(27 Feb 2025, 5:08 pm)Adrian wrote In reality, I believe it can, yes. 

Operators are very quick to blame traffic congestion for reliability issues, and whilst I accept that it is a large contributing factor, it's not the only factor. Operators have for years published unrealistic timetables, which seldom factor in that congestion exists. We've seen with the Bee Network that TfGM have had to throw more buses into some routes to improve that reliability, whereas commercial operators just don't bother most of the time.

I can remember having to rely on the Arriva 56/57/57A/X12 services at peak times 10-12 years ago, and they were an absolute nightmare. Buses would run in pairs, end up extremely late or worse, turn up and go straight past you because they're full. That didn't need capital investment on bus priority, it needed capital investment by the operator.

Councils of course need to do more to improve capital investment and bus infrastructure, but one of the barriers has always been that they don't control the bus network. They could spend £20 million on a scheme and end up with no buses using it. At least the Combined Authority having overall control over transport would give some guarantee for that capital investment, and we've seen it works in Manchester for example. Most of the City Centre road network was redesigned around the trams having priority, and it works really well.

I know it's a bit of a tangant but arguably one of the best things infrastructure wise would be to open some extra depots.

Bishop Auckland, Hexham, Alnwick and Peterlee are the most obviously places for them as the places they're working from now are useless from an operational stand point. 

Would do wonders for reliability really if you could actually regulate some services which aren't really possible on stuff like the 6 and 56 right now as they're miles away from the depot. 

They're also objectively the areas which are most in need for a better network aswell since they've all had their depots shut over the years and the service decimated as a result and if using tranches would be very difficult to tender out.