Anyone who moans about their morning commute should spare a thought for Maria Brabiner. The 53-year-old cleaner, who cannot drive, has to get up at 4am every Saturday and walk more than 2km to get a bus to work because the service is so poor in her home town of Salford.

On weekdays she has a choice of two buses, run by different companies, but the 6km journey still takes an hour. She hopes life will get easier if Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham introduces the first bus franchise system outside the capital, which would allow him to set timetables and fares, reversing 30 years of deregulation.

His attempt to use powers granted to elected metro mayors in 2017 is being widely watched: if successful, other city regions, including Liverpool and Sheffield, are likely to follow suit. He has been given backing from the new prime minister, with Boris Johnson last week describing the Mr Burnham’s plan as a first step towards “the transformation of local bus services” nationwide.

“I will work with the mayor of Greater Manchester on his plans to deliver a London style bus system in the area,” he pledged.

Maria Brabiner has to walk for 2kms to get a bus to work © Anthony Devlin/FT

Buses are a vital link to work for low paid workers who do not drive. Mr Burnham, of the Labour party, said subsidised, centrally organised public transport systems are also key to cutting pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and congestion.

“London and other cities have invested in buses and public transport. The Portuguese government has just done a deal with Lisbon and Porto so that no one pays more than €30 a month for public transport to deal with the climate emergency,” he said in an interview with the FT.

“The most financially attractive means of transport for many people in Greater Manchester is still the car. We have to change that,” he added.

Ms Brabiner leaves home at 5.05am to get a bus — which is earlier than she needs to because she cannot rely on the later service turning up. On Saturdays she walks into Manchester.

“I didn’t think I would be walking miles to work at the age of 53,” she said. “I love my job but it is hard. Bringing the buses back under public control would be fantastic.”

More than 30 companies operate routes in Greater Manchester. Since deregulation in 1985 — which allowed companies free rein to set routes and fares — passenger numbers, routes and frequency of services have all dropped by about a third. In London, the only city that was not forced to deregulate, passenger numbers have doubled during the same period.

The bus operators “cherry pick” lucrative busy routes, such as those past the universities, while leaving parts of the city underserved, said Pascal Robinson, of Better Buses GM, a pressure group.

Andy Burnham: 'The most financially attractive means of transport for many people in Greater Manchester is still the car. We have to change that' © Kirsty O'Connor/PA

Despite the decline in passenger numbers, buses remain the most used form of public transport nationwide; in Greater Manchester 75 per cent — some 200m — of journeys are on buses — with 15 per cent by tram and 10 per cent by train.

Nationally, there were 4.9bn bus journeys in 2017-18, compared with 1.7bn on National Rail and 1.4bn on London Underground, according to Department for Transport data.

MPs on the Transport select committee warned in May that the government must act to stem the decline in bus use, with franchising one option.

The Scottish government has proposed a law to allow councils to run bus services, as they did before deregulation in 1985. Aberdeen and Falkirk are considering doing so.

The government’s 2017 Bus Services Act allowed metro mayors such as Mr Burnham to bring in franchising but did not make it easy. Transport for Greater Manchester, the regional body that is responsible for public transport, had to spend an estimated £20m — the figure has not been revealed — on a two-year market study. Its recommendations are now being examined by an independent expert. If approved, they can go to a consultation.

Bus companies have said they would consider legal action to prevent the move. Gary Nolan, chief executive of OneBus, which represents many Manchester operators, pointed out that passenger numbers in London had fallen 6 per cent over three years. Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor, is cutting routes to save money since he has capped fares.

Mr Burnham “can do better than replicate a London-style system that expects to operate under a £742m deficit by the end of this year, cutting routes and consuming government subsidies”, said Mr Nolan.

Greater Manchester spends £27m a year on bus subsidies to persuade operators to run unprofitable routes. Mr Burnham said he would like “tens of millions of pounds” annually from the government to implement a franchise system.

An hour’s bus journey costs £1.50 in London, with an all day pass £4.50. A single journey in Greater Manchester can cost £4, though a weekly pass for all operator’s routes is £19.

Mr Nolan added: “We agree that Greater Manchester’s bus network can be improved and encourage the mayor to use his existing powers to cut congestion now, before it inflicts further damage on bus punctuality and air quality.”

Bus operators in the city, which include Stagecoach, First Group and Arriva, have offered to invest £100m in 450 new, greener buses and run more services in a partnership with the mayor. They would also cap some fares and better co-ordinate services with trains and trams.

But Mr Burnham is unconvinced by their arguments. “Transport policy in this country has traditionally been done mode by mode. We have got to knit it into one service. How can a voluntary arrangement give you operational certainty across the system? Manchester needs to have more control,” he said.

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