Councils should remain in control of bus services, public poll finds

According to a new poll conducted by We Own It, 57 per cent of people believe the government should allow councils to run their own bus services.

The news comes as a new Bus Services Bill has threatened to ban councils in England from running their own bus services.

The poll also found that 46 per cent of people want more public ownership of buses, with recent research from the from Transport for Quality of Life suggesting £506 million a year could be saved by bringing buses into public ownership.

Cat Hobbs, director of We Own It, said: “The government plan to ban councils from setting up their own bus companies is completely ideological. Councils should be allowed to run buses directly if that’s the best solution.

“After nearly 30 years of deregulation, bus privatisation has led to falling passenger numbers, service cuts and huge fare increases in most areas outside of London. It’s time for buses to work for people not profit.”