(28 Feb 2023, 10:40 pm)James101 wrote It really is a result of the toxic combination of apathetic authorities and operator. This is surely the end for deregulation? When an entire county can’t sustain a bus service any longer.

There are of course extremely affluent pockets of Cheshire, but towns like Winsford & Northwich are not wealthy areas. Stoke on Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme are akin to Sunderland and Washington in their populations, ex-industrial base and satellite town set up. Difference is the combined PVR of all operations in the Potteries is less than just Deptford, without even considering Wheatsheaf. 

The Cheshire debacle has highlighted the ignorance of many people in their understanding of bus operators. A change.org to prevent the closures and umpteen comments online for the ‘contract’ to be awarded to someone else. Clearly people don’t realise they have as little power in this as their local Pizza Hut closing down. If Joe Public is already under the impression that buses are franchised, why not pursue the system anyway?

Would it really be much better if those same 'apathetic authorities' had full control though?