(17 May 2023, 10:22 am)DeltaMan wrote Like it or not, fares or subsidy required for fares should actually be far far higher than current or even 2022 levels.
Operators were NOT allowed to raise fares while they were receiving CBSSG despite rising costs and zero ability to grow passengers due to covid restrictions. I believe BRG only allowes for inflationary fare increases.
So there is a black hole now (hence recent service cuts and there will be a bigger one in 2024. You can't partnership or franchise your way our of that
It's not about 'liking it or not'; it's about doing what is right to actively encourage customers to use buses. Skyrocketing fares will never do that, whether you try and convince yourself it's the answer or not.
As Andreos1 suggested in his post, you've still got the problem of the network not working for customer convenience, instead opting to best suit the operators.
The black hole is not there because of CBSSG and the rules around that. It's there because for the best part of three decades, private companies have failed in a deregulated market to grow bus use.