Years before any bus improvements, meeting told

Any improvement in the bus service in Coventry could take years, according to the person in charge of bus reform at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Natalie Penrose told a meeting at Coventry City Council that when Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the public transport section of the WMCA takes over, very little would change on the first day of the new organisation.

"That is because we need a smooth transition so that people can still get the buses so that they can get where they need to," she explained.

The WMCA voted last May to bring buses back under public control, under Labour mayor Richard Parker's franchising system.

Penrose told a meeting of the business, economy and enterprise scrutiny board at Coventry City Council the operator which wins the franchise will have access to the Coventry depot for the duration of the deal.

"We will give time-defined contracts to bus operators so we won't have the monopoly that we have at the moment with National Express. We will have control of the depots and control of the fleet of buses," she said.

She added Coventry would be included in the first round of franchises, when the new system came into force in October 2027.

However, she told the meeting expectations about immediate change would need to be managed.

"The opportunity to change the network and put things back will come later.

"After that date in October we can start talking to people about what they want to see [with] improvements going forward. I know that sounds like a long way away and it isn't what you want to hear, but I need to be clear that we are looking for a smooth transition and not a changed network."

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

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