MAYOR BACKS BUS FRANCHISING MOVE AS MCA AGREES SPECIAL MEETING FOR EARLY MARCH

Published 24 January 2022 at 4:01pm

Mayor Dan Jarvis and the leaders of South Yorkshire’s four local authorities have today agreed to call a special Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) meeting in early March to decide whether to commission the formal assessment which would provide the basis for any decision to franchise the region’s bus network.

The scheduling of the meeting gives each of the councils’ time to discuss franchising and decide whether to support the move to a formal assessment.

South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis said: “We’ve worked hard to drive the fundamental improvements our bus system needs, but it is under greater pressure than ever as a result of COVID and the government’s failure to honour their promises of transformational investment in change.   

It is clearer than ever that we need to explore every available option to give people in South Yorkshire the bus service they deserve. That’s why I have agreed with local leaders today that we will bring the decision to move on to the formal assessment of bus franchising to a special meeting in early March. I firmly believe we should take that decision, and will be making the case for it as strongly as I can. 

“We have always been committed to fundamentally improving our bus services, and the MCA has already pumped major resources into reviving passenger numbers, including committing millions for fare concessions and supporting the cost of socially necessary bus services. But we know that more is needed. 

“I want to assure everyone across our region that we are moving forward as quickly as possible. Any  franchising assessment would involve significant expense, so it is right we allow the proper scrutiny and democratic engagement that is necessary for such a significant decision. 

“The statutory assessment needed for any move to franchising is also likely to take several years, simply based on precedents from elsewhere. Whatever else happens, we will need an Enhanced Partnership now to access the Government funding and to let us make a start on strengthening the bus network and minimising the impacts of COVID.”

South Yorkshire’s MCA agreed in November to move ahead with an Enhanced Partnership, which allows local leaders to work together with operators to improve ticketing, routes, and frequency of services across the region.