Greater Manchester transport chiefs will put their case forward for improving the region's bus services to the influential House of Commons Transport Select Committee 'Inquiry into Bus Services Across the UK' today.

Chair of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, Councillor Roger Jones, believes that bus passengers in Greater Manchester get a raw deal compared to their London counterparts.

According to evidence submitted by GMPTA, bus services will not improve unless local transport authorities get the powers to decide where buses run and how frequently, as well as setting high standards for punctuality and reliability.

Councillor Jones said: "The facts speak for themselves.

In London, where the public sector has more control, bus usage has increased by 32% over recent years. In all the other major metropolitan areas - where local transport authorities' powers are limited - we have seen bus use fall by 7%. The current system of bus provision in our city regions is clearly not delivering the quality of service that we need to attract more people on to the public transport network.

"An attractive and efficient bus network is crucial to the future success of city regions. It is fundamentally important that the local bus network responds to the economic ambition of local authorities in Greater Manchester.

"We pump millions of pounds of public money into the bus industry every year, yet we have little or no control over the majority of bus services on our roads. In return for our investment, operators should provide the services that taxpayers deserve."

The cross-party Passenger Transport Authority is proposing a new approach, allowing it to enter a binding partnership with bus operators that is structured to reward good practice and penalise poor performance.

GMPTE's Deputy Director General, Geoff Inskip, will appear at the inquiry. He said: "Our experience in Greater Manchester has shown that voluntary partnership with bus operators has not delivered nearly enough real improvements for passengers.

"Some areas have good bus services, whilst others are very poorly provided for. We need controls that would allow us to plan the whole network, including those bus services that may run at a loss but act as a lifeline for local communities.

"Only through this new approach will all Greater Manchester residents benefit from regular and reliable bus services."

GMPTA is keen to make bus travel more affordable, with simplified fare structures and cheaper 'all-operator' transfer tickets so that people can more easily change between different bus operators' services or onto different modes of public transport.

GMPTA is committed to the principle of local transport authorities having greater control over the bus network on a cross-party basis.