More Government Reforms
the Media Doesn’t Mention

Josiah Mortimer has been keeping note of the policies introduced by
Keir Starmer’s administration that you probably haven’t heard much about

London-Style Buses

The dull-sounding Bus Services (No. 2) Bill became law at the end of October, enabling local transport authorities to implement franchising schemes for bus services in England – potentially reversing the decades-old deregulation of buses which opponents say has contributed to spiralling prices and worsening, reduced services while transport firms pay millions to shareholders. It will also end the ban introduced by the Conservatives on councils setting up their own bus companies to directly compete with private firms.

Greater Manchester took up the opportunity of regulating buses by setting up the ‘Bee Network’, but the legal framework Mayor Andy Burnham had to use to do it took years to utilise and faced relentless challenge from transport firms. The new process is set to significantly streamline this.

Cat Hobbs, director of pro-public ownership campaign We Own It, welcomed the end of the “ideological ban on new publicly owned bus companies” and said “publicly owned bus companies like Lothian Buses and Reading Buses consistently win awards for their brilliant services”.