Let’s be honest: buses are rarely considered the most exciting topic in politics. They are often seen as slow, unreliable, and just a bit boring. But right now, something is happening in Greater Manchester that is changing the way we think about public transport in the UK.
Greater Manchester’s Mayor, Andy Burnham, has introduced the “Bee Network.” (As a cheeky side note: Burnham might currently be the red-hot favourite to become the next Labour Prime Minister, but he conveniently forgets that his biggest achievement was only made possible by the Conservative “Northern Powerhouse” agenda, which handed him those local transport powers in the first place!).
It is a massive shake-up of how buses are run, marking the first time in 40 years that a region outside London has taken full public control of its bus services.
But is it actually working? How is it being paid for? And more importantly, could this model—often seen as a left-wing idea—actually be the ultimate Conservative policy for a future North Kent Bus Network?
Let’s dive in.
Part 1: Assessing the Manchester Bee Network
To understand why the Bee Network is such a big deal, you have to understand the mess that came before it.
Since 1986, buses in the UK (outside London) have been “deregulated.” This was essentially meant to improve a hugely inefficient system by encouraging free-market competition. Private bus companies could run whatever routes they wanted, charge whatever fares they wanted, and change their timetables whenever it suited them.
The unintended consequence was that bus companies fought over the busy, profitable routes in city centres, while quiet routes—like early morning buses for shift workers or routes through rural estates—were simply abandoned because they did not make enough profit. Passenger numbers dropped year after year.
The Bee Network Solution
Greater Manchester decided enough was enough. Under a system called “franchising,” the local government (Transport for Greater Manchester, or TfGM) took back control.
Now, TfGM decides the routes, the timetables, and the ticket prices. The private bus companies do not just do what they want anymore; they have to bid for contracts to drive the buses on TfGM’s terms. All the buses are painted a bright, uniform yellow, and you can use one simple “tap-and-go” ticket across the whole region, including on the trams.
Has it worked? The data—ignoring the true cost of running the service for a moment—says yes:
More People are Riding: Passenger numbers are up by 14%. That is millions of extra journeys being made.
Better Reliability: Under the old system, buses were often late. Now, punctuality regularly hits over 80%.
Cleaner Air: Manchester is rapidly replacing old, dirty diesel buses with a brand-new fleet of electric zero-emission vehicles.
However, setting this up was not easy. It cost a massive £134.5 million just to get the system running, buy the bus depots, and sort out the legal battles with the old bus companies. But for the person waiting at the bus stop in the rain, the service is undeniably better.
Part 2: The Elephant in the Room – Who Pays for It?
his all sounds great, but we have to talk about the money. A common criticism of the Bee Network is that it only works because of massive government subsidies.
Right now, the money made from people buying bus tickets only covers about 50% of the cost of running the Bee Network. The rest of the money has to come from the taxpayer. This includes local council taxes and huge grants from the central government in Westminster.
For example, to keep single bus fares capped at £2, Manchester has relied on tens of millions of pounds in government grants. If the central government suddenly stopped sending that money, the local councils would be in serious financial trouble, or fares would have to shoot up.
So, is this just a massive drain on the taxpayer?
Actually, no. To understand why, you have to look at how taxpayer money was being wasted before franchising.
Under the old system, private companies kept all the profits from the busy routes. But what happened to the quiet routes they abandoned? Local councils could not just let communities be cut off. So, the councils were forced to step in and pay private companies huge, inflated prices to run those quiet routes anyway.
It was the worst of both worlds. The private companies kept the profits, but the taxpayer had to bail out the losses.
Under franchising, this changes entirely. Because the local government now controls the whole network, it collects all the ticket money from the super-busy, highly profitable routes. It then uses those profits to pay directly for the quiet, necessary routes. In economics, this smart use of resources is called cross-subsidisation.
Yes, the system still needs a central government grant. Almost every major public transport system in the world does. But under franchising, that grant goes much further. It is spent efficiently on improving the whole network, rather than just plugging the gaps left by a broken private market.
Part 3: The Conservative Case for Franchising
When people hear “the government is taking control of the buses,” it often sounds like nationalisation—a traditional left-wing policy. Because of this, many Conservatives instinctively oppose it.
But this is a huge misunderstanding. Franchising is not about state ownership; it is about smart contracting. In fact, bus franchising aligns perfectly with core Conservative values. Here is how you sell the idea to a Conservative audience:
1. Harnessing True Market Competition
Under the current system, some big bus companies operate like monopolies in certain towns. There is no real competition.
Franchising changes that. The local government designs the network, but private companies still drive the buses. The difference is that these private companies must now fiercely bid against each other to win the contract. If a company wants to get paid, they have to prove they can run the buses efficiently, cleanly, and on time.
This harnesses the power of the private sector to drive down costs and improve quality. It is worth remembering that it was actually Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government that introduced this exact competitive tendering system for London’s buses in the 1980s. It worked then, and it worked well.
2. Ending Corporate Welfare and Bailouts
Conservatives believe in fiscal responsibility—being careful with taxpayers’ money. As we saw earlier, the old deregulated system essentially forced taxpayers to subsidise private companies’ worst routes while those companies pocketed the profits from the best ones.
Franchising ends this “taxpayer bailout” culture. It caps operator profit margins. It ensures that public money is used to provide a public service, not to guarantee dividends for corporate shareholders at the taxpayer’s expense.
3. A Pillar of Economic Regeneration
Conservatives understand that a strong economy needs strong infrastructure. You cannot grow a local economy, support high streets, or build new housing estates if people cannot get to work, school, or the shops.
Public transport should not be viewed simply as a cost; it is an investment in economic regeneration. When local leaders control the bus network, they can make sure buses actually go to new business parks, hospitals, and high streets. By combining private sector operational expertise with a publicly planned map, you create a transport system that actively drives business growth and local wealth.
Part 4: Envisioning the Future – A North Kent Unitary
So, let’s take these lessons from Manchester and apply them to the future.
Right now, local government in Kent is split up. Kent County Council handles major things like roads, while smaller district councils handle things like bin collections. But in the future, this area will likely be reorganized into larger “unitary” councils. This means one single, powerful council will handle absolutely everything for its area.
Imagine a newly created North Kent Unitary Authority. This would bring together areas like Dartford, Gravesham, Medway, and Swale into one powerhouse council.
The Problem in Kent Today
North Kent has huge potential. It sits right on the Thames Estuary, close to London, with major developments like Ebbsfleet Garden City. But its transport is holding it back.
The roads are heavily congested. The bus network is patchy, run by a mix of operators with confusing, separate tickets. If you want to get a bus from a village in Swale to a job in Medway, or from Gravesend to the shops at Bluewater, it can be expensive, slow, and unreliable. This lack of connection stifles economic growth.
The Solution: A North Kent Bus Network - "Kent Invicta Network"
If a new North Kent Unitary Authority were created, its very first priority should be to use its new size and power to franchise the local buses and integrate them seamlessly with the South Eastern railway. Let’s call it the “Kent Invicta Network.”
What would this look like?
The “Hub-and-Spoke” Efficiency Model: Right now, buses and trains often compete with each other. You might have a bus slowly driving the exact same route as a train line, which is a massive waste of resources. Under our new network, we introduce a “hub-and-spoke” model, much like a bicycle wheel. The South Eastern train line (running West to East through Kent to London) becomes the fast, heavy-lifting “hub.” The local buses become the “spokes.” Instead of driving all the way across the county, buses focus purely on picking people up from their neighbourhoods and dropping them smoothly at the nearest train station.
The Frictionless Commute (One Ticket): Currently, a commuter might pay a private bus company to get to the station, and then buy an expensive train ticket for South Eastern. It is slow, disjointed, and costs a fortune. We would introduce a fully integrated “tap-and-go” system. You tap your bank card on the bus in your village, tap it again at the train station gates, and tap out in London. The system automatically calculates the cheapest combined daily fare.
Freeing Up Prime Real Estate: Train station car parks in places like Dartford, Gravesend, or Sevenoaks are usually overflowing. But if the “Kent Invicta Network” provides ultra-reliable, timed buses that meet the trains exactly when they arrive, people will stop driving their cars to the station. We can stop forcing local councils to build massive, ugly concrete car parks. Instead, that highly valuable land next to stations can be sold to private developers to build housing or commercial spaces, driving local economic growth and generating massive tax revenue.
Unlocking Housing and Jobs: Because the council controls the routes, they can guarantee that new housing developments have a reliable bus service from day one. This makes new houses more attractive and reduces the number of cars clogging up the A2.
Smarter Developer Contributions (Section 106): When property developers build large new housing estates, they are legally required to pay a fee—often known as Section 106 contributions—to help fund local public transport. Currently, this money is often wasted on isolated, temporary bus routes that only serve that specific new estate and fail once the developer’s money runs out. Under the Kent Invicta Network, all these developer fees would be pooled together. The council could invest those funds to strengthen the entire, permanent local network, benefiting everyone.
A Ladder of Opportunity (Education, Jobs, and Community): A strong Conservative philosophy believes in removing barriers so people can build better lives for themselves. Right now, a staggering number of people are trapped in what experts call “transport poverty.”
Jobs: Two in five jobseekers say a lack of transport stops them from getting a job. If a long-term unemployed person wants to work a 6 AM shift at a new business park, but no bus runs that early, they remain trapped on welfare. A franchised network ensures buses run when and where workers need them, actively moving people from welfare to work.
Education: A 16-year-old should not be blocked from attending a great college or starting an apprenticeship simply because the bus from their village is too expensive. A unified network guarantees equality of opportunity for our young people.
Social Isolation: For the elderly, the disabled, or those who cannot afford a car, a reliable bus is a lifeline. By connecting rural villages to major town hubs, we end social isolation, improve mental health, and restore strong, cohesive local communities.
Part 5: Funding the Future in Kent – A Localist Approach
Of course, building this network would require central government money to get started, just like in Manchester. But here is where a true Conservative and localist vision steps in: we must spot the difference between setup costs (capital) and day-to-day running costs (operational subsidy).
Asking Whitehall for a one-off investment to buy depots, upgrade ticketing software, and build the physical network is entirely justified. It is a one-time national investment in local economic capacity.
However, a true localist does not want to rely on a permanent daily allowance from central government just to pay for fuel and drivers. If Whitehall pays the daily bills, Whitehall will inevitably attach strings, telling local people how to run their own towns. This undermines true local control.
Instead, a strong North Kent Unitary Authority should make a powerful deal with the government: “Give us the upfront capital funding to set this up. In return, we will build a smart, cross-subsidised network that eventually pays for itself through fare revenues and a growing local economy, freeing us from Whitehall dependency forever.”
Furthermore, if the “Kent Invicta Network” successfully connects people to jobs, local businesses will thrive. A true localist approach would argue that North Kent should be allowed to keep more of the taxes it generates—like business rates—to fund the network locally. This creates a virtuous cycle of self-reliance, rather than relying on endless state handouts.
The Final Stop
The Manchester Bee Network has proven that leaving vital public transport entirely to an uncoordinated free market does not work. But it has also proven that you do not need a socialist takeover to fix it.
Franchising is a pragmatic, business-friendly, and highly effective way to run local transport. It stops the waste of taxpayer bailouts, creates real competition, and treats buses as the vital economic engines they are.
As we look toward the future of local government, places like North Kent should be paying very close attention. By adopting this blueprint, we can protect taxpayers’ money, spark regional economic growth, and ensure our local communities are proudly self-reliant rather than endlessly dependent on Whitehall.
