(02 Apr 2026, 11:43 am)Busadvocate wrote I agree that services flipping from subsidised to commercial is an eyebrow raising thing, especially if they then flip back. (Though that might be explained by some major change in costs or passenger numbers - the bus world has been pretty difficult since 2020.)
But basically, that's the deregulated regime that we have had since 1986. The successive operator changes on 82 under annual contracts (JH, GCT, now GNE) seem to me an extra instability that arises only from the choice that Nexus makes to award only 12 month contracts.

It happened well before 2020.
ANE had it on tender circa 2012.
GNE had it both before and after. 
Stanley may have even had it at one point. 
Veola did have some Nexus work in and around Washington in the mid-00's, but that may have been the services to/from Chester.

Any instability is down to the incumbent deciding whether they need to do their (well practiced) Oliver Twist impression.