The Transport Executive today welcomed the Government’s plan for a fresh start for bus services outside London.
The Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander today outlined the government’s proposals to change the way buses are run, strengthening the working partnerships between local authorities and bus companies to attract more passengers in the long term.
David Brown, Passenger Services Director for the Transport Executive, said: “We welcome today’s announcement, which is in line with our thinking about the way bus services should be managed. We will be considering the announcement in detail to see how it affects our proposals to enter into Quality Contracts with bus operators.
“In the last few years our regional cities have been regenerated and transformed. If this process is to continue in a sustainable and equitable way then we need high quality, integrated public transport networks built around better bus services. We need to put an end to the spiral of decline in bus use in our areas and, as the Government policy paper says, to replicate some of the success of bus services in London. We hope that today will mark a fresh start for the bus outside London and we look forward to working with Government on how we turn these policy proposals into the better bus services that passengers need and deserve.”
At last week’s meeting of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority we outlined our proposals to consider introducing Quality Contracts alongside other delivery options.