With just over 10 weeks until the general election, Labour has worked up a welcome bit of red mist over the rail industry. Shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher’s forthright comments about the “stitch-up” of the railways by private firms, and a promise to “rip up” franchising in its current form, should resonate with passengers who pay ever more while, in many areas, getting a poorer service.
Labour could go further: YouGov polls have shown that even a majority of Conservative voters – and an overwhelming majority of Ukip supporters – are in favour of renationalising the rail companies.
Less reported, but potentially more significant, were Dugher’s comments on Britain’s bus networks, which he called a “broken market”. The bus industry rarely hits the headlines but it accounts for two-thirds of public transport journeys in Britain, with more than 5bn trips made a year.
Parties such as Ukip claim to speak for a forgotten majority, and bus users feel they very much fit that bill. Privately owned bus firms have cut routes as public subsidies have fallen, but they make large enough profits that cash-strapped local authorities are tempted down the legally fraught route towards bringing bus operations back under public control.
Dugher has pitted himself against Stagecoach, the transport equivalent of Centrica in Labour’s list of corporate enemies, and thinks this could be an election winner. City analysts take it seriously enough to advise selling Stagecoach shares fast.
There are signs that bus operators and councils are coming together to do more for bus users, on fares, smartcards and services. This was prompted partly by authorities such as Tyne and Wear voting to take over bus services in their areas. However, polls showing that the public wants more state control of transport matter little when the bigger picture shifts. If Labour does not win power in May, it will be interesting to see how long the new spirit of co-operation between bus operators and authorities persists.