Create National Bus Company to make journeys faster and cheaper, government told
A new National Bus Company should be created to speed up the rollout of zero-emissions buses across the country, a think tank has said.
IPPR North said this would get more electric buses on the road faster and cheaper, support manufacturing jobs and unlock the benefits of locally controlled buses.
It claimed this would help improve local transport, with more comfortable rides for passengers, cleaner air for communities and better value for money for councils and potentially passengers.
IPPR North laid out its blueprint for the NBC yesterday in Liverpool, alongside Mayor Steve Rotheram and Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood.
Senior research fellow Marcus Johns said: “Buses are a critical public service for people, for our economy and our environment.
“We need better, greener buses, and a National Bus Company will be a helpful vehicle to get us to the next stop on that journey.”
Mr Rotheram added: “IPPR North’s report is a timely and welcome contribution, making a strong case for putting better buses at the heart of national transport policy – backed by the powers, investment and political will to make it happen.”
It comes as the biggest shake up of buses in a generation is under way.
The Bus Services Bill, which makes it easier for areas to copy West and South Yorkshire and bring routes back under local control, is currently progressing through Parliament.
The decline of buses over the last decade has made England’s economy £2.6bn smaller and led to an estimated 1.1bn extra miles driven in cars and taxis.
While in North Yorkshire, the number of miles travelled by bus has dropped by half since 2010.
York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith told The Yorkshire Post that transport was his “top priority” in tomorrow’s Spending Review.
He said: “For longer than a decade the north has suffered from a broken system that leaves our communities with inadequate funding.
“I want to build an integrated transport network that works for everyone – ensuring people are connected to opportunities across the region and beyond.
“I’ll keep making the case for York and North Yorkshire to receive the funding we’ve been denied for too long.”