(27 Feb 2025, 2:39 pm)Adrian wrote What do you do then, invest in nothing for fear it may be cut? Communities are literally being abandoned because of substandard bus services, yet they remain the most used form of public transport in the country.

Both TVCA and NECA are funded directly from Government, and with exception of the historic arrangement on the Transport Levy in Tyne and Wear, it's without a penny coming from Council budgets. 

Kim's inability to stand up to Labour HQ is another story, and one for another thread...!

Honestly, I really don't have an answer. I agree that something needs done but we need a culture change from Westminister and right now it's just not there and franchising is just making a safe haven for the same operators who have ran stuff crap for years.

Personally I'd rather see them ran publically though but at arms length rather than franchised, similar to say RATP or whatever who do it really well if you ask me. Once you've already bought the depots, the vehicles and what not you've got everything you need anyway - obviously the legal issues would need to change though.

Gannon can have his input on ideas, but I'd rather he was as far away as he can be from actually having any input in actually doing anything. Similar to what benefit is there to GoAhead being anywhere near anything, they're completely useless as an understatement. Just get rid of them completely if you ask me as they're the biggest problem, and them running the same services under a franchise agreement isn't going to magically fix anything.