High Peak Buses and D&G Buses director Julian Peddle has stepped up his criticism of Transport for Greater Manchester’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, saying the transport body is “holding a gun to operators’ heads” by seeking control over operators’ services in return for government financial assistance.
“The situation in Manchester has not changed since last week,” he says. “Many schoolbuses are still operating despite schools being closed and tendered bus services still appear to operate without change. Commercial operators have reduced their services to cater for the essential workers who still require transport, despite passenger numbers having dropped to less than 15% of normal.
“TfGM’s excuse is that it needs to coordinate changes. But look at its website and it refers passengers to operators’ websites, so there is no need for coordination. TfGM’s stance lacks compassion and consideration for:
Key workers who do not know what service they will be getting
Requests for changes from NHS staff and key workers that go unanswered by TfGM
Our staff, who are needlessly exposed to harm running empty buses
Waste of resources at a critical time.
“Now, paralysed by indecision, TfGM has added fuel to the fire. Nationally the Department for Transport has enabled a package of measures to help bus operators keep vital services running. To my knowledge every other transport authority in the country has adopted these, except TfGM.
“TfGM has put a gun to operators’ heads by saying it will withhold this money, which would have been paid on 1 April, unless operators agree to an 11-point list of demands.
“The effect of these would see TfGM seek control of the bus route network and bus operators’ employees, while leaving the ongoing cost risks with the bus operators. Any director agreeing to such proposals would be breaching his or her responsibility under the Companies Act, as they could be trading whilst insolvent.
“I understand bus companies have sought, without success, a discussion with senior officers of TfGM. There is a real possibility that unless there is a compromise, many services will cease to operate, leaving NHS and key workers without bus services.”
My response is
Perhaps it is time for High Peak buses to terminate at the Greater Manchester county boundary. High Peak buses have done nothing for its passengers in Greater Manchester. The Manchester and Stockport busy TP service which was my passport to the Peak District for decades was withdrawn between Buxton and Manchester because it was too popular with concessionary pass holders in Greater Manchester. My local High Peak service, the 394 Glossop to Marple and on to Stepping Hill Hospital was dramatically cut from hourly to every two hours, the Saturday 394 service was scrapped and the TfGM subsidy for the Saturday service was reallocated to support the Mon-Fri reduced service. High Peak withdrew its Marple to Hayfield service leaving the hourly Stagecoach 358. To put it crudely High Peak Buses have done nothing but milk its cash cow the extremely popular 199 Buxton to Stockport and the Airport service whilst putting up two fingers to those in Greater Manchester needing the 394 and TP. Andy Burnham’s vision of buses in Greater Manchester being run in the same way as Transport for London ie independent bus companies tendering and receiving subsidies for individual services offers a great deal of hope for passenger but is a little too much for High Peak to stomach.
Millions of people throughout Britain have either seen their bus services withdrawn or decimated since deregulation. We have had nearly a decade during which expenditure on Britain’s roads has been slashed making it all the more important that the continuing decrease in bus usage is reversed. Now is the time not for grants to see the bus industry through the crisis of empty buses due to the Corona virus: it is a time for renationalisation of the bus industry before all but the most profitable routes survive. The government has assumed responsibility to ensure losses incurred by the railway industry are minimised when normal services are resumed. The tracks will no longer be there for the unprofitable rural and off peak urban bus services. Mill Brow is accessible only to car owners. Hawk Green has no evening service. The evening 383/384 was reduced to hourly before the current crisis.
Do these new measures bring any hope to the continuation of the 375 service? It will be interesting to see if the 375 will now be supported for the entire period of the Coronavirus crisis. In England, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps has written to members of the industry confirming that the Department for Transport (DfT) will continue to pay BSOG (Bus Service Operators Grant, formerly Fuel Duty Rebate) to English operators “on the basis of estimated service levels before the outbreak.”
DfT is also writing to every English LA outside London to urge continuation of payments for tendered services and concessionary fare reimbursement at levels based on the position before the outbreak.
That move follows a Procurement Policy Note (PPN) issued by the Cabinet Office that urged LAs to continue to pay “at risk” suppliers while service delivery is disrupted. The PPN included a reference to home-to-school transport, but the subsequent letter from Mr Shapps does not.
Mr Shapps adds that he has asked officials and Buses Minister Baroness Vere “to continue to work closely with the sector to understand what the ongoing risks and issues are and how they could be addressed.”
However, he sounded a warning that as part of the agreement, operators are expected to “continue to provide appropriate service levels for key workers, most particularly to hospitals.” Ensuring that buses are not heavily loaded due to reduced timetables is also imperative.
Additionally, Mr Shapps expects operators to do their utmost to provide the services that LAs consider are required, and that communications with LAs and passengers are “first class.”
I attended the public meeting at which Andy Burnham spoke of his plans for public transport in Greater Manchester and agreed with what I heard but can anyone enlighten me about the 11 points highlighted in High Peak Buses statement ‘“TfGM has put a gun to operators’ heads by saying it will withhold this money, which would have been paid on 1 April, unless operators agree to an 11-point list of demands”?
