Greater Manchester: Bus firm appeals against public control ruling

A bus operator that lost a legal battle to stop Greater Manchester's bus network returning to public control is appealing against the ruling.

A judge recently said the decision to introduce the system, where fares and routes will be set by local authorities instead of private firms, was lawful.

However the Rotala operator has lodged an application to the Court of Appeal.

Local officials responded that they were still aiming to complete the return to public control before 2025.

The privatisation of buses since 1986 has proved controversial with its impact on ticket prices and the availability of services.

In March 2021, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham approved plans for a London-style system where operators bid to run services on a franchise basis.

However bus firms Rotala and Stagecoach requested a judicial review, with the latter saying that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) conducted "a flawed consultation".

Earlier this month, Mr Justice Julian Knowles ruled the GMCA acted "lawfully and rationally" and that the claimants' criticisms were "largely repeats of argument they made during the consultations which were properly considered and responded to".

The appeal by Rotala, which owns Diamond buses, could affect the introduction of the new system - due to start in Wigan and Bolton by autumn 2023 and rolled out to the rest of the region in 2024.

Mr Burnham the new system would mean bus fares would be capped at £2 for adults and £1 for children.

GMCA chief executive Eamonn Boylan told the authority's transport committee on Thursday that all bus operators had been invited to enter negotiations about participating in the system.

He added: "We have written to the court giving our view that there are no grounds upon which the appeal could be upheld, but clearly we're in the hands of the court awaiting a decision on that."

He said they were "going to work very, very hard" to complete the return of public control by the end of 2024, admitting it was "an ambitious timescale".

"If there is a further intervention from the courts in the form of a prohibition on further work, we'll have to re-plan and rephrase."

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