A Judge has ruled in favour of Andy Burnham’s bid for major bus reform – marking a historic moment for public transport in Greater Manchester. It follows a judicial review brought by bus firms Stagecoach and Rotala, who claimed the process taken by leaders to move to a franchising system, where operators had to bid to run services under public control, was ‘irrational’ and ‘unlawful’. Their arguments against the proposal included how changes wrought by Covid on the public transport network might impact the case for reform.
However, sitting on Wednesday at the Royal Courts of Justice, Mr Justice Julian Knowles ruled against the operators, adding: “Whilst I granted the plaintiffs permission to bring the review I dismiss the claims. In my judgement the mayor’s decision and the process by which the Greater Manchester Combined Authority came to recommend the scheme was lawful.” Mr Justice Knowles said his judgement runs to a hundred pages and more than 300 paragraphs. The hearing was ongoing this afternoon, and includes discussions around the appeals process.
Following the judgement, Mayor Andy Burnham said in a statement: “This is truly fantastic news for everyone outside London who wishes to see a return to a bus service that puts people ahead of profit.”
The green light for public control over buses for the first time since 1986 could set a bold new course for Greater Manchester’s entire transport network – and for other regions whose leaders and passengers are looking to transform the way their systems are run.