New powers are to be given to local authorities, including Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council,  to set up their own bus routes and even bus companies.

The Transport Secretary in the recently elected Labour Government, Louise Haigh, has announced that the government will bring in new powers for all councils to introduce a franchising system to decide routes, timetables and fares, with operators bidding to run services for a fixed fee.

Previously this has only been available to authorities with a devolved metropolitan Mayor such as the West Midlands, or Manchester

Under legislation introduced to Parliament this week, councils may also be allowed to own their own bus companies, as was common before this was banned under the premiership of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.

Leader of Swindon Borough Council  Jim Robbins said: “We are pleased to see this commitment from the new government and will take some time to fully explore these new powers and what they could mean for us.

“We are committed to working with the existing bus providers in the town, Stagecoach and the Swindon Bus Company, and will discuss the developments with them. 

“Our long-term plan is to run efficient, effective and value-for-money bus services for residents that help them get around the town and we will look at all options to allow us to do this.”

Go South Coast, the parent company of Swindon’s Bus Company, and Stagecoach West, which both operate buses in, and to, Swindon are members of the Confederation of Passenger Transport

The trade organisation said: “We are pleased to see the government recognises the vital role that buses must play in delivering its missions to grow the economy, break down barriers to opportunity and bring down carbon emissions.

"Bus passengers spend a total of almost £40bn every year in local economies, bus commuters earn £72bn a year and pay taxes of £15bn, and buses enable access to jobs, education and training worth £8.7bn, health benefits worth £2.8bn, among other benefits.

“Every £1 invested in improving infrastructure for buses and improving services can generate returns of £4.55 for the economy.

Operators share the government’s enthusiasm for growing passenger numbers and making bus services even better. A concentrated effort to get buses out of traffic and increase bus speeds is the easiest way to do this, making sure that passengers can benefit from reduced congestion, faster journey times, low fares and reliable buses – factors we know are vital for passengers and the popularity of bus travel.”