Skip to main content
Greater Manchester buses to be brought under public control
Buses at Piccadilly Gardens station in Manchester [Wakefield & Beyond Transport / Creative Commons]

A REFORM to bus services across northern England can go ahead after a legal challenge against it was rejected, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham revealed today.

The Court of Appeal backed Mr Burnham’s plans from March 2021 to bring bus services in the region under public control.

Bus companies Stagecoach Manchester and Rotala had challenged the Labour mayor’s decision, bringing a legal case against Mr Burnham and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaking to members of the media in front of a FirstGroup bus during a visit to a bus station in Bath, Somerset to highlight what the government is doing to help families with the cost of living, July 22, 2026
Politics / 22 July 2026
22 July 2026

Mr Burnham's £2 cap on bus fares welcomed by trade unions

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is shown the driver's area on a FirstGroup bus during a visit to a bus station in Bath, Somerset to highlight what the government is doing to help families with the cost of living. Picture date: Wednesday July 22, 2026
Editorial / 22 July 2026
22 July 2026

Waiting for the grander vision to emerge

A view of the skyline in Manchester City Centre
Politics / 13 July 2026
13 July 2026

Can Andy Burnham’s programme deliver a productive economy – or merely a softer version of capitalism, asks VINCE MILLS

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham speaking at the launch of Class Ceiling at The Whitworth in Manchester, January 26, 2026
Britain / 29 January 2026
29 January 2026