• CPT launches handbook for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) on the different models for regulating local bus networks.
• Analytical framework developed with Frontier Economics will help councils make informed, evidence-based decisions on bus regulation, by following an 8-step process.
• The handbook emphasises that both Enhanced Partnerships and franchising can be designed in many different ways, and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to regulating bus networks.
• Endorsed by the Department for Transport, ATCO, and ADEPT, the handbook and toolkit provide a rigorous but accessible guide to support LTAs navigating a complex and critical decision.
The Bus Services Act 2025 grants local transport authorities enhanced powers to choose which regulatory model for local buses best meets the needs of local communities.
To support informed decision-making by towns and cities about which model to adopt, CPT has worked with Frontier Economics to assess the benefits and challenges presented by regulatory options.
The handbook, accompanied by an Excel toolkit, considers various models for local bus networks, used as examples to demonstrate the variety of choice available:
• Enhanced Partnerships: shared objectives agreed by operators and local authorities for bus networks, with decisions on routes, timetables and fares in the hands of commercial operators
• Evolved Enhanced Partnerships: broad commercial freedom for operators but shared decisions with local authorities on fares, ticketing, network and timetable (....)