Better Buses for Cheshire West

In Cheshire West & Chester, dozens of bus routes have been lost and passenger numbers declined by 1.2 million in the five years from 2014 to 2019.

THE Government has effectively admitted that deregulation of buses has not worked. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham agrees so he is bringing their buses back under public control.

In Cheshire West & Chester dozens of bus routes have been lost and passenger numbers declined by 1.2 million in the five years from 2014 to 2019.

Better Buses Coalition West Cheshire spokesperson, Andy Price says “The system has not worked for local residents, CWAC must take back control.”

“It is time local people had cheaper, cleaner, networked  services that meet our needs”.

“Investment is needed in an environmentally clean and sustainable transport that research shows would contribute significantly to growth of the local economy."

“Vast subsidies are being given to private operators who are making huge profits for shareholders rather than ploughing money back into improved services”.

Government acknowledges that Franchised systems in London (and 9 other areas) are the cheapest and most efficient, yet they are asking councils to choose the lesser option of ‘enhanced partnerships’. Why is this?

Cheshire West and Chester needs to aim for an expanded public transport system that is fully integrated, accessible, reliable, publicly owned and ultimately free for users.

The Better Buses Coalition West Cheshire was set up by local residents. We are campaigning for bus franchising for Cheshire West and Chester. If Manchester can do it so can we!

1. The National Bus Strategy states “We want simple, cheap flat fares that you can pay with a contactless card, with daily and weekly price capping across operators, rail and tram too. We want a network that feels like a network, with easy-to-understand services, consistent high standards and comprehensive information at the touch of a phone. We want 4,000 new green buses, and many others, running faster and more reliably in special lanes. As in London, all that will need councils, who control the roads, and bus operators to work together”.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-back-better

2. “Numerous studies have found buses deliver sustainable economic, social and environmental impacts. KPMG (2015)4 established that investment in bus networks can impact productivity, competitiveness and economic outputs, as well as improving the environment, quality of life and the overall attractiveness of towns and cities….”

Source:  ARUP Report https://www.cpt-uk.org/media/p2gdv4si/arup-report-final-1.pdf

3. “Economic effects of bus infrastructure are found to be even clearer in small cities. Faulk and Hicks (2010) found that there are positive impacts in small cities on lower unemployment, lower growth in family assistance and food stamp payment, and higher population and employment growth.”

Source:  ARUP Report https://www.cpt-uk.org/media/p2gdv4si/arup-report-final-1.pdf

4. “There are already nine publicly owned municipal bus companies in the UK doing fantastic work. Public ownership would save us £506 million a year that could be invested in developing better bus networks and lower fares for you. Those savings could even pay for 1,356 new electric buses.”

Source: https://weownit.org.uk/public-ownership/buses

5. Bus trips outside of London have halved since the privatisation of our buses. We lost £1.49 billion to shareholders in the ten years to 2019 due to privatisation and fares in England have gone up 71% since 2005

Source: https://weownit.org.uk/public-ownership/buses