Transport for London moves step closer to bringing London buses into public ownership

Transport for London (TfL) is moving a step closer to setting up its own publicly owned bus company for the capital, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has learned.

Officials are set to start engaging bus operators later this month to discuss the feasibility of bringing currently franchised services in house, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The proposals were first laid out earlier this year in TfL’s business plan, where officials said that as part of a move to “ reimagine London’s bus network , we will develop detailed proposals for a new publicly owned bus company for London.”

The study will “assess how this could further support innovation, efficiencies and accountability, and support the needs of customers and the workforce.”

Under the current model, private firms submit bids to TfL to run franchised services, with contracts generally running for seven years and setting performance targets for bus operators with a set income.

A move to bring London buses into public ownership would fulfil a promise made by the Mayor of London in his 2024 election manifesto Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire There are 16 privately-owned operators on the capital’s 675 bus routes, including Arriva, Go-Ahead London, First Bus London, and Stage Coach London.

Should a publicly owned company be launched, when franchise contracts come to an end, TfL could bring them under the new public bus operator.

Such a move would fulfil a promise made by the Mayor of London in his 2024 election manifesto.

In August that year, Sir Sadiq Khan told the London Assembly that there were “lots of upsides in us having a publicly owned bus company”, including being able to reinvest any profit back into public transport infrastructure.

TfL are now able to do so thanks to the Bus Services Act passed by the Labour government last year, which lifted the ban on local authorities setting up their own bus companies.

Trade Union Unite welcomed the progress , with regional officer Nadine Edwards saying: “Unite has been calling for London buses to be brought back into public ownership for a long time.

David Lammy 'preparing to run for Mayor of London if Sadiq Khan steps down'

Tourist tax row erupts as minister says it could fund London transport

“This will stop money flowing from Londoners and Transport for London to private companies who preside over a race to the bottom culture that impacts drivers and services.”