pointless and all about power and control.

[iMarkeh]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising

(01/03/2022 06:31)MPTE1955 Wrote:  Their bus stations are awful and this is down to the council.

Please can I ask which part of the bus stations are down to the councils? I thought the bus stations were all under Merseytravel?

[MPTE1955]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising

(01/03/2022 11:21)iMarkeh Wrote:  Please can I ask which part of the bus stations are down to the councils? I thought the bus stations were all under Merseytravel?

Council have a say on how the city centre will be, hence how the bus stations are. Merseytravel then run them.

[CX06 EBK (Administrator)]

RE: LCR Bus Franchising
The council and Merseytravel were the ones behind designing the bus hub in an area where it wasn't wanted by pretty much anyone in an effort to split the city in half when it comes to services. The council are surely the ones responsible for installing the "bus gate" on Hanover Street which was once again reported in the Echo this week as not being switched on so is it any wonder people have little faith in these organisations to get things right? These are just two things to be pointed out - many more could be.