Latest news with #busnetwork
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour's push to reverse Thatcher's bus revolution runs off the road
When Nicholas Ridley, the arch-Thatcherite transport secretary, introduced laws to privatise Britain's bus network in 1985, it ushered in the 'bus wars', a time when private companies battled to get the plum routes across the country. Forty years on, and Sir Keir Starmer's Government is fighting its own war for the buses: to reverse Margaret Thatcher's revolution and hand more control to local councils. But a year into power and Labour's plans to overthrow Thatcher's privatisation of the UK bus network are already running out of road. Growing disquiet about the scheme's financial pitfalls have prompted bus companies to call on councils to think long and hard before embracing the Government's proposed model. Meanwhile, local government sources are fearful that authorities bullish on the idea are out of their depth. 'It's all very well giving councils more control over the buses, which is something they'd all like to have, but inevitably it all comes down to cost,' said one council source. 'It's about having the money to make it happen, and recruiting the right people and having the right areas of capability. Those people are not generally sitting around in council offices.' Franchising fears The policy of encouraging councils and mayors to take back control of the buses has already been pulled apart by spending watchdogs fearful about ballooning costs. The National Audit Office (NAO) warned last week about heaping more costs on local authorities that have already run up a collective £140bn of debt. The NAO report examined the viability of plans to give town halls control of bus fares, routes and timetables, and powers to appoint contractors to provide the services. It said Labour's franchising model would require high levels of local political commitment and entail significant risk, while requiring councils to hire more transport experts. 'Transitioning to and running franchised services requires investment, including significant planning and commercial preparation, while introducing financial risks if costs increase more quickly than fare revenues,' it said. 'Further devolution will place greater burdens on the capacity and capability of local transport authorities. Those pursuing franchising will require more specialist expertise such as commercial and legal skills.' The NAO said the most common reasons that local authorities have put forward for not considering franchising are its cost and the skills and capacity needed. The Department for Transport (DfT) has estimated the cost of transitioning from private buses to franchising at between £13m and £22m per local transport authority, depending on its size, plus operating costs of up to £39m a year. 'Bus wars' Most local bus services are currently run on a commercial basis by private companies which determine routes and timetables, with services which are unprofitable but deemed socially necessary supported by local councils. The model has been in place since the 1985 Transport Act, introduced by Ridley, who aimed to exposing the bus sector to market forces and slashing state subsidies. Deregulation of buses was applied throughout the UK, with the exception of London, which moved to the franchising model now overseen by Transport for London, having been deemed a case apart because of the wider usage of buses in the capital. The move triggered the 'bus wars' and claims of unscrupulous competition for the best routes, from which five firms – Arriva, FirstGroup, Go-Ahead, National Express and Stagecoach – emerged as dominant, going on to play a major role in rail privatisation a decade later. While the Conservatives introduced plans for bus franchising in 2017, only mayoral authorities were allowed to make the switch without the permission of ministers. Just one, Greater Manchester, under Mayor Andy Burnham, has done so to date, a process that took seven years before being completed in January. Costs for the so-called Bee Network have surpassed £134m, though the authority insists that the bill is no higher than under the deregulated model. While the NAO said the benefits of the change in Manchester are not yet clear, Labour is now legislating to allow all councils to franchise services in their area. Five more mayoral authorities have completed an assessment to determine whether it is affordable, while eleven other local transport authorities have expressed an interest. Alison Edwards, policy director at the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), which represents 800 bus and coach operators, said the NAO's findings highlight the need for councils to think carefully before embracing franchising. She said: 'Franchising won't work everywhere. It might be fine in big cities with significant revenue-raising powers, but that is not the case in every transport authority. 'Under a contract like we see in London and Manchester there's a set fee and the local authority keeps all the revenue. But they also take on all the risk, so that if the buses start to make a loss because passenger numbers drop, that rests entirely with them.' Ms Edwards said a contract of the type adopted on the island of Jersey diminishes the franchise risk. Under this model, the authority pays a fee but the bus company keeps the revenue, while a simple partnership deal leaves the burden of risk very much with the operator. In some cases, franchising will also require councils to take on ownership of bus depots and fleet currently in private hands, exposing them to more of the cost of transitioning to emissions free vehicles, she added. The CPT plans to launch a franchising handbook aimed at local councils later this month and is working on what it calls a tool kit to help them make crucial calculations. The Campaign for Better Transport said a lack of know-how and manpower within local authorities is likely to prove a 'major roadblock' to franchising, which may prove to be a step too far for most local authorities without more government support. Sector in crisis The LGA, whose members include 315 of England's 317 councils, said that franchising alone won't rescue the bus sector from a slump in demand since Covid. 'We hope to see this accompanied by further funding reforms, as well as support to places who previously may not have considered franchising a realistic option,' a spokesman said. 'Continuing with an outdated funding system for running bus services makes it difficult to attract operators to run certain routes, despite proposed extra franchising powers.' While buses remain the most-used form of public transport in the UK, with 1.8bn journeys last year in England outside London – more than that total made by rail across the whole of Britain – the sector has been in crisis since Covid. Passenger levels are almost 10pc down since the pandemic, despite close to £6bn of public funding. The bus network has also shrunk by 15pc, with commercial routes in more rural areas hit hardest as operators respond to higher fuel costs and spiralling wage settlements – pay has jumped almost 30pc since 2021 – by trimming mileage. Local authorities have struggled to fill in the service gaps created as they face a debt mountain created by spending in areas such as adult social care and special educational needs. Despite passenger numbers remaining down, traffic congestion has returned to 2019 levels, pushing more people to use their cars rather than spend longer sitting on the bus, further undermining the viability of the model. The DfT, which is providing funding for pilot franchising schemes in Yorkshire and Cheshire, said its Buses Bill now passing through Parliament will protect routes and prevent services from being scrapped. A spokesman said: 'We know there is no one-size-fits-all approach to public ownership and are working closely with local authorities that wish to franchise to ensure they find the model that best works for them.'
CBC
30-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Winnipeg bus riders 'trying to be open-minded' about new transit network
Social Sharing Winnipeggers now have a new bus network, which will mean learning new routes, stops and bus numbers. On Sunday, Winnipeg Transit launched its new primary transit network, which it calls the most significant single-day transformation in its history It replaces the city's decades-old "hub-and-spoke" model, where buses meandered through outlying neighbourhoods before heading downtown. In the new "spine-and-feeder" system, buses follow a more grid-like pattern, with straighter routes along major arteries, and smaller feeder routes connecting to residential areas. While the changes only took effect on Sunday, the plan has been in the works for years. Winnipeg Transit posted the new schedules online weeks ago, adding a feature to its website that allowed riders to plan their trips using the new routes, and has been changing signage to prepare riders. Transit users CBC spoke with last week, before the new routes began operating, raised concerns — but some also said they were willing to give the changes a chance. Katherine Morgan, a retiree living in south St. Vital, says she's had a passion for public transportation ever since working on a school project about it in Grade 12, and uses the bus to get just about everywhere. She expects the new bus network to come with both benefits and drawbacks for her. "I am trying to be open-minded," she said. The redesign has reduced the total number of stops in Transit's network, removing about 1,700 of the 5,200 stops in the city and installing about 460 new ones, for a total of about 4,000 bus stops. "It's quite a few stops that [they're] taking. It seems to be all the stops that I use," Morgan said. However, she often rides the bus to Princess Auto Stadium, where she volunteers, and said that ride will be shorter thanks to several removed stops. But she says her ride home, which is often after 9 p.m., will involve a 15-minute walk from the nearest stop, whereas before, she could get off at a stop right in front of her home. "That's pretty frustrating. I don't want to be walking home 15 minutes in the dark, trying not to trip." Jarod Strelnikow says he rode the bus every day for almost 20 years, but bought a truck after learning the bus he rode home to The Maples would stop running before the end of his evening shift as a health-care aide. "You can have reliable bus service all you want, but if you're not running it late into the evening, or into the night, it's useless," he said. More transfers but shorter trips: Transit While the new network relies on passengers transferring buses more often and walking longer distances to get to stops, Winnipeg Transit has said it will be more reliable and efficient thanks to straighter routes, fewer stops and routes that avoid travelling through congested downtown traffic. But both Morgan and Strelnikow raised concerns about the problems more frequent transfers and longer walks could pose for people who have disabilities, elderly riders or parents with children. Bjorn Radstrom, Winnipeg Transit's manager of service delivery, acknowledged rider concerns about issues like how late buses will run, but says anonymized cellphone data was used to track where passengers were coming from and going to. "There's a lot of areas where ridership really, really drops off after, say, 10:30 at night. And only a handful of people ... are taking the bus for the last two or three hours of service. And it's just not financially sustainable to keep operating," he said. While some people will have to transfer more frequently, he says the increased frequency of the routes, and the fact that most routes have fewer turns and avoid downtown, will mean total trip times are shorter. "Just because there's a transfer doesn't necessarily mean it will take longer," he said. "And also, because we're focusing the frequency on the major corridors, especially if you're transferring from a primary network line to a primary network line, you won't really have much of a wait." Rick Theriault, another daily transit user, said last week he wasn't sure how the new network would affect his commute. "We'll see what happens. It looks confusing," he said. Radstrom encouraged anyone unsure about the new routes to try online tools to plan their trips, including Transit's Navigo trip planner, the Winnipeg Transit app or Google Maps. Blue-vested Winnipeg Transit "travel trainers" will also be going around to stops along major routes, helping people navigate the system. Winnipeg Transit says it will submit annual service plans to the city, based on feedback from the public through 311 and other sources, which will be used to make adjustments to routes, service levels and operating hours. For now, Morgan says she'll try out the new system before casting a final judgment.
Argaam
28-06-2025
- Business
- Argaam
Public bus transport project starts trial ops in Al-Ahsa
The Al-Ahsa Municipality announced the launch of the trial operations of the public bus transport project. The municipality said on its X account that the project involves a fleet of 41 buses, with routes being gradually activated. In October, Saudi Public Transport Co. (SAPTCO) signed a five-year contract with Al-Ahsa Municipality to operate the public bus network in Al-Ahsa (Al-Mubarraz, Al-Hofuf, Al-Jafr, and Al-Omran) for approximately SAR 93 million, including VAT, according to data available with Argaam.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Winnipeg's new transit network set to launch this weekend
A major overhaul of Winnipeg's transit network is set to begin this weekend. On Sunday, Winnipeg Transit is launching its new primary network and feeder routes. The goal of the overhaul is to improve efficiency and reliability by running buses on primary routes that are considered simpler and straighter. At peak times, buses will run as often as every five to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the feeder route system, which connects to the primary network, is designed to reach community and connector routes to avoid congested areas. Ahead of Sunday, the city is reminding riders that bus stops will change, with some being added, removed or shifted to new locations. More information on the new transit network, including schedules, stops and routes, is available online.
CBC
27-06-2025
- CBC
Massive Winnipeg Transit network overhaul takes effect Sunday
Winnipeg Transit will undergo what it says is the most significant single-day transformation in its history on Sunday, when it launches a new bus network that changes just about every route in the city. "Pretty much nothing is going to remain the same after Sunday," said Bjorn Radstrom, Winnipeg Transit's manager of service development. The new network replaces Winnipeg's existing "hub-and-spoke" system — with buses often following meandering routes between outlying neighbourhoods and the downtown — with a more grid-like "spine-and-feeder" model, featuring high-frequency routes along major roads, connected to smaller routes running through residential areas. With straighter routes, fewer stops and routes that avoid travelling through congested downtown traffic, Winnipeg Transit officials say the new network will be more reliable and efficient. "The network we have right now was really designed for the city that we had in the '50s or maybe the '60s, where everybody was trying to get into downtown in the morning to go to work, and out of downtown in the afternoon. But the city's really changed and everybody's travel patterns have changed," Radstrom told CBC. The new network reflects modern travel needs like shopping and more cross-town trips, he said. WATCH | A Winnipeg Transit video outlines the new system: The network will have four types of transit lines: rapid transit, frequent express, frequent and direct. Wait times between buses on the new "frequent" and "frequent express" lines are expected to be 15 minutes or less during peak times, Transit says. However, the network relies on passengers transferring buses more often and walking longer distances to get to stops. Winnipeg Transit posted the new schedules online May 1, adding a feature to its website that allows riders to plan their trips using the new routes. Radstrom encourages users to try different tools, like Navigo, the Winnipeg Transit app, and Google Maps to plan their routes. Fewer bus stops As part of its redesign, transit removed about 1,700 of the 5,200 stops in the city and installed about 460 new ones, for a total of about 4,000 bus stops in the new system. While that may mean longer walks for some people to get to their stops, Radstrom says the new network will run more efficiently and reliably. "Having all those extra stops really slows things down," he said. To help people navigate the new system, Winnipeg Transit has sent "travel trainers," recognizable by their blue vests, to stops around the city. They will be out again next week along major routes. Bus riders in southwest neighbourhoods like Waverley West will already be familiar with the new model. Buses in that area have followed the spine-and-feeder system since the southwest rapid transit corridor was completed in 2020. Waverley West councillor and public works committee chair Janice Lukes said she's confident riders will see improvements. "In the big picture, it's going to be great, for sure," she said. But she acknowledged "there'll be some hiccups and some bumps, and there'll be things that will need adjustments." "People need to report their issue to 311 and it will be addressed," said Lukes. The head of the union that represents Winnipeg Transit operators encouraged riders to be patient, as the drivers are also learning the new routes. "We're both excited for this to finally be rolled out and a little nervous [about] the impact," said Chris Scott, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505. Kyle Owens, president of the advocacy group Functional Transit Winnipeg, said the new network's frequent service makes it a "game-changer," but said it could take weeks or months for riders to adjust and begin to realize its benefits. "It takes time to rebuild a new relationship with that new system," said Owens, pointing out that many Winnipeggers have been frustrated by unreliable transit service in the past. Radstrom says the city considered a phased approach to the changes, but decided it was not possible due to how interconnected the network is. "In the end, it was all or nothing," he said.
