York and North Yorkshire’s mayor has said local bus services are not good enough amid talks with operators over their future.
David Skaith said he was trying to make early improvements to buses including extending the £1 fare cap for under-19s across North Yorkshire and investing in rural services.
The Labour mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) his preference was for bus franchising but it would take years to bring in due to North Yorkshire’s geography.
The meeting with operators on Tuesday, April 1 comes after the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority approved wider plans for public transport last month.
Plans for the coming year include bringing ticket purchases for buses and trains into one possibly app-based system as part of efforts to integrate the region’s transport system.
They also include exploring different options for franchising which would see the combined authority get control over bus routes which private operators bid to run.
The combined authority has also announced it will keep cheaper fares on buses for NHS staff travelling to York Hospital.
It has also pledged an extra £50,000 to the Moors and Dales buses as part a £95m investment in the region’s transport.
Mr Skaith told LDRS the main challenge in North Yorkshire was finding the best way to address the different issues in different parts of the county.
The mayor said: “We’re getting operators around the table to discuss the best route forward for buses, services aren’t good enough.
“The challenge comes down to making it work in different areas that have different problems.
“Places like York and Harrogate need more consistent services whereas harder to reach rural areas need buses that are more frequent and reliable.
“The franchise model is the way we want to go in years to come, people are telling us their bus services have been cut and franchising allows us to take control of routes and prices.
“But it’s only ever been done in places like Manchester and London so we have a huge amount of work to do.
“We’re also talking to First to see if we can open park and rides 24 hours a day so people can leave their cars there overnight.
“We understand that it’s incredibly challenging for people to travel around our region and across the border with our neighbours, making sure buses are more reliable and affordable is going to make it easier for people to move around.”
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