Today, at the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) committee meeting, Unitary Authorities (UAs), including Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) and South Gloucestershire agreed to fund the Metro Mayor’s ‘Bus Improvement Options’ report, which will review the applicability of different mechanisms to reform the West’s failing public transport system.
Reclaim Our Buses, a group pushing for public control of local bus services, praised the commitment but condemned the delay. Emilia Melville, the group’s leader, was clear:
“We’ve waited long enough. This should have started a year ago. WECA needs to act now, not keep commissioning reports. We don’t need more talk; we need action.”
Bristol Council’s Green Party Leader, Councillor Tony Dyer, also highlighted the need for action rather than rhetoric, stating that bus services are the number one concern for residents. He noted that residents’ patience is running out, and emphasised the need for a clear timeline from the Metro Mayor on when improvements will happen.
Campaigners and councillors again called for the establishment of a Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) to oversee the region’s bus services. B&NES Leader, Kevin Guy, supported introducing a PTE, stating that taking the politics out of bus services and ensuring decisions are made for residents, not shareholders. He stated WECA is the right authority to set this up, adding that collaboration between UAs would be necessary – highoighing his concerns that the renewed commitment of £3 million to the Metro Mayor’s ‘Birthday Bus’ scheme was not agreed by the UAs.
Melville added:
“All local councils, including North Somerset, must be involved. But more importantly, WECA must stop delaying and start acting. The people of the West of England can’t wait any longer for a reliable bus service.”
The delay in reform is already hitting communities hard. Bobby Oliver, another public transport advocate, shared a troubling example:
“An elderly couple in South Bristol can no longer use buses because their local route was cut. This is happening across the region – people are stranded, and if we don’t act now, we’ll lose even more routes.”
Georgia Statham, a local doctor and member of MEDACT, highlighted the health implications:
“Unreliable buses are harming our communities’ health. People can’t get to hospitals, workplaces, or services. The longer WECA delays, the worse the impact on public health and air quality.”
Campaigners insist that WECA must implement bus franchising immediately, which other regions have already achieved. Anna Mounteney, a Reclaim Our Buses campaigner made it clear:
“If we had started two years ago, we’d be seeing improvements now. WECA must step up, stop stalling, and fix our bus system.”