My point is, Andreos, it’s not about what the bus companies “think and do over customers”. It’s about bus companies that, on the whole, do a pretty damn good job at keeping their customers satisfied that matters. If they can get customer satisfaction right (and Passenger Focus results seem to suggest they can), then they’ll be successful – you can’t be successful by ripping people off (unless you’re a local authority that introduces a quality contract, whereupon you put in place a ‘monopoly’ that actually allows you to charge bus passengers as much as you can so you can use the money to prop up you toy tramway!).

Now, Andreos, there are no quality contracts in place anywhere in the UK, so to a certain extent we’re both speculating here. However, I’d love to see any evidence, from anywhere in the world, of a system where a local authority takes control, puts in less public money and improves services... ‘cos despite my searching, I’ve yet to find one!

And it’s not me that claims bus patronage in Tyne and Wear has gone up – it’s Nexus!