Strategy to improve bus network could cost £44m

Operators would lease bus depots in the West Midlands network under the plans

A new strategy to improve the West Midlands bus network could cost nearly £45m.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) would acquire and own up to nine bus depots within the network under the authority's plans.

Operators would then lease the depots to encourage competition in the bus market, reduce operational costs and attract investment.

It aims to support the delivery of greener buses, more frequent services and simpler networks while maintaining other services such as Ring and Ride.

The report said that the West Midlands bus market had been in decline for several years, with reduced competition and a significant reduction in bids for bus service contracts.

The strategy, with an estimated price tag of £44.8m, aims to lift barriers that have prevented some bus companies from operating in the region.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker previously described the current bus system as "unsustainable"

Earlier this year, the West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker pledged to overhaul how bus transport was delivered in the region, to improve services and keep fares down.

Transport for West Midlands executive director Anne Shaw said the new strategy would help manage the bus network, but would not focus on specific depots at the moment.

She added that the strategy was being introduced because there was "a commercial bus market which is failing and requires a lot of extensive subsidy".

Councillor Robert Alden said that the board needed to make sure that the estimated costs of buying depots were accurate.

“If this isn’t thoroughly checked as they progress through it, we could end up in a situation where there is a large black hole being created," he added.

The strategy will go before the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) board on 11 October.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.