Why we need a Enhanced Partnership Plus model for buses in West Yorkshire not franchising - Alan Lamb

But even if franchising moves forward it would likely take perhaps to 2027 until passengers started to see any change to services. Waiting for a few extra minutes for a bus can be frustrating, but waiting three years for improvements to bus services is unacceptable, in my view. Who knows what the world will look like by then?

We need to see improvements quickly. That’s why I’m arguing that the Mayor should change course and get on with delivering an Enhanced Partnership Plus model right now.

Such a model would give WYCA more influence over routes and fares than it has at the moment and would create more of a partnership between bus operators and WYCA, working towards shared goals to improve services.

And the great benefit is that it wouldn’t be as expensive as franchising and could be rolled out much more quickly. This would free up hundreds of millions of pounds to invest in routes, infrastructure or other priorities, which at the moment is earmarked just to set up franchising before a bus has picked up a passenger.

What’s more, rolling out reform using Enhanced Partnership Plus means delivering a publicly controlled, integrated network, simplified ticketing, a single brand with a single point of contact for customers, bus priority to improve reliability and a greener network much sooner.

Franchising is a riskier option that will likely cost more and will certainly take much longer to deliver.

Some argue that there will be bigger benefits over the long term but this assumes there will be government funding to deliver franchising. If there isn't, then people could see their council tax bills going up by hundreds of pounds a year to pay for it. Under franchising WYCA would also assume responsibility for repair and maintenance of the fleet, something I don’t believe has been fully factored into the plans.

I’m sure what the people of Leeds and West Yorkshire want are improved bus services as quickly as possible. They want a reliable, affordable service with reasonable fares and routes that make sense for passengers.

Franchising doesn’t offer a guarantee of any of that and tells passengers they must settle for the status quo for another three years. I think we can do better.

The consultation offers everyone a chance to tell the Mayor what they think about the plans. Everyone wants to get to the same destination, with a great bus service that runs efficiently and offers good value for money. But in my opinion the Mayor is taking an unnecessary diversion that will make the journey much longer and more uncertain.

Let’s get on with delivering better services for local people now and take the most direct route to help us do so.

Councillor Alan Lamb is leader of the Conservative Group, Leeds City Council.