To think Andy Burnham is doing a decent job so far?

Reducing the cap from £3 to £2 means you need 50% more passengers to get the same income!

If a bus is already full, there is no room for more passengers so it's a straight 33% loss of revenue on that bus.

If the economic elasticity meant that the bus firm could carry & charge 50% more passengers, they'd have already reduced the fares as it's basic business economics. The govt's own figures show what they expect the cost to the government(public) will be, so there IS a cost to the taxpayer.

But TfGM's stated strategy is to grow total bus patronage by 30% by 2030 - and they’ve already grown by 14%, which in principle proves flat, low fares do lead to more passengers. But rebuilding passenger habits obviously doesn’t happen overnight.

The Bee Network isn’t an immediate cash-flow business - it is a long-term investment. The idea isn’t just to get more revenue for fares, it is also to drive regional growth by connecting low paid commuters to jobs, to relieve pressure on the NHS through improved air quality etc. etc.

The bee network is great, but the deficit reached £227 million per year. Imagine that cost rolled out across the country.

Labour benefitted from the Sunak changes -Shabama Mahmoud is making great strides BUT if the backbenchers refuse the plan to block automatic right to remain after 5 years Labour has failed

Responding to the specifics, Transport for Greater Manchester told me the £226m figure was not a "deficit" but "the total public subsidy for buses in Greater Manchester, carefully managed against costs by Transport for Greater Manchester".

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/whos-really-paying-greater-manchesters-32009959

That’s nonsense. Sunak achieved nothing. Immigration reached its height in 2023 when Sunak was PM.

Yes but it takes months/years for the changes to take effect. Be sensible

You’re the one complaining about the current government’s record. Make up your mind.

Thats not true. Sunak introduced policies that reduced immigration, and Labour stuck with them when they came into office. Mahmood wants to go even further.
He stopped students and care workers bringing dependants, and increased the salary threshold.

In Q3 2024, 2,423 Health and Care visas were issued to applicants in ‘caring professional services’, down by 93% from an all-time high 12 months earlier, when 33,122 visas were issued

https://www.workrightscentre.org/publications/2024/drop-in-visas-for-carers-indicates-tougher-home-office-action-on-sponsors-but-insufficient-protection-for-migrants-and-the-care-sector/

I’m very sorry @Nuthatch26 but it is true. 2023 had the highest immigration figures on record and Sunak was PM for the entire year.

I'm very sorry, but "Sunak achieved nothing" is not true, as you know, and as evidenced above.

It seems time runs differently when there's a Tory government compared to when there's a labour government. Things that take a long time under Tories must happen yesterday under labour.

Oh yes wildfires can start themselves. Our small fire last night was way off the public path, in a field that was down to herbal whatever you call it, and hadn’t been entered since being cut for hay 2/3 weeks ago. My DH noticed the smoke whilst taking water to sheep, and used the water to dampen down the fire. He reckons it was a piece of flint plus sun as he could see nothing else.

So he achieved a great deal in the first five months of 2024 which emboldened him to call an election six months before he needed to. OK, forgive me if I’m not convinced.