Press Release: West of England Abandoned at the Bus Stop

Activists use Thomas the Tank Engine-themed props to show sad West of England left behind fast-paced Manchester and West Yorkshire who are powering ahead with public ownership of buses.

On Friday 26th January, activists from Reclaim our Buses will attend the West of England Combined Authority meeting at M Shed in Bristol with visually engaging props showing the West of England getting left behind other regions.

Over 3590 residents have signed a petition calling for the West of England Combined Authority to formally investigate public control of buses. All three Unitary Authorities of the West of England are in favour of this move, which would give the Combined Authority the powers to access commercial data from bus operators and to make an informed decision about what is best for the region.

However, Metro Mayor Dan Norris has so far refused to even put the issue on the agenda of a committee meeting.  In September 2023 Dan Norris met with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to discuss Manchester’s flagship journey to setting up their franchised bus service.  This was widely celebrated, but so far nothing has come of it in the West of England.  

The campaign group Reclaim our Buses made a Freedom of Information request to learn about the report that Dan Norris promised after his visit to Manchester.  This resulted in a disappointing response showing that the report has no deadline, no terms of reference, and no plan for discussion with the West of England Unitary Authorities.

Details of the WECA meeting here

https://westofengland-ca.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=141&MId=614