T HERE IS ONE thing in particular that Mancunians love to moan about: their buses. The number 43, which trundles down what is thought to be Europe’s busiest route, is far from loved. Onboard, one student riding from the university to the railway station complains that it takes three times as long in rush hour. “They are always changing the route—never for the better,” says a nurse working at a nearby hospital. At least it is easier to find a seat these days, they say—as riders are switching to faster modes of transport.

Andy Burnham, the mayor, is keen to find a way to reverse this gradual decline in passenger numbers in his city (see chart). On January 25th the ten councils that make up his Greater Manchester Combined Authority ( GMCA ) approved an increase in council tax to fund a detailed study into the options for bus reform. One strategy Mr Burnham is considering is to “re-regulate” bus services, taking the routes back under public control. If he does so, the city will be the first to use a new law that gives mayors the power to franchise bus services.

In the past decade bus travel has gone into steep decline outside the capital. Since 2009 the number of bus journeys in Manchester has fallen by 14%. Austerity has played a role. Councils in England and Wales have slashed bus subsidies by 45% since 2010, resulting in 3,347 routes being cut back or closed.