Your say / Transport
‘We need to take control of Bristol’s buses’
With the announced separation of First West of England from its parent company, Bristol’s transport system stands at a crossroads. We should take this opportunity to take control of our bus services.
Since Margaret Thatcher privatised bus services outside of London bus services across the country have struggled to survive, including here in Bristol.
Communities have had to deal with service cuts, rising ticket prices and terrible reliability. This doesn’t just cause inconveniences for people, but sows division in our city.
is needed now More than ever
Proximity to good bus services affects a person’s access to opportunities for work, training and leisure. So, cutting services also stops whole communities from getting on in life and taking advantage of all that Bristol has to offer.
Private bus companies have little incentive to provide a service that works for people. And the near monopoly that has formed in Bristol prevents residents from voting with their wallets. Everyone needs to be able to get to work after all.
So, how do we fix this? How do we take this opportunity to shape our bus service to build one that puts communities first?
All we need to do is to look at the other end of the M4. In London, services were never fully privatised. Instead, they were franchised; something we can do in our area.
Franchising gives powers to local authorities to plan out fare, routes, timetables and bus standards. Then private companies can bid to run the services on our terms, no longer fighting to edge out competition in our ‘wild-west’ transport system.
This would also enable us to tackle the air quality crisis that Bristol faces. Ever wondered why in London so many more buses are hybrid or battery-electric? Franchising allows ambitious emissions standards to be set, allowing us to tackle the 20 per cent of nitrogen oxides emissions that come from buses and coaches in this city.
To make this a reality, we need the West of England Combined Authority to act. But Tim Bowles, still the widely unknown regional mayor elected in 2017, refuses to act.
I started the Take Control of Bristol’s Buses campaign to force his hand and things have already moved forward.
More than 3,000 Bristolians have signed the petition calling for franchising in our city and a pro-franchising Lib Dem administration has just been voted in in Bath.
We will present our petition next month to Bristol City Council, and councillors and Mayor Rees will be forced to vote on the issue. So, if you believe in a bus service run for the public good then help us today by signing the petition and contacting your councillor to support our calls.
We don’t have to settle for the broken system we have. Let’s take control!
Max Langer is the founder of the Take Control of Bristol’s Buses campaign. Sign the petition at www.change.org/p/bristol-city-council-take-control-of-bristol-s-buses
Read more: Bristol buses face uncertain future
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