Bus services need saving from the council, according to the Conservatives, who plan to put the matter to a vote at Hove Town Hall this week.
The leader of the Tory group on Brighton and Hove City Council, Alistair McNair, is calling for a debate on the topic at a meeting of the full council on Thursday (23 July).
Councillor McNair intends to propose a motion to “save our buses” after the council said in March that it was looking into taking “greater control over fares, timetables and routes”.
But a Sussex mayor is due to be elected in 2028 and, working with a new Sussex-wide strategic authority, will have more say over the sector.
Locally, bus services have been run by private companies for about 40 years, with most of them operated by Brighton and Hove Buses, part of the Go Ahead Group.
Passenger numbers have soared since then while some have criticised the cost of fares although bus company bosses have pointed to rising fuel costs and the continuing investment in a modern fleet, with a switch to hybrid and electric-powered buses.
The Bee Network, in Manchester, was noted as a reason to consider franchising – where the council allocates routes to operators.
But the Tories said that, while services in Manchester increased by 19.4 per cent, Bristol’s private bus services went up by 33 per cent.
Councillor McNair’s notice of motion said that the council was seeking government funding for a feasibility study to look at bus franchising, giving rise to concerns that council time and money would be diverted from more pressing issues.
The Conservative leader said: “Brighton and Hove Buses are among the best and most heavily used bus networks outside of London.
“The network has scored 90 per cent overall for passenger satisfaction because of the frequent service, a modernising fleet and easy payment options.
“Due to policies of the current administration, buses are expensive, especially since the decision to phase out the 50p unaccompanied child fare.
“Short-hop fares have increased by 30 per cent because subsidies have been cut by the council for most areas.
“Franchising may expose the council to high costs at a time of severe budget constraints, leading to a worsening service.”
His motion, supported by fellow Conservative councillor Anne Meadows, calls for a report to the cabinet to explore the option and implications of postponing any feasibility study until the elected mayor for the new strategic authority is in place in May 2028.
If the feasibility study were to go ahead, Councillor McNair said that all parties should be involved in the study – “and the mechanism to ensure a widespread public consultation whose findings are adhered to”.
The full council is due to meet at 2pm on Thursday (23 July) at Hove Town Hall. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
Trying to fix a problem rhat doesn’t exist. How very council. Plenty of other thibgs with greater need tp fix.
Any time I hear the handful of Tories on the council moaning about anything I immediately want to support whatever they’re arguing against. They’re such an irrelevance locally it’s a wonder they bother at all. Of course the only wards they do represent are the ones with the big houses and driveways full of cars so why the bus network would be of concern to them I’ve no idea
I agree, I think we have a very good service. The company clearly invest in new buses each year . The council need to concentrate on sorting out what they are obliged to deal with and leave the bus service alone. If it isn’t broken don’t fiddle with it!
Utterly insane that the council are considering this. Brighton’s bus network is one of the best in the country and as the old saying goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies here. There are very few places in England outside London where you can get a bus 24/7 to quite a wide range of places within the area. Most of the buses are pretty modern by other companies standards and the range of routes is also excellent, now with two express routes across the city (1X and 3X). As soon as council officers get their hands on the services you can expect unneccesary meddling with timetables and routes, constructed by people who have no idea what they are doing because they’ve never run a bus service in their life. Please Brighton & Hove Council, leave our buses alone and concentrate on improving the services you already try and run!
It is difficult to understand wasting precious time trying to fix something that isn’t broken. Surely councillors have more pressing issues that they can have a cup of tea and biscuits over rather than the repositioning of a few bus-stops and tweaking a few routes and timetables?