Notes from a Small Island: The Continuing Evolution of the Local Bus Industry in the British Isles

Abstract

This paper reviews recent developments in the local bus industry in the United Kingdom and three crown dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey). The industry is well-known for the deregulation implemented in the mid-1980s, but this only affected Great Britain outside London. In London, an alternative regime of comprehensive tendering was developed, whilst in Northern Ireland the industry remained under public ownership and control. Recent trends in these different jurisdictions will be reviewed with particular reference to Bus Back Better, the national bus strategy for England, published in 2021. This has led to some extensions of the concept of franchising, most notably in Greater Manchester, and in the development of enhanced partnerships. In addition to this general high-level review, two case studies are discussed, based on recent student projects at the University of Southampton. The first compares the bus market and industry in Guernsey and Jersey (both competitively tendered), the Isle of Man (publicly owned and controlled) and the Isle of Wight (deregulated). The second examines the bus market and industry in the neighbouring urban regions of Bournemouth and Southampton, where in both cases the successor to the former municipally owned incumbent has recently exited the market. Assessments are made of the efficacy of the different organisational structures considered. Conclusions are drawn with respect to likely future developments in the regulatory cycle, the relevance of theories of public value and whether the co-production of services could form a fourth way for the bus industry.