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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    Traffic Commissioners could withdraw or amend licences, but only with reasonable cause; hence the establishement of a statutory appeal process. The issue is not whether an incumbent bus operator had 'goodwill'; but whether such goodwill attached to a right to pick up and set down passengers at...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    They all arise from the abolition of road service licenses. Think of it from the perspective of National Accounts; before 1985, the asset value of bus routes stood as road service licence assets on the books of road transport operators (many of whom were municipal transport undertakings)...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    you don't need to look very far TGW; this is section 1 of the 1985 Act; " Abolition of road service licensing. (1)The provisions of Part III of the 1981 Act (road service licences) shall cease to have effect. (2)Those provisions are replaced— (a)in relation to London local services, by Part...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    I think you have put your finger on it TGW; by purchasing the depots, GM remove any advantage/barrier value to entry, favouring the current owner-operator. So all prospective operators start on a level playing field in respect of all franchise contracts. Of course, if a current owner has...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    Taking five continous years immediately before the change is not 'selective'. There was a definite change in the long-term trend; with the turning point around 1981 (trust me, this is the nerd's day job; it is so far different from the previous trend that it cannot simply be year-on-year...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    The data can be downloaded here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus01-local-bus-passenger-journeys the data series I referred to is on BUS0103. This shows increased bus usage in Metropolitan areas outside London from 1981 to 1985/6 from 2,033 million to 2,068 million; in...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    As I read it; the aspiration for TfGM is more directed towards the goal off MaaS (Mobility as a Service). This is stated in respect of possible Phase 2 objectives. As I understand it, MaaS is rather wider than Verbundtarif, in that it also encompasses travel by autonomous vehicles and...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    We have been round this many times; bus patronage was indeed declining right up to 1980, but in the years immediately prior to deregulation, it was increasing in UK cities. That increasing trend continued in London, but outside London the gains of the early 80s were lost immediately in...
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    Greater Manchester Bus Franchising Assessment

    In addition to the one-off purchase of 10 depots, the proposals envisage bus service development in Greater Manchester in two phases. Phase 1 establishes the franchise regime - 10 big contracts (running 5+2) years; and up to 25 smaller contracts (running 3 + 2) years. There will be limits on...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    You are certainly correct TGW, that the scheme is not presented as a 'subsidy' (as that would create difficulties with the EU). And nor was the subsidy incentive proposed as its primary aim. Rather it was one of a range of older persons 'universal' benefits (like TV licences for the over 75s)...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    Supposedly the funding formula allows for increased service frequency (and possibly increased vehicle size under 'Other issues') due to boosted demand levels on busy routes. Worked example is here: The subsidy element here is in the assumption that the 90 journeys that would have been made in...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    I realise I may not have responded with enough detail here SD. The packaging of the scheme as "no better/worse of" ostensibly claims that reimbursement to operators simply retains their financial position as it would have been had there been no scheme; and hence had older persons been compelled...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    So long as the BSOG monies are not then siphoned off into other local authority priorities (a big assumption); then the overall level of subsidy support will not change, so operators would not see a revenue drop overall. But obviously, some routes that are commercially viable with current...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    Because the scheme was introduced into a market where bus travel for pensioners was already generally recognised as a charge against public funds; the national scheme replaced a plethora of local schemes by which bus operators were subsidised in support of pensioner and disabled person off-peak...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    That is exactly the question being raised in the LGA report; formerly the ENCTS reimbursement was set at a level at which providers were incentivised to run services. Now, it is being asserted, that is no longer the case. So services that had been economic due to ENCTS reimbursements enhancing...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    Returning to the press story cited in the first post: Pass holders, however motivated, cannot catch a bus that no longer runs. So the policy incentive is directed to the provider, not the consumer.
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    The one definition is simply an expansion of the other;
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    The incentive is to run services that they would not otherwise do, if the pensioner passenger numbers fell due to their being charged full fares.
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    You are confusing 'assistance' with 'benefit' TGW. The standard definition of subsidy is "a sum of money granted by the state or a public body to help an industry or business keep the price of a commodity or service low." Which applies to the CAP and BSOG; (although not to the Ultra-low...
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    Half of bus routes could be scrapped because of underfunded free pass scheme

    Neither; a subsidy by definition is a payment made to incentivise a particular course of action. Commonly therefore, subsidy involves payment through a public authority or agency. If, as an indvidual, you simply hand out money at random; there is no intended incentive behind the payment , and...

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