New powers could enable a London-style transport network in Greater Manchester

​Transport leaders in Greater Manchester have welcomed the publication of the Bus Services Bill, a new piece of legislation which will enable an elected Mayor to franchise bus services.

The Bill, which proposes powers to allow Combined Authorities with an elected Mayor to franchise bus services, would enable Greater Manchester to create an integrated, London-style transport network with a simple fares and ticketing system and consistent quality standards.

Bus franchising, a model used in other global cities, including London, Sydney and Amsterdam, would enable Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to take control of bus service planning with private operators contracted to run routes under a franchise agreement.

Greater Manchester currently has a deregulated bus system, where 80 per cent of services are provided on a commercial basis by bus companies. For these services the routes, fares, frequencies and quality standards are decided by the bus operators.

Under a franchised system the elected Mayor for Greater Manchester will have the ability to decide the routes, frequencies, timetables, fares and quality standards for bus services in the city-region.

Bus services play a significant role in Greater Manchester’s transport network with over 210 million journeys in 2015. That accounts for 79 per cent of all public transport journeys compared to nine per cent by train and 12 per cent by tram. Despite a growing population and increased demand on the transport network, overall bus use in Greater Manchester has flat-lined in recent years.

The option to implement bus franchising powers was requested by GMCA as part of the Greater Manchester Devolution Agreement signed with the Government in November 2014. The power for an elected Mayor to choose to implement bus franchising has benefited from cross-party political support amongst Greater Manchester’s Leaders.