Bus cuts: Franchising would be easier with tram network - mayor

Bringing buses back under public control would be easier if a tram network had been built, says the West of England metro mayor.

Dan Norris said an operating tram network's profits would help support a public bus system.

Mr Norris said he "greatly regretted" Bristol and South Gloucestershire did not start building trams in the 2000s.

Campaigners have called for bus franchising to resolve the region's ailing public transport system.

But Mr Norris said without a tram network to fund the bus system, taxpayers could lose money.

In April, 36 of the regions 69 publicly-subsidised bus services were withdrawn.

A tram line connecting Broadmead to Cribbs Causeway was almost built two decades ago, when Labour were in power and he was a junior minister.

But after delays and rows about where the line should end, the Bristol Supertram project was dropped in 2004, explained the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Profits from tram services in the likes of Manchester and Nottingham are reinvested back into public transport.

Mr Norris was pressed by members of the public about why he had not formally begun investigating the model as a way to drive up quality and restore services.

Roberta Oliver, from Hubs Mobility Advice Service, said the bus was often the only option for people with mobility issues.

She said: "I have increasingly noticed that I don't have any travel options to advise people on, as many bus routes have been cut."

Maria Carvalho, from the Reclaim Our Buses campaign, added the cuts in Winterbourne left young people faced difficulty accessing education.

"The current system is clearly failing us. It's the common-sense solution to put the public back in the driving seat," she said.

Mr Norris admitted that not building the tram network in the region was one of his "great regrets".

"Our region did not take the money that was made available by the Labour government when I was in it, to get a tram system between Bristol and South Gloucestershire," he said.

"[But] if we franchise, it's not the same as ownership. If there was a national government prepared to have state ownership, I would be very interested in that.

"Franchising still needs the bus companies to give us the option and say this is how much it would cost to run a bus service, they would still want their profit margin. It's an exciting possibility, but it's not a silver bullet."

Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, has previously said if Labour were elected in a general election next year, she would give all councils the powers to introduce bus franchising.

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