WECA Statement - July 2024
My name is Anna Mounteney, and I represent Reclaim Our Buses, a campaign advocating for a franchised bus system across the West of England.
Firstly, congratulations on your election victory.
Labour’s clear and assertive direction for public transport, as demonstrated by statements from Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and the King’s speech last week, makes it promising to collaborate with Labour to address regional mobility issues.
Our campaign has communicated with your office multiple times via public statements, petitions, emails, and open letters. Notably, in the lead-up to the election, our open letter to you was circulated and signed by various parliamentary candidates across the West of England, including those from the Greens, Liberal Democrats, and other socially democratic parties. Labour did not sign this letter, and we did not receive a response from you. The letter requested the production of the franchising report promised last year. We are still seeking this report and will remain diligent in our pursuit. Without this report, the likelihood of franchising in the West of England remains slim; this is the next pragmatic step. We hope the cross-party support for this request encourages you to adopt a collaborative approach to resolving bus service issues.
We understand that balancing your roles as Metro Mayor and MP for Hanham and North East Somerset is a new challenge. However, we recognise the unique opportunity of your position. Previously, a barrier to committing to franchising was the availability of precepting powers. With Labour in government and your position bridging local and central government, this should no longer be a hindrance. You are in a position to resolve this and effect relational change.
Furthermore, our new Labour government has advocated for decentralisation and aims to give metro mayors more powers. We urge you to optimise this unique position.
Public transport issues across the West of England are at breaking point, as evidenced by the Transpora Group’s crisis last week. Overnight, residents woke up to find their regular bus services had been canceled.
How can you expect residents with responsibilities, routines, jobs, children, and needs to have such fragile mobility?
This has gone on for too long.
Daily, we receive complaints from residents whose buses have been cut, whose rural villages lack pavements so they can’t walk on dangerous A-roads, who do not drive or own a car, or who cannot afford to drive due to high inflation or the CAZ, which often affects those who already lack financial or resource freedom. This situation is not rare. Particular attention must be given to the experiences of elderly and disabled persons who rely heavily on buses and are systematically overlooked.
Bus networks that do not function, or where bus operators do not communicate and lack accountability, perpetuate indirect inequality and poverty. Unreliable buses limit the living standards of residents and constrain the capacity of our region. Buses connect communities. They enable people to get to hospital appointments, supermarkets, and family. They allow unemployed workers to seek job opportunities in towns and cities. They ease the housing crisis by alleviating pressure and enabling population distribution. All these factors create virtuous cycles, leading to greater sociality, accessibility, and inclusivity, which are your party’s commitments.
Franchising is clearly the next step. To recap a few advantages of franchising:
Evidence shows around 50% of profits would be reinvested back into the service. Profits from popular routes could be used to subsidise less busy routes so all communities have a decent service.
Local authorities would set and enforce the timetable of buses across the West of England, making buses far more reliable and better integrated with other forms of transport, reducing inconvenient long waits.
Operators would work to a 5- or 10-year contract, preventing them from cutting services year after year.
Fares would be cheaper and consistent. We could even have our own equivalent of the "Oyster-card" and have prices capped across services.
Region-wide standards of accessibility for disabled users could be introduced, and standards could be set for emissions.
Looking north to Labour mayors like Tracy Brabin, Andy Burnham, and Steve Rotheram, it is evident they have recognised this. Franchising, not demand-responsive or birthday bus schemes, is the only viable and durable long-term bus solution.
The NHS is often beaconed as Labour’s lasting legacy; why not transport too?
Committee details are available here: https://westofengland-ca.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=141&MId=685
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/NkzqpAoW-j8?feature=shared
