As transport leaders gather in Liverpool next week for the UK Bus Summit, much of the conversation will rightly focus on the mechanics of bus reform: franchising powers, funding settlements, fleet ownership. These questions matter enormously to how services are delivered on the ground.
But mechanics alone will not determine whether the next decade of urban bus networks succeeds – critical to this is the quality of collaboration between authorities, operators and communities.
The economic case for connectivity
The business community is telling us, clearly and consistently, that transport connectivity is now a growth issue, not simply a transport issue.
Metroline's own research bears this out: two-thirds (66%) of business leaders say poor transport connectivity is limiting their ability to hire the staff they need, and 68% say improved bus links would make them more likely to invest or expand in the area they operate in. This also has direct impact on the existing workforce: almost three-quarters (73%) say improved local bus links would improve staff punctuality and attendance, and 68% say it would increase productivity.
When bus services work, labour markets function better, businesses recruit more easily, and residents reach the opportunities in front of them. That is why we see public transport as an enabler, not an end in itself. It connects people to jobs, education and each other, and it unlocks growth for the places it serves.
What reliability actually requires
None of that works without reliability, and reliability is not something one organisation can deliver alone. It requires shared purpose – a genuine understanding that there is room for everyone to succeed within the framework the contract sets out, and a willingness to keep building on those over years, not months.
That is a lesson we have taken directly from our mobilisation as part of the Bee Network in Greater Manchester. Nearly 1,100 drivers transferred into the business at the outset, and the large majority have chosen to stay. We think that reflects the stability that close, ongoing collaboration with Transport for Greater Manchester made possible from day one – not something any operator delivers on its own. It is the same pattern we see in the more mature franchise markets our parent company, ComfortDelGro, operates in – Singapore, Australia and New Zealand – where trusted, long-standing partnerships consistently deliver better services and stronger economic outcomes.
That approach extends to how we work day-to-day. We do not control the highways network in Manchester, but we can give Transport for Greater Manchester something they cannot easily get elsewhere: operational insight from the front line. We identify where delays are building, quantify what that is costing services, and help build the evidence base for the interventions that follow. Every bottleneck resolved is time returned to the businesses and staff who depend on that route.
Supporting the places we serve
Delivery and reliability matter, but they are not enough on their own. Real partnership means combining a local authority's understanding of its community with an operator's ability to deliver – and investing in that community beyond the terms of the contract.
In Manchester, that has looked like a genuine partnership with Embassy Village, a residency for homeless people, providing mentoring, work experience and a route into employment. It has meant buying fuel, parts and services locally wherever possible, so investment stays in the region. It shapes our own people too: colleagues who work across organisational boundaries, with council officers and charity partners, come to understand how their part fits into a wider system, and that understanding becomes culture.
None of this works with one side acting alone. It takes both – operator and authority, working together through deep, sustained collaboration alongside the communities they serve. Get that right, and the reward is not just better buses. It is stronger local economies, more inclusive communities and more resilient cities.
