DfT Guidance - Setting up a Bus Franchising Scheme

The original bus franchising guidance was first published back in 2017 in support of the Bus Services Act. The revised and updated version has now been published and simplifies the processes to reflect Greater Manchester’s experience of working with the legislation in practice. It has also been updated in light of the National Bus Strategy (published in 2021) and any further policy changes which have taken place since. It focuses on how a bus service improvement plan can be delivered through a franchising scheme whilst streamlining the assessment processes, saving time and costs for LTAs by providing additional advice on the practical processes that Greater Manchester used to meet the legislative requirements and by clarifying the flexibilities that the legislation allows.

The DfT Guidance can be found here: