Call for local bus network to be taken into public control

City councillors are urging bus operators in Preston to develop a single ticket that can be used on all routes.

City councillors are calling for the creation of a local authority-owned bus company after condemning the "deplorable state" of the privately-controlled network.

They are also urging bus operators in Preston to develop a single ticket that can be used on all routes.

Ribbleton ward councillor Jonathan Saksena brought a notice of motion on the issue during a town hall debate. He said he regularly received complaints from residents – including one woman for whom three buses in a row had recently failed to turn up at peak-time.

"[The] timetables keep getting amended, and even the amended [versions] are not being adhered to," said Cllr Saksena,

'Criminal'

Greyfriars representative, Fiona Duke, amended the motion, making a specific request for a real-time travel app and multi-company bus tickets.

She said, while travelling to college, her daughter regularly had to catch a different bus, purchasing a new ticket, in lieu of the Stagecoach one - for which already she had a ticket - whenever the latter did not arrive.

"It feels criminal to pay twice for the same journey," she told the meeting.

Preston City Council does not currently have any transport responsibilities, with the county council being the transport authority for the area.

The government last year promised bus franchising powers to any local area that wanted them, allowing councils to set timetables, prices and standards for local buses, while contracting private companies to run the service.

The motion, which was passed by a majority, committed the city council to exploring "how to take advantage" of what the government's offer.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted the two main bus operators in Preston for comment.

Stagecoach did not respond.

Preston Bus said delayed service is an issue that all bus operators struggle to plan for and control.

"Without any specifics of detail [about] individual service failures, it is difficult to respond to the allegations," the company said.