Open letter: Response from the Mayor
In May we started an open letter to Dan Norris, which we sent him in the lead up to the general election. You can read the letter we sent him here.
We have just received the response below from Dan (9th August 2024). We will be keeping a very close eye on the agenda for the September WECA Committee meeting - we are expecting that the ‘full public report’ he mentions will be published on the 12th September. We will read it carefully if it is published as expected, and will be attending the September WECA Committee meeting on Friday the 20th September - please join us there if you can. It is scheduled for 1pm, location TBC.
We are well aware that franchising is not a ‘silver bullet’, and that it is not the same thing as public ownership, but we believe it is a necessary part of the picture. We are also very glad to see Dan Norris state that he wants to set up a passenger transport executive for the region. Other combined authorities which have implemented franchising have/are passenger transport executives.
The letter we received from Dan Norris is published in full below, dated 9th August 2024:
Dear signatories,
Thank you for your open letter asking for a ‘formal investigation’ into bus franchising. Thanks as well for your patience in waiting for a response until after the pre-election period had concluded, as owing to the politically sensitive nature of this matter, I was unable to get back to you sooner.
I note all your collective comments about the appetite for bus franchising in the West of England. I agree with you, that the bus system is currently not delivering for residents in the way that they both need and deserve. I am working hard on making improvements in the ways available to me as Mayor. This has included negotiating a cap of £2 for an adult single ticket on nearly all bus journeys across the region, which came into force earlier than the national scheme, as well as my Birthday Bus scheme, which has been effectively encouraging residents to use the bus more and therefore ensure the network’s long-term future.
I can also advise that we are actively considering bus reform at the moment. I have engaged with local leaders and I am hopeful that a full public report will be published as part of the September Committee. However, I should caution that franchising is not a silver bullet, and critically, it is also not ‘public ownership’ per se.
We have a unique set of circumstances in the West of England that present particular challenges for shifting the model we use for delivering our public transport network. For example, a key franchising problem is the lack of a passenger transport executive in our area, like Transport for London, that brings together powers in one body. There has not historically been a comparable organisation in the West, and this makes taking action more complex and challenging. It is something I would like to set up. As a result of this complex picture, I make no apology of taking the utmost care when considering the strengths and weaknesses of any new model for how we run buses.
Thank you once again for your interest in this matter. I hope this response clarifies the work my West of England Mayoral Combined Authority is already undertaking to explore how we can improve the bus network for residents.
Yours sincerely,
Dan Norris
Metro Mayor for the West of England
