Mayor Dr Nik Johnson has praised Andy Burnham’s “insight” into how bus franchising could work as part of his travel plans for Cambridgeshire.
Mr Burnham, mayor for Greater Manchester, visited Dr Johnson as the below video shows, to discuss how active travel and bus franchising are playing a role in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor’s transport plans.
Both mayors discussed the use of active travel as part of the visit to Cambridge, such as the use of e-bikes, which aim to be provided across the county.
Dr Johnson said: “It was wonderful to welcome Andy Burnham back to the city of his university days, for what was a successful visit.
Mayor-invites-Andy-Burnham-to-Cambridge
“Andy has been a great advocate for making public transport a more affordable and attractive option to people.”
Since October last year, the Combined Authority has taken part in the trials of Voi e-scooters, which as of last month have seen 28,000 users cover 360,000km in Cambridgeshire.
Both mayors also spoke about how the integration of cyclists and pedestrians in road plans can encourage greater uptake in using active travel.
Dr Johnson said: “I was keen to speak with him about the direction of plans to connect our market towns to the city using high quality infrastructure which remains affordable for the people using it.
“It was great to gain insight on introducing bus franchising and how important that can be as part of an integrated travel system.”
Dr Johnson said that he looks forward to “working with both transport providers and communities” to ensure his plans work for both Cambridgeshire’s market towns and cities.
Mr Burnham, who was re-elected as mayor in May, said: “It was fantastic to experience the guided busway and to see so many people, running, cycling and walking alongside.
“The Cambridge Busway is a great working example of how integrated transport can promote active travel in the region.
“By improving the affordability of public transport, by moving buses under public control, we can work to get more people out of cars, and on to buses in Cambridge and around the UK.”
If the Combined Authority does introduce bus franchising, which was first worked on in 2019, this would give them full control over how bus services are delivered in the county.
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