(01 Oct 2018, 9:08 pm)Tamesider wrote Fair enough! I can empathise with you now as I see similarities here in Gtr. Manchester with First and more recently Stagecoach. Except, here it isn't rural hinterlands seeing the cuts its the low car ownership "overspill" estates and suburbs that have been loyal to the bus industry for best part of a century. Again, being abandoned for the young twitterati in trendy, media friendly south Manchester and Trafford and the political "brave new world" of Salford. Compare Stagecoach's fare differentials with the details of their e-bus "blackmail"* and you will see what I mean.

* I use that word partly because even a pro-Deregulation former colleague sees their bid for 105 e-buses in exchange for GMCA dropping any plans for Franchising before the public have a say, as blatent blackmail.

It is all fine and well opening up the markets you mention and the ones in Oxford, but not at the expense of others. 

To go back to the link I posted. There is a line in there about the need for a national strategy to grow markets. 
Isn't that what the commercial departments are for? 
Isn't that what their marketing department is paid to do? 
Aren't folks in shiny suits paid to explore new commercial opportunities and get more bums on seats? 
This is the deregulated world they wanted. It can't be a half-way house, where the operators take their chunk and have a dip in the public purse at the same time.