Colin buchanan

A Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid was submitted for an ambitious transport strategy for the Greater Manchester region, incorporating road user charging (‘smart charging’) on major corridors, and a substantial package of public transport improvements. These included Metrolink and extensions, new commuter rail infrastructure, and major improvements to bus services.

Planned improvements for buses (which account for 85% of public transport travel) covered network capacity, service quality, frequency, bus priority measures, fares integration and smart card ticketing, and passenger information. We provided strategic advice to the Manchester bus operators and support for the ambitious improvement plans proposed by the operators. We successfully made the case for a strategic partnership approach between the operators and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) to deliver the bus strategy, rather than a Quality Contract approach; and led preparation of a promotional brochure and PR activity to advocate it. We developed a benefit sharing mechanism to underpin the partnership approach, and advised the Greater Manchester Bus Operators Association (GMBOA) on the Memorandum of Association with the PTE which would underpin delivery of the bus strategy.

We developed a Bus Partnership Agreement with supporting Change Mechanism, underpinned by a financial model for each operator. This involved commitments from operators and from PTE to deliver specific outputs within their areas of control, under existing legislation. It was vital to put in place a Partnership in advance of the outcome of the Local Transport Bill, due to the deadline of 2012 for introduction of Smart User Charging and the need for a step improvement in the bus network to be in place before that date.

GMBOA benefitted from the development of a Partnership Agreement, change mechanism and operator level financial models which would secure the emerging partnership with the PTE. This in turn gave both GMBOA and GMPTE confidence that a partnership approach would deliver the Bus Industry aspects of the overall GM TIF strategy if Smart User Charging had been introduced.