CPT’s Graham Vidler ‘backs Britain’s buses’ on the BBC

“We think there is a very strong case for investing in the nation’s favourite mode of public transport” – CPT CEO, Graham Vidler

In a piece on today’s Buses Bill announcement on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, CPT CEO, Graham Vidler, commented on bus franchising and the industry in general.

Asked by presenter Nick Robinson whether he believes councils may do a better job of running buses than companies left to do their own thing, Graham said: “There’s a range of ways in which you can improve bus services and local leaders will need to judge what’s right for their own circumstances. In larger metropolitan areas, such as Greater Manchester, where you’ve got huge integration benefits, franchising may well be a great solution. In other, smaller areas, leaders will want to judge the potential benefits of franchising against the extra cost and risk it will bring.”

Graham described the extra costs come from the switch to a franchised system from a deregulated market, with contract changes and staff change overs and in some circumstances the need to buy depots and buses. The risks come both economically and politically, with the local authority taking the fare risk, meaning it and tax payers take the hit if passenger numbers are not where they were expected to be.

Graham said: “Equally in circumstances where services are no longer viable, it is them who will be the sole person responsible to make that tough decision that no one ever wants to make, which is to cut or reduce that service.”

Nick said that one of the benefits of a franchised network is the potential for cross-subsidising of routes and linking up services, to which Graham responded: “Of course, that’s what operators already do, they don’t operate single routes in isolation. They operate networks of routes across towns, cities and rural communities. Not each and every one of those are profit making in their own right. They will look across network and make the right balance, just as councils would.”

“…it’s about time we start focusing on a form of transport that accounts for two thirds of public transport journeys” – Graham Vidler, CEO of CPT 

Nick highlighted that Transport Minister, Louise Haigh, has described the Buses Bill as a ‘bus revolution’, but commented that Graham ‘sounds like a man that thinks it won’t make much difference at all’. Graham said: “These are hugely exciting times for bus. As you said at the start of the piece, it’s about time we start focusing on a form of transport that accounts for two thirds of public transport journeys. Today’s announcement won’t do it by itself though. The tough decisions for government lie ahead, particularly in next month’s Budget. Will they continue to support local authorities in investing in bus services in the way the last government did? Will they commit to an extension of the national £2 fare cap beyond New Year’s Eve when it’s currently scheduled to end?”

In response to Nick’s comment that he is asking for more cash for the industry, Graham said: “We published independent research last week that showed the benefits of investing in bus services. Every £1 the government puts in reaps £4.50 in social and economic benefits; so yes, we think there is a very strong case for investing in the nation’s favourite mode of public transport.”

Nick asked: “Is it possible that this has been run down so badly as a service, so unreliable, it’s so old fashioned in some ways that perhaps the real potential of buses has been killed off?”

Graham believes there is potential for improvements to buses: “Take Norfolk as an example, not normally seen as a metropolitan hot bed of public transport, but what they have achieved over the last couple of years is a huge investment in extending services, cutting fares and giving buses more priority on the routes into Norwich bus station, in particular. The result of that is a 16% growth inf passengers over the last year. It was a really tremendous example of what can be done when local authorities, bus operators and central government work together and back Britain’s buses.”

• READ our plain-English guide to the draft guidance for franchising HERE