As mayor of Greater Manchester, one of Andy Burnham’s most eye-catching policies was his agenda for public transport. This centred on the creation of a more integrated and inclusive “London-style” system, and the aim was that everybody should be able to access reliable, safe and affordable public transport across the region.

The idea behind his flagship “Bee Network” is the joining up of buses, trams, rail, cycling and walking under one brand, with simple fares and better coordination.

Burnham and his team at local government body Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) fought to turn back Margaret Thatcher’s bus deregulation policies, which opened the market up to private providers. They then brought buses back under local control through franchising.

In practice, this means that rather than letting commercial operators take........

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