The West Midlands, led by newly elected mayor Richard Parker, is poised for a major bus service overhaul. Parker's £25 million initiative aims to mimic Manchester's Bee Buses by bringing services under public control via a rail-style franchise system. He emphasized this as his top priority and assured the funding would come from existing budgets, without additional taxes.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The West Midlands, led by newly elected Mayor Richard Parker, is poised for a
00:05major bus service overhaul. Parker's 25 million pound initiative aims to mimic
00:10Manchester's B buses by bringing services under public control via a
00:15rail-style franchise system. He emphasised this is a top priority and
00:20assured the funding would come from existing budgets without additional
00:24taxes. The rebranded network is expected to be operational in two years. This plan
00:31addresses current subsidy issues with the West Midlands combined authority
00:35having spent over 75 million pounds in the past 18 months to maintain bus
00:41services. Without these subsidies passengers would face fare hikes or
00:45service cuts. A detailed report will be presented in July outlining the
00:50transition process. Transport for West Midlands is also investing in green
00:55initiatives to encourage public transport use.