to Yvonne (Wash) of Pensioners

 You wrote, "The way money allocated is often decided long ago."   My points:

1. So long ago it was the 1980s - actually 1981 when Metro was thought up to replace and duplicate buses and trains.  It was Cllr Phil Bateman's idea, a Labour councillor on the W Mids County Council.  He is now on the TDOS of WMCA where I meet him, occasionally.
2. Getting the money for such a grossly expensive scheme has been the problem.  £7 m/Km for rebuilding a railway through the Southern Uplands of Scotland in September 2015 when it opened; £144 m/Km was last month's figure for the Metro Eastside extension.  £245 m for 1.7 Kms = £144/Km.
3. The money allocated was never enough for the mistakes made in work having to be undone and redone and for the many cost overruns in the very slow delivery of the Metro schemes.
4. So many changes have already been made in funding that schemes have had to be curtailed or suspended or split into four phases in the case of Metro WBHE, aka the Dudley Tram.
5. Auditors have a cosy relationship with the Combined Authority and have allowed the misuse of taxpayers' money for the hundreds of millions of pounds wasted - and some spent - on getting Metro.  But only 23 Kms in 43 years, with 18 Kms of the 23 Kms on the first mainline railway destroyed!  This is a scandalously shocking performance!
6. Money allocated by HMG can be allocated to something else, easily enough.  It only needs political will and a request.
7. However, in these days of regional devolution decisions can be undone easily enough by the leadership team and money re-allocated.

You wrote, "I'm concentrating with TUC on Petition re a franchising."

• Did you know that it seems that TfWM are waiting to see how things work out in Greater Manchester?  If it works out, as it will, we'll get it too.
• At one WMPC transport meeting with Trevor Eames last year, I got the impression that the bus man who spoke seemed sympathetic, if not supportive, about bringing the buses back under public control.
• It is also the case that he and his colleagues work with the leaders of TfWM/WMCA, the Mayor, and with the bus operating companies to keep the fares as low as possible and to subsidise as many of the loss making bus routes as they can.
• Going back to public control may not make any difference on the ground.  It made no difference last time when we saw bus passengers numbers similar to what we have seen under privatisation.  Or, am I wrong?
• With any kind of reorganisation, it is the people who operate the buses, day to day, who have the last word and are far more important than the theoretical private or public system that is run.
   Bus and businesses at the centre of a virtuous ...
  I think, will make a bigger and better difference.

Please correct me Wash where I am mistaken and explain, in greater detail, why franchising will revolutionise bus travel.

14 January 2024