Well the beginning of this new year has seen the railways take centre-stage in transport news and, for once, leading the national news agenda. We are a nation of trainspotters and train fares are a regular cause of debate (complaint!). But what has gone seemingly unnoticed is the similar (and in a number of cases, greater) fare increases on the bus network.
There is a particular irony in this. Take the West Midlands Metropolitan Area around Birmingham, for example. The buses take just over 300 million journeys a year while the railways account for just over 40 million journeys in the same period. Bus patronage is still going down while rail patronage is growing fast. But the Birmingham bus network brings in half of all commuters to the city centre every day.
From that we can see the obvious importance of buses. The Thatcher government had a particular view of buses. In the mid-1980s, buses went from being essentially a public good to being commercialised in a deregulated market. So we have a situation whereby bus operators work to commercial norms rather than buses existing as a public good per se.
I regularly argue that transport should take a higher profile and priority as a sector that has a significant role in the economic health of the country, a supporter and stimulant for growth, but even more fundamentally as a critical piece of everyday life for everyone. Private bus operators have done good and can do great things for transport and particularly buses through innovation and commercialisation (which drives more efficient and effective operation which in turn supports further investment for the ultimate benefit of passengers). But the key part is that the passenger must be the centre of attention when it comes to service provision.
Now one thing to remember is that London is truly an island apart when it comes to buses. The franchise system (akin to the railways) allows Transport for London to set standards for service provision, ticketing, fares and quality. The private operators tender to operate mini-networks offered within London and as long as they hit the standards of TfL can then derive any profit generated for shareholders. So the private sector can use its skills for their ends while TfL hold them to account on behalf of passengers.
And where is the place that has seen bus patronage grow…? Yes, London.
Sion Simon, one of the Labour candidates hoping to become the first elected mayor of Birmingham, has called for the London system to be expanded out to the other major conurbations. This would be a welcome move. The Quality Contract provisions introduced in the Local Transport Act 2008 by the last Labour government have not been widely adopted mainly due to the concern that their introduction will be costly to adopt, but more tellingly will discourage positive constructive relationships between private operators and local transport authorities.
That last part is key. Transport operators are genuinely doing a good job and do provide investment, innovation and more efficient practices – we need this in the transport sector. We can’t afford to be frivolous with the limited amount of cash coming from government for transport! Therefore it is vital that local transport authorities build constructive, effective relationships with private operators to ensure that the travelling public get the right provision of service.
But to focus back on buses again, they are too important to be sidelined by politicians and the media. The majority of people I speak to in Birmingham again and again raise buses as a key policy issue. It is time to give the rest of the country what London has got and has used to benefit all parties.
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Alex Burrows is head of strategy at Centro (the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority) and member of Sutton Coldfield CLP. He writes here in a personal capacity.
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Nice piece! I think anyone who uses buses outside of London has known for a decade that you’re right on this, we need TfL-style bodies in all UK cities. That’s only half the problem though.
You rightly say that “we can’t afford to be frivolous with the limited amount of cash coming from government for transport!”. Yet Centro, and by extension you, are supporting HS2 which will see yet more disproportionate spending in London and offers far lower returns on investment than the many smaller local schemes that have been and will be cancelled to pay for it.
Buses are a key political issue. In Darlaston, Walsall the number of local people who have raised their interest and concerns on local bus and transport links has incresased markedly over the last six months. Service provision, Bus Stops, new services, Access for people with disabilities,links to trains and Metro, Coack parks and this is not an exhaustive list. The relationship between public/private sector is key. It must be improved and maintained, we need a balance. A balance that brings emphasis to flexibility and innovation in terms of Finance and developing Bus Services that lower carbon emissions. By working with Regeneration, Growing Green initaitives, involving people in planing we may fully re-introduce ‘the bus’ as a lever for change and recognise buses as vital to our economic growth and future across the West Midlands. HS2 without regular effective bus links? We all desperately need both! Doug James @darlodoug
we desperately need both, but what if we can only afford one?