The Association of Local Bus Managers (ALBUM) which represents small, medium and municipally-owned bus operators across the UK has today welcomed the publication of the Government’s Bus Services Bill, supporting the aims of improving bus services, enhancing passenger experience, and improving connectivity and mobility across England. However, ALBUM expresses significant concerns about the potential adverse impact on the small and medium-sized bus operators serving urban and rural communities.
“We support the government’s efforts to create a more reliable and efficient bus network,” said David Astill, ALBUM Vice Chair. “All bus operators recognise the need for reliable, sustainable and affordable mobility through better public transport. However, we must ensure that this does not become a threat to the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) whose role is vital in providing services in both urban and rural areas and who have been at the forefront of many customer innovations and improvements over the years.”
ALBUM welcomes the recognition in the Bill that franchising will not always be the right choice for all local authority areas, and perhaps for the majority, partnership working between operators and councils will be more appropriate and affordable. Where franchising is pursued however, it represents a major challenge to the survival of the SME sector and ALBUM will work to ensure that the knowledge, experience and commitment of smaller operators is not lost.
David Astill continued “We know that Ministers recognise the value of SME operators who have in so many areas provided reliable, successful and responsive bus services for generations. The local knowledge of their communities and the commitment that they bring to the success of local economies must not be lost as the unintended consequence of a move to a new, contract-based way of working.”
He added: “Franchising is only one of a range of options for providing bus services and does not on its own bring the punctuality and reliability that bus users need. Managing the highway is key to that and ALBUM is keen to see measures included in the Bill that will help bus services operate more punctually and reliably. Small and medium-sized operators represented by ALBUM remain keen to work with local authorities to achieve that outcome.”
As the Government acknowledges across the economy, all companies need a level of stability against which to plan future investment. Without a measure of clarity over whether a local authority plans to move towards franchising or not, and a five-year industry funding settlement in the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review early next year, operators will be discouraged from investing in their businesses – a serious risk for both large and small companies. ALBUM commits to working with Ministers and officials to seek solutions to these challenges.
“We urge policymakers to work collaboratively with industry stakeholders to ensure that the Bus Services Bill delivers its objectives to improve bus services without unintended consequences for smaller operators and the communities they serve,” concluded David Astill.
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For media enquiries or further information, please contact:
Claire Rawlinson, ALBUM Marketing and PR, [email protected]