Will passengers find new bus reforms just the ticket?

The government has announced it is to introduce the biggest reforms to the buses in years.

- SEAN O'GRADY

More councils will be able to take control, albeit not public ownership, of the way the private bus companies run services and set fares in their areas, on a “franchise” basis. So the buses will still be run by the various private concerns, and remain privatised, but more local authorities will have the right to set much more detailed standards of service, routes and fares, as has become the case on the railways in recent years.

So far, such regulation and “reregulation” of buses has only applied to Greater London and the municipal mayoralties, respectively. Now all councils can follow suit, if they wish. In due course, they may even be able to revive old-style councilowned and run services. Despite decades of decline and neglect, especially virtual extinction in rural areas, buses remain the most used form of public transport, with the number of local bus passenger journeys in England actually rising by 19.4 per cent to 3.4 billion in the year ending March 2023, helped by a £2 cap on fares.

What’s changed?