Santa delivers bus petition to Mayor for early Xmas present

Campaigners from Better Buses East Midlands ho-ho-hope Santa's gift-wrapped petition of over 2,500 signatures will help to convince Mayor Claire of the need to bring buses back into public control.

The petition was supported by residents from Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire as well as 20 organisations including trade unions, environmental groups, pensioners and political parties.

As well as signatures, the Mayor's gift package included over 20 pages of comments on buses from the online petition, including complaints about bus services and pleas to improve them.

The group also sang bus-themed christmas carols:

Campaigners wanted to hand the petition over before responsibility for buses in the region transfers from the County and City Councils to the new East Midlands Combined County Authority early in 2026.

Thousands of people across the region have been left without bus services following deregulation in the 1980s and a gradual decline in bus services. The campaigners argue that bringing buses back into public control (also known as bus franchising) will allow Mayor Claire to plan routes, timetables and fares in the interests of the public rather than in the interests of profits for the bus operators. While the buses will continue to be run largely by private operators, they argue it gives the Mayor greater control and allows public funding to be used more efficiently, cross-subsidising unprofitable routes with revenue from profitable ones and investing more money directly into services.

The group point to Greater Manchester where the Mayor Andy Burnham took buses back into public control in stages, starting in 2023, with a full transition across the entire region in Jan 2025. This process reversed the deregulation of buses in 1986 and brought services back under local authority control for the first time in nearly 40 years. There is now one branded Bee Network of buses across Greater Manchester which allows better integration with other transport, simpler and cheaper fares with a £2 price cap and improved service planning. This has led to increased punctuality and patronage, and a more accountable and customer-focused service with a single brand identity.

As well as Greater Manchester, other regional Mayors from the Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, York and North Yorkshire and West of England are all backing public control of buses and are at different stages of the process. The Tees Valley (Conservative), Greater Lincolnshire (Reform UK) and East Midlands Mayors are the only Mayors who are not pursuing bus franchising, preferring instead to work with the bus operators in what is known as an Enhanced Partnership.

Anne Robinson from Better Buses East Midlands said: "Residents of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in particular have put up with poor and declining bus services for too long. For many people in the region buses are a lifeline and with nearly a quarter of the regional population at risk from social exclusion due to lack of a car or decent bus service, it is vital that the Mayor does all she can to improve bus services for all. Public control of buses is not a silver bullet and much more funding is needed. But if she is going to invest more public money in buses she needs to ensure that money is used for the public good and doesn't end up in shareholders pockets and public control is the best way to do this."

Chrissy Grocott, campaigner for better buses in Matlock said: "A new report, Delivering Better Bus Services for Greater Manchester, sets out the story so far since bus franchising was launched in September 2023, including the wide-ranging positive impacts for passengers and communities. Regional Mayor, Claire Ward has the opportunity to assess the business case for bus franchising in the East Midlands. All combined authorities who have undertaken this process so far have found in favour, let's not miss this bus, after years of decline in services we must improve public transport opportunities for all."

Richard Dyer, East Midlands Campaigner, Friends of the Earth said: "Detailed studies done in other areas all point to franchising as being the better long-term option than an Enhanced Partnership. Rather than continuing with the current failed system of deregulation, we want the Mayor to at least consider the option of franchising and conduct an assessment of the pros and cons of each option rather than simply ruling it out."

Patrycja Buchta, a student from West Nottinghamshire College said: "Many young people rely on buses to get to study, work or socialise, yet too often the buses don't run when we need them to, or are so unreliable that we are late for classes or work. We appreciate the Mayor has committed to fight for young people's independence. We hope that when she takes over responsibility for the buses she can transform services so that it's not just people who live in Nottingham who get a decent bus service and that there are buses on Sundays and evenings. That's why we are supporting the call to take buses back into public control."

Mike McCloughlin, Chair of East Midlands National Pensioners Convention said: "Many older people rely on buses and disastrous cuts in bus services leave communities isolated and the most vulnerable people in our society unable to access health services, shops and banks or visit family and friends. It's the elderly, the disabled and the poorest in our communities who suffer most. Many pensioners and people with disabilities wonder, 'What's the use of a bus pass if there's no bus?' We have pensioners in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire who struggle to access health services. For example, in Castleton Derbyshire there are pensioners who have to pay £50 for car services to get to hospital appointments as there are no direct bus services."