WEST YORKSHIRE residents held a day of action for "better buses" yesterday, celebrating the Mayor's latest move to deliver a publicly-controlled bus network for the region.

Organised by Unite Community and Better Buses for West Yorkshire, bus users gathered at Bradford City Hall and the main bus stations in Leeds, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield with banners and posters.

They also took the opportunity to raise concerns about the current plans to establish an ‘enhanced partnership’ with bus operators, as well as starting the investigation into public control, at the Combined Authority meeting next Thursday. They are instead calling for politicians to deliver public control, with "no ifs, no buts".

They argue that partnership will drain resources from one of Tracy Brabin’s flagship pledges as West Yorkshire Mayor - to bring the region’s buses into public control.

Partnerships are agreements between private bus operators, such as First and Arriva, and local authorities. In return for public investment in infrastructure, private operators make voluntary agreements to change parts of their services but retain control of the network.

Under public control, it is the mayor who decides what services get run and what fares are imposed across the region. They can also ensure tickets work across all operators and restore services that the bus companies currently refuse to run because they feel the routes are unprofitable.

The Mayor announced plans to set up a partnership with private bus companies in her first week in office, claiming this would “unlock” a share of the £3bn the Government has made available in its National Bus Strategy.

However, government ministers have suggested otherwise, indicating that actively pursuing public control would be enough to unlock this funding, without the need for a partnership in the meantime.

On Thursday, the Mayor clarified her decision, saying she would start the public control process now, but deliver the partnership scheme in the meantime.

Following the announcement that the Combined Authority would make a final decision on public control before the next Mayoral election, Matthew Topham, a campaigner at Better Buses for West Yorkshire, said: "We welcome the ambitious timetable to deliver a final decision on public control in January 2024. However, the clock is now ticking, giving local leaders only two-and-a-half years to finalise their plans for public control, while negotiating, implementing, and assessing a partnership at the same time.

"Partnerships are more of the same broken system that has been failing local people for decades. Any changes will be superficial, leaving the private bus companies in the driving seat.

"In Greater Manchester, it took over three years to complete their public control plans and that was without the additional burden of delivering a partnership.

"The Government has made it clear that actively pursuing public control, as the Mayor intends to do, is enough to retain access to funding. That is why local bus users are meeting on Saturday to celebrate the Mayor’s long-term goal, while inviting the Council leaders to scrap the partnership and go full steam ahead with public control."

Polling from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership has found that 50 per cent of West Yorkshire residents support public control, while only 8 per cent are against the plans. However, Ms Brabin’s plans to establish a partnership could absorb resources away from the assessment of public control, putting her timetable at risk.

Unite Community member and bus campaigner, Dave Robertson, said: "Buses are the lifeblood of our communities, they are vital for those of us on low incomes and for key workers too.

"Public control will make a huge difference to people’s lives, and we want it in place as soon as possible."

Better Buses for West Yorkshire’s petition calling for public control exceeds 8,000 signatures. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority will vote on the future of the region’s bus network at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 24 June.