All of Greater Manchester's bus services have come under local public control following the completion of the combined authority’s phased implementation of a new franchising system.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said it was the first area in the country to bring in a franchising system for 40 years instead of a private deregulated market.
The move, which covers 577 routes and 1,600 buses, accounting for more than 160 million trips per year, will reverse decades-long decline to deliver improved services, better buses and more affordable fares, the combined authority said.
Describing itself as ‘setting the blueprint for others to follow’, local authority officers said the process had been delivered on time and on budget, with a 5% increase in passengers over a 12-month period.
Revenues were also 'above forecast' and the cost of running franchised services is reduced by a third compared to having to intervene in the deregulated market.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: ‘This is an historic moment for Greater Manchester. We are proud to be the first area in England to complete the re-regulation of buses and to have done it on time and on budget.
‘From today, every community in Greater Manchester will be served by cheaper, cleaner and greener buses and run in a way which puts people before profit. We are now ready to help other areas looking to follow suit and improve their bus services after decades of decline.'
The franchising process was carried out under the Bus Services Act 2017, passed by the previous government, which makes it significantly easier for metro mayors like Mr Burnham than for other transport authorities. Labour has pledged to simplify the process.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘This Government has prioritised supporting and improving bus networks across the country as we know how important they are for communities – but for too long, too many people have suffered from unreliable and infrequent services.
‘People across Greater Manchester now have buses they can depend on. With our Bus Services Bill and £1bn in support for services across the country, we will help ensure that similar success reaches across the country.’
The GMCA said completion of bus franchising marks the end of phase one of its Bee Network, ‘with the same focus and momentum now being applied to transform rail travel across the city-region’.
It said the next step will be to bring eight priority train lines into the Bee Network by 2028, as well as delivering the first new stations in more than 20 years and significant upgrades to make more stations accessible.
