'Not a priority' Weca Mayor cools hopes of bus franchising in region

WEST of England Metro Mayor Helen Godwin has dealt a blow to all those who have campaigned for years for the region’s buses to be brought back into public control, after she said she would need to create a region-wide council tax precept to pay for it.

- Tristan CORK

Mayor Helen Godwin poses on a bus last summer to promote her flagship Kids Go Free policy

(Pic: Paul Gillis)

Ms Godwin said it was not a priority, and she didn’t have a strong view on the idea to create a franchising system where a transport authority covering the West of England takes over control of all the bus services - like Transport for London or the system in place in Manchester.

But she said she was not keen on the idea at the moment, because she claimed it would mean an extra line on council tax bills to raise more precept to fund a beefed up transport authority capable of running the entire bus network.

But she said that the idea could be considered in the future and she was not ‘ruling it out’ - but those hoping for a move to a franchised system look set to be disappointed for at least the next few years.

The franchising system has long been called for as a way to take back control of bus fares, routes, timetables and services. It would involve fares paid by passengers going to the West's transport authority directly, and bus companies like First Bus and Stagecoach being paid out of that to run buses required by the transport authority.

It has long been part of manifesto pledges as far back as Marvin Rees’s successful election pledge in 2016 - and the Green Party in Bristol have long been in favour of it too.