Consultation on major revamp of bus network closes

A public consultation into major changes to the West Midlands bus network has closed with the results expected to be revealed next month, officials say.

Thousands of people took part to share their views on whether the county's services should be brought back into public control.

The West Midlands currently has a deregulated bus network led by private operators who control operations, routes, timetables and fares which are kept by them.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) said it was now assessing the results, which will be presented to West Midlands Combined Authority's Board (WMCA) which is due to meet on 9 May.

The region's mayor, Richard Parker, has said moving from the current private operator-led, deregulated system would give TfWM more control over fares, routes and timetables.

The WMCA currently provides an annual subsidy of around £50m to private operators, but this has failed to stop fare increases and service reduction.

Last month the board agreed to an extension of the Bus Network Support Grant, which provides financial support to operators, as a report showed that more than 30% of current commercially operated routes would be put at risk without the funding, while fares would face bigger hikes.

TfWM has said more than 3,000 people had put forward their views on the proposed changes, and a final figure will be provided at next month's meeting.

"We're still in the process of compiling and analysing the consultation responses, so we're not able to confirm a final figure at this stage," TfWM said.

"The next step will be for the full results and analysis to be presented in a report to the WMCA Board meeting in May."

If a decision is taken to move to a new franchise model, it would take an expected further two years for it to come into effect.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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