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+--- Thread: Bus Services Bill (/showthread.php?tid=1791)
RE: Bus Services Bill - Adrian - 04 Apr 2017
(04 Apr 2017, 10:46 am)GX03 vote grabbing imo.
Fancy a candidate making pledges in the run up to election time...
RE: Bus Services Bill - James101 - 04 Apr 2017
Brian Souter has previous on making bus franchising proposals disappear through threats or persuasion. I'm surprised he's not waded in yet considering it's his largest bus operation at stake.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 04 Apr 2017
(04 Apr 2017, 7:56 pm)James101 Brian Souter has previous on making bus franchising proposals disappear through threats or persuasion. I'm surprised he's not waded in yet considering it's his largest bus operation at stake.
Probably because such "threats" would not send anything like the shiver down political spines that they would have done 4 years ago!
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 18 Apr 2017
(04 Apr 2017, 7:56 pm)James101 Brian Souter has previous on making bus franchising proposals disappear through threats or persuasion. I'm surprised he's not waded in yet considering it's his largest bus operation at stake.
Looks like he's managed to get Theresa May to do it after all - even if by default. Difference of opinion depending on who is commenting, but with a limited time left, the MEN suggests the Bus Services Bill will be "washed up" (Parliamentary jargon, apparently), as it would take only the slightest contention to stop a bill before the "snap" General Election. As Chris Grayling doesn't support the bill - and why would he, as yet another Transport Secretary from a super-rich, high car ownership Home Counties constituency - that would be enough to scrap it without any time to negotiate. Shades of 31+ years ago, when it was widely believed in political circles that we got "Hard De-reg", due to one person; Sarah Keays, remember her. Still, that's modern democracy for you; Ask Messrs Putin, Trump, Erdogan and Kim.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Adrian - 26 Apr 2017
The Commons amendments have been agreed by the Lords, and the bill is scheduled to receive royal assent tomorrow (27th April).
RE: Bus Services Bill - markydh - 26 Apr 2017
Fantastic news!
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 26 Apr 2017
(26 Apr 2017, 1:27 pm)Adrian The Commons amendments have been agreed by the Lords, and the bill is scheduled to receive royal assent tomorrow (27th April).
Yes. It looks like the MEN were slightly wide of the mark as its approval by both Houses left Grayling's hands tied. Apparently, he had said that if he was Transport Secretary at the time the Bill was first mooted he would have put a stop to it.
The decision is just in time for the Mayoral Elections and it is significant that - publicly, at least - all the GM Candidates (even the Conservative and millionaire independant) have said they exercise the option to "control" Bus services in their region. That doesn't necessarily mean franchising, but whatever pitfalls an dangers lie ahead with such control, there is virtually nobody in GM who would claim De-reg has been a success. Certainly not amongst the county's hundreds of thousands of non-motorists.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 28 Apr 2017
(26 Apr 2017, 8:07 pm)Tamesider Yes. It looks like the MEN were slightly wide of the mark as its approval by both Houses left Grayling's hands tied. Apparently, he had said that if he was Transport Secretary at the time the Bill was first mooted he would have put a stop to it.
The decision is just in time for the Mayoral Elections and it is significant that - publicly, at least - all the GM Candidates (even the Conservative and millionaire independant) have said they exercise the option to "control" Bus services in their region. That doesn't necessarily mean franchising, but whatever pitfalls an dangers lie ahead with such control, there is virtually nobody in GM who would claim De-reg has been a success. Certainly not amongst the county's hundreds of thousands of non-motorists.
As predicted, the Bill received Royal Assent and became an Act yesterday. However, Guidance notes won't be published until after the Election. Its not clear how much of a delay this will be in the grand scheme of things as presumably, the Mayor's intentions will still be worked on by TFGM (or GMCA) in advance of Public Consultation. If the intention is for Franchising, no one expects it to be implemented for at least 18 months - probably longer - anyway.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Andreos1 - 01 May 2017
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-39709700
Manchester focus, within Buses Bill feature
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 01 May 2017
(01 May 2017, 8:05 am)Andreos1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-39709700
Manchester focus, within Buses Bill feature
Well, no one can accuse the BBC of being either punctual or integrated! This item dated today, states the Bus Services Bill is still awaiting Royal Assent. That happened 4 days ago! Also, there was absolutely no mention of this on the Regional News this lunchtime, and indeed BBC's coverage of the Mayoral Elections has been poor compared to Granada. Meanwhile, there was an interesting piece on the BBC National News about continued cuts in subsidised services. The example used was First's route 267 from Bath to Frome, used by Shift workers and Students alike needing to catch the last bus of the night at 2310. From First's own publicity, it is a single bus/driver running a two hourly service on the 14 mile each way route, with Day tickets costing £6 (mticket) or £6.50 (paper). Now, there could be some element of stage management, but it looked like a good dozen or more passengers were on the bus, which at the time of filming would translate to at least £72 revenue*. That alone would surely pay the Drivers wage for the back "half" of his/her duty, and surely the earlier journeys will be picking up some passengers, even if few would board the last bus after leaving Bath behind. Equally, even if it wasn't quite breaking even, then the subsidy should not be that high. We are not talking a couple of blokes who like to go into town for a drink twice a week here; its a reasonable number of passengers making essential trips.
What I would say about the enclosed article is that Monton is (comparatively) well off in the context of being near Eccles - and is barely a mile from the town centre. Whilst, subsidised local services have been changed and cut regularly in recent years, the "village" does still have a bus through Eccles into Piccadilly every 15 minutes (M-Sa) daytime, as well as connections in either Eccles or at Salford Royal to a combined 8 buses an hour to Shudehill.
All these services are run by First, so no financial penalty is incurred. Reliability/Punctuality is a whole seperate argument though!
The article also reveals a wider worry about just how devolved, Devolution will be; Just as London and the South East dominate the UK Economy and democratic access to media and influential politicians, it is increasingly looking like the three most politically correct districts of GM are dominating this election; that is Salford (where Monton is), Trafford and Manchester (and specifically South M'cr).
*If there is no bus home, they are not going to be buying a DayTicket. In fact, from what the passengers were saying, they would not be travelling at all!
RE: Bus Services Bill - Andreos1 - 04 May 2017
https://twitter.com/passtrans/status/860093711727939584
Final hurdle cleared!
RE: Bus Services Bill - Michael - 04 May 2017
(04 May 2017, 11:31 am)Andreos1 https://twitter.com/passtrans/status/860093711727939584
Final hurdle cleared!
So what does it all mean?
RE: Bus Services Bill - Andreos1 - 04 May 2017
(04 May 2017, 11:34 am)Michael So what does it all mean?
It means eezypeazy will start wittering on about magic money trees
RE: Bus Services Bill - Adrian - 04 May 2017
(04 May 2017, 11:34 am)Michael So what does it all mean?
There'll be Government guidance issued in due course, which I assume will be in the form of operator guidance and public guidance. I doubt that this will happen until after the general election now.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 05 May 2017
(04 May 2017, 8:37 pm)Adrian There'll be Government guidance issued in due course, which I assume will be in the form of operator guidance and public guidance. I doubt that this will happen until after the general election now.
I can confirm that Guidance will indeed be delayed by the General Election. Whether this will prove significant isn't clear.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Andreos1 - 07 Aug 2017
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/oyster-card-style-system-gets-13444518
Whatever the merits or benefits of this idea, it is yet another quango and yet another travel pass.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 07 Aug 2017
(07 Aug 2017, 8:25 pm)Andreos1 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/oyster-card-style-system-gets-13444518
Whatever the merits or benefits of this idea, it is yet another quango and yet another travel pass.
Why would it mean another quango? In fact, the article says that ultimately there will be one less (RailNorth) not one more.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Andreos1 - 07 Aug 2017
(07 Aug 2017, 8:57 pm)Tamesider Why would it mean another quango? In fact, the article says that ultimately there will be one less (RailNorth) not one more.
TfM, NECA and everything in between.
They were all supposed to be a voice for a particular area and as far as I am aware, are staying.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Tamesider - 08 Aug 2017
(07 Aug 2017, 9:14 pm)Andreos1 TfM, NECA and everything in between.
They were all supposed to be a voice for a particular area and as far as I am aware, are staying.
Yes, but you said "another one". Plus, is the news article relevant to the Bus Services Bill? Surely, both this article and these various "quangos" (apart from NECA possibly) all rail oriented.
RE: Bus Services Bill - Andreos1 - 08 Aug 2017
(08 Aug 2017, 8:22 pm)Tamesider Yes, but you said "another one". Plus, is the news article relevant to the Bus Services Bill? Surely, both this article and these various "quangos" (apart from NECA possibly) all rail oriented.
Well yeah. It's another quango, in addition to the many that exist already.
Aye, those others may focus on a specific region and/or agenda - but this one is 'another one' that will represent the north, in addition to the ones that exist already, focussing on those other agendas (agendai?).