(31 May 2023, 10:15 pm)Bazza wrote This might get messy. 

What is your understanding of franchising as it relates to proposals for bus services in the north east?

Does it mean that NECA would take ‘ownership’ of all routes in the area and then award franchises to operators?

Would operators have to bid to run routes?

How would this differ from current secured services paid for by local councils?

I have other questions, but will leave it at this for the moment so as not to confuse things.

It'd give the elected mayor of the NEMCA (NECA will be dissolved when we elect a mayor) the power to bring in franchising of bus services across the whole LA7 area, and unlike areas without transport powers, there's no consultation process with the Government before doing that.

NEMCA would take over the managerial responsibilities of the bus network, including setting services, routes, hours of operation, branding, ticketing, payment methods and passenger information. Operators would need to bid for franchises (typically lots, as oppose to single services under current Nexus contracts) to run services in the LA7 area, as commercial registrations wouldn't be permitted - typically because NEMCA would take over the Traffic Commissioner's role on bus registrations for the area.

Secured services are currently cobbled together from dozens of places that commercial operators feel aren't worth serving at particular times of day or at all. They try and fill as many gaps as possible, whilst not really providing the best or most convenient route from A to B. With a full franchising scheme, these places would be served by services included by a lot, without the ability of an operator cherry picking say the X1 in Washington but abandoning the 82 as not viable. Of course, on the other hand, it's guaranteed money for an operator regardless of how a service performs, so I'd hope the contracts will include some significant performance-based objectives to them.

In my opinion, franchising is a great start and the most likely way we'll get an integrated transport network, but it's far from ideal. The sooner the ban on municipals is removed, the better.

There's a document the Govt released here, which you may find of use: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...nities.pdf