Bus franchising consultation results revealed ahead of final decision

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s (CPCA) transport and infrastructure committee will discuss the findings of a bus franchising consultation this week.

Currently, bus services in the region are mainly run by private operators who have control over the routes, timetables, ticket options, fares and frequency of buses.

Under the proposed franchising model, the CPCA would gain control over these areas and private operators would no longer be able to independently decide to withdraw services.

Instead, operators would bid to run services under franchise contracts, with the CPCA overseeing the process and monitoring operations. The franchising consultation closed in November last year.

A report to be put before the CPCA’s transport and infrastructure committee meeting on Friday reveals that 1,468 participants in the consultation provided an answer to whether they supported or opposed the franchising proposals.

A total of 42 percent of responses strongly supported franchising, with a further 21 percent tending to support it, putting 63 percent of participants in favour of the new model.

The report reveals that 18 percent of responses neither supported nor opposed, while seven percent tended to oppose and a further seven percent strongly opposed.

The committee will discuss the findings and consider whether to recommend franchising to the mayor, Dr Nik Johnson, ahead of his final decision in February.

If the proposed franchising scheme is approved, CPCA officers will move quickly to a programme of implementation over the coming months, in addition to pursuing interim agreements to improve bus operation and support investment.

Councillor Anna Smith, deputy mayor and chair of the transport and infrastructure committee, said: “As a committee, we have been scrutinising and debating papers on bus reform every step of the way, and this report marks a really important moment in that journey.

“I’m looking forward to our discussion, and to hearing what members have to say. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has participated in the consultation, as well as the team who have worked so hard to analyse the responses so quickly.”

Following the results of the consultation and views from participants, the CPCA proposes these actions to be undertaken alongside any approved bus franchising scheme:

- Investigate the benefits for longer mobilisation periods for some contracts, where this will support greater competition, allowing operators time to prepare franchising tenders

- Continue to consult and engage stakeholders of franchising during the implementation phase, through mobilisation and then moving on to the ongoing operation phase

- Ensure full and ongoing engagement with the Community Transport sector to ensure any franchising model considers the opportunities and risks for this vital sector

- Work with the CPCA’s Growth Hub in the implementation phase to help it develop knowledge and expertise in prequalification and bidding support and strategic skills so that the Growth Hub can make available to all SME operators a toolkit to assist them

- Include ‘safety’ as a clear separate pillar in implementation planning, benchmarking with best practice and learning elsewhere, including Manchester, London and other combined authorities