That Greater Manchester's transport system is a mess is an understatement. The authorities want us to get out of our cars and use public transport but, firstly it's too expensive, secondly the buses don't go where we want to go and, thirdly, there's never a bus in sight when you need one...
Now a new documentary, produced by the Association of British Commuters, a grassroots campaign for better transport, and hosted by the Better Buses For Greater Manchester campaign, premieres this Thursday, April 18th, at UNISON HQ in Manchester, and aims to galvanise the problems and the solution...which has to be public control of buses.
"The fight to bring Greater Manchester's buses into public control has had incredible support from both passengers and staff" states the Better Buses For Greater Manchester campaign "Our petition to Andy Burnham recently hit 10,000 signatures, and a recent poll we commissioned showed 76% of Greater Manchester support the re-regulation of our buses.
"But we need your help to win better buses for our communities" it adds "It's the biggest opportunity we've had to transform our bus network in thirty years - and if we win the fight in Greater Manchester it will create a precedent for the entire country."
The documentary argues that Greater Manchester's bus network has shrunk by about 10% in the last five years and that "it's time to say goodbye to the 'free market wild west'". It quotes campaigners and commuters...
"37% of job seekers in Greater Manchester say that transport is a barrier to accessing work ;we're literally holding people back with our transport system at the moment...
"There's vast areas of Greater Manchester that are becoming like rural areas in terms of their transport provision, they're becoming cut off from the rest of Greater Manchester...
"....Along with all the other austerity cuts we're seeing transport leaving people isolated and leaving people behind..."
The premiere has a discussion afterwards, chaired by Pascale Robinson from Better Buses For Greater Manchester, with a panel including Emily Yates, co-founder Association of British Commuters, Luke Raikes, Senior Researcher at IPPR North, Mike Hughes, passenger and experienced accessibility campaigner, and John Boughton, Unite regional officer.
The Fight For Our Buses!
Thursday April 18th 7pm-8:45pm
UNISON HQ
1 Hunts Bank Manchester M3 1UN
The event is free and tickets can be booked in advance – click here for details
For more details on the premiere and campaign see the Better Buses For Greater Manchester Facebook page – click here
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