A Flintshire Municipal Bus Company

Bus transport is predominantly used by those on the lowest incomes. They're an efficient and flexible mode of transport, meaning that they can be far more demand responsive than trains. They're also cheaper and easier to produce than trains, making them a quicker and more scalable solution to our county's public transport problems.

Margaret Thatcher's bus deregulation through the Transport Act 1985 essentially made new publicly-owned bus companies illegal.  The current system fails communities like Hawarden & Mancot. Private companies essentially have private monopolies on bus routes and refuse to provide a service where they deem it to be 'unprofitable' - this despite them receiving huge amounts in subsidies. 

The Welsh Government has committed to putting in place the legislation to make municipal, publicly-owned bus companies legal again in Wales, which will allow local authorities, such as Flintshire County Council, to run their own bus services, for people, not profit.

Where existing municipal bus companies continue to operate, they are generally very successful. Nottingham's municipal bus company has some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the UK, has invested in smart passes and miles of new bus lanes - and it turns a profit of around £2m a year which is then ploughed back into the local area.

At Flintshire County Council, there is a group of backbench Councillors who are working to make sure this can become a reality in Flintshire once the Welsh Government passes the legislation required.

Below is a copy of the letter I wrote to the Deputy Minister for Climate Change in the Welsh Government, Lee Waters MS, asking for an update on the timetable for the new legislation.