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14
Nov
Control of region's bus services set to transfer to mayor next year
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire looks set to oversee the region’s bus network next year after deferring the power for the last two years.
In a report due before a York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority advisory board meeting next week, officers said “good progress” was being made on the transition of power over bus services.
It comes as the combined authority delegated powers such as management of partnerships with bus companies and concessionary fares back to North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council in March.
The move drew criticism from Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, who described the move as disappointing when Mr Skaith had been “very public about wanting to control bus operations in North Yorkshire”.
Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, pictured in January 2024.
The Labour mayor later hit back at the criticism, describing it as “quite a low bar” to criticise him for the handling of bus services.
Now, officers at the combined authority say it is expected that the mayor will oversee the powers by the end of April 2027.
In a report, Mike Scott, transport advisor at the authority, said:
The programme to transition responsibility for bus services to the combined authority is making good progress.
A series of work packages and projects are being progressed so that all relevant staff, contracts, budgets and systems are transferred to the combined authority by the end of March 2027. This will enable the CA’s transport directorate can take full responsibility for bus service delivery from April 2027 onwards.
However, Mr Scott said the transfer of assets such as bus stations, park and ride facilities and bus shelters will need “more time” due to legal agreements.
Bus franchising
The move comes as the Labour mayor has separately taken the first step in bringing buses into public ownership.
Last month, Mr Skaith, who has claimed that services in the region are “broken”, signed a Notice of Statutory Intent to Prepare an Assessment of Proposed Franchising Scheme.
It marked the first step towards introducing a franchise model in the region.
Bus franchising is when a local public transport authority controls the bus routes, timetables, and ticket prices. It then hires private companies to drive the buses.
The mayor said the move did not necessarily mean the combined authority will franchise the bus network, but that it would be the “start of a journey” towards a franchise model.
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