West of England mayor open to bus franchising but wants data first

Summarised from BBC Bristol's report · Updated 4 Nov, 21:57 · Archive

The West of England mayor says she will not bring buses into public ownership until she has necessary financial data.

Helen Godwin, the West of England mayor, has given her strongest indication yet that she is open to bringing buses back into public ownership through franchising, but says she will not do so until she has the necessary financial data.

Godwin is currently in the final stages of negotiating an Enhanced Partnership Plus with bus companies. This arrangement will establish a new board within the West of England Combined Authority to oversee performance and a passenger forum where people can question operators. The mayor will also gain access to bus network data. 'We can't go to franchising without Enhanced Partnership Plus,' Godwin said. 'How can I spend taxpayers money without knowing what I'm buying?' She hopes to have more data within six months.

The Liberal Democrats have called on Godwin to move more quickly towards franchising. However, she warned it could require a contribution from local councils. Weca currently receives £19.40 per passenger from local councils via a transport levy. In areas which have moved to franchising, that figure is around £40 per passenger, she said.

Read the report

• Mayor asked about bus franchising and mass transitHelen Godwin answered questions about transport, housing and more.BBC Bristol · 4 Nov, 16:01

In this story: Helen Godwin · West of England Combined Authority · Liberal Democrats · West of England

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log