(05 Jan 2023, 7:42 pm)NEbushopper wrote I think it's a good thing that buses are put under public control as it means the public are the ones who say where services go and at the right frequencies. Instead of private companies who want to make a profit while cutting services to the bare bones and not caring that most passengers don't want a conga line of multi coloured buses on Gosforth High Street and want to go from suburb to suburb.
But I think we should be careful about getting into the trap of when buses are under public control it will magically fix the problems overnight. Because It won't. It needs time and cooperation to work.
Personally I think it would be a disaster. We don't have the people to run them up here and the likes of Gannon would just make things worse.
Manchester is going to be disaster imo as it's politically motivated rather than anything else and there's no evidence at all anywhere it's going to save any money. True public ownership is banned under the Bus Services Act but then again it's not like Edinburgh has a world class transport network either (that's publically owned).
The bus partnership which we are going for is the best compromise. Most the issues with public transport are beyond buses; no-one wants to travel longer than 20 - 25 minutes on one, using the same road you drive along and should be using a train or other form of rapid transport - but they don't exist.