Am not sure that local authorities running the buses would improve things much, as always everything comes down to money.

Many villages in rural N Yorks and elsewhere will never able to be served by commercially operate buses, likewise for evening journeys in even more places.

Buses may be a 'lifeline', as it always says in these articles, but there's never a wider discussion and acceptance that 2 or 3 passengers on a bus is nowhere near viable for a commercial operator.

An idea I would suggest is charging ENCTS pass holders a small fare per journey, which goes to the local authority and ring-fenced to go back into improving local bus services and subsidising routes or particular journeys which may be vital to those that use them.

I did however suggest a similar token payment should be made by pensioners on the MoorsBus, but was shot down in flames by all those who were used to free rides whenever and however often they liked, and resented being asked to pay anything at all.

The facts remain though as more buses become unprofitable to run, they will be cut unless funded through some sort of subsidy. I dont have all the answers, but it does seem to me that not many people in the wider public want to face obvious facts.