(26 Jun 2020, 4:29 pm)S830OFT wrote If the North East was to roll bus franchising out, would vehicles operating services be required to operate in the NexusBus livery? Also with the likes of Stagecoach saying it will lead to higher taxes and lack of investment is completely untrue. If you take a look at TFL, services operate efficiently, and despite a higher subsidy the network of services are more accessible and understandable by the general public with the simple Oyster card.

It's the areas where only one operator runs is where you find the most problems. Look at Jarrow for example, dominated by Go North East although twice now they've changed the South Tyneside Hospital bus route, meaning as a result Nexus have had to step and provide the additional service. When the Metro was on strike last year, GNE took full advantage by charging normal fares.

If buses were franchised and there was one very affordable ticket that could be used on any form of Transport (not like the £7.80 Day Rover) then you would have more people using services and have services better connected.

And my final point is how Stagecoach treat their X24/X34 passengers by refusing to pay the bus station departure chargers, and as a result cause extra congestion on Pilgrim Street, not the nicest place to wait when everybody seems to push to get on the bus if it stops in the wrong place. I understand these services need to make a profit to keep them going, and with Stagecoach trying to do everything they can to reduce costs it seems passengers are not getting a good deal. And lets not forget how much the price of a day rider on Stagecoach has gone up, now £4.70 when it was only £3.90 when the X24 first started...

There's lots of questions around franchising and the livery would all be part of the contracts. 
As for TfL, the subsidy has to be paid from somewhere, in London as far as I can tell taxpayers pay TfL a grant of £6m a year, on top of the fares they pay too. 

Now ive not read the franchising documents around the Manchester case but the impression I get from others who have is they were not going to grow passenger numbers, only manage a decline by taking buses from popular routes to service less popular routes. That may be good for those who live on less frequent routes but these routes are already set up like that for a reason...

By the way how cheap do you think you'll get a day ticket valid on all forms of transport? £7.80 for the area you can travel is about the same rate as elsewhere around the country for a similar product.