WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols met met with officials from Warrington’s Own Buses, and representatives of Warrington Borough Council to discuss the Bus Services Bill, and its impact on the local company’s service.
The Bus Services Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on the 17th of December 2024 and intends to put buses back at the heart of communities, enhance connections to work and improve living standards. The Bill will give local authorities control over routes, timetables connections and fares. This follows the Government’s billion-pound investment nationally to increase bus reliability, with £3.8m invested into services in Warrington for 25/26.
But concerns have been raised by Warrington’s Own Buses and others, who want to ensure that the new Bus Services Bill will allow Local Transport Authorities to be able to award new franchise areas to existing municipally owned bus companies in perpetuity.
Charlotte said: “It was great to catch up with Warrington’s Own Buses ahead of the Bus Services Bill making its way to the Commons shortly to discuss finding a framework that supports municipal companies that are fully in public ownership already (as ours is) while we seek to bring more franchises under public control.
“The new model for bus franchising, as is being pioneered in Liverpool and Manchester, is very welcome for areas that have had privatised, fragmented services run for profit and not the public good.
“Warrington’s model, and likewise for other areas that also have kept municipal services, has allowed routes to be kept going that would be cut by a private operator because of their social value, and long term investment including in the new fleet and depot, because any surplus is reinvested into the services instead of into the pockets of shareholders.
“Both of these systems (franchising and municipals/public control and public ownership) can coexist and complement one another, and I’ll continue to make the case for public transport for the public good as the Bill makes its way into legislation in such a way that it ensures that is the case.”
The bus company also announced that the £2 fare will be maintained until at least the end of this year despite the cap being raised to £3 nationally – a decision that was helped because the service is publicly owned.
Warrington’s Own Buses was set up in 1902 and since 1986 following the Transport Act, has operated for nearly 40 years after deregulation of the sector was introduced and continues to deliver a high-quality operation for the people of Warrington.
Warrington’s Own Buses accounts for over 80% of bus mileage in Warrington and has used Warrington Council and Government investment to upgrade its fleet of buses to run on electricity meaning that most bus services in Warrington operate using zero emission buses.
