First Manchester

[gilesbus1]

RE: First Manchester
There is no prospect of it being bought by TfGM or anyone else like that as

a) It is not able to do so as explained by someone else in a previous post.
b) Council Tax would have to go up to pay for it and many residents who are not bus users and are car drivers would complain considering they would be expected to pay towards it, especially when it appears on Council Tax Statements

(Note values I have given are Hypothetical and do not represent true value of the company).
e.g. Purchasing First Manchester Ltd from First Group PLC £20,000,000.

I very much doubt that would be popular especially if the Health and Social Care Budgets or Education Budgets are effected and also if not would use up most of not all TfGM's annual budget if not more. The only way of getting money back if that was the case would be to close depots and we all know what a disaster that has been in the past for staff and customers, and selling the depots onto Property Developers.

First Manchester's only buyers will be operators who either do or are keen to operate in a regulated market.

There is no returning I am afraid to Greater Manchester Transport Buses being owned by local councils.

When Transport for London re-entered the bus market it was to bail out failing operators at a price that was cheaper to Council Tax payers than leaving it unresolved as there was no Private interests as the companies were heavily in debt and the bids placed for the work in Harris Buses case at least were too low, and TfL would have had to re-let the contracts at higher cost to the tax payer, and both operators, Harris Bus and Durham Travel services, together had less than 100 vehicles within London.

Of course many people liked Greater Manchester Transport because it was a structured operator that was accountable and transport as interchangeable and linked and fares were much lower, but tax costs were high, but in those days that was just accepted as the public knew nothing else, but now I doubt it would be acceptable to those who do not use the services provided which is the majority. Franchising is being selected as its the nearest that can be got to it at a cost effective price, e.g not owning the infrastructure (vehicles and depots) but controlling the structure through regulation.

Incidentally I have no political alliance I am just a realist and unfortunately there are more important things in life than whether the local Councils own the buses.

Sorry to rant on.