{
"type": "rich",
"version": "1.0",
"provider_name": "Action Network",
"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
"html": "",
"author_name": "ACORN - Bristol",
"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/acorn-bristol-2",
"title": "Take Back Our Buses!",
"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/147/215/normal/buses.png",
"description": "Private companies control Bristol’s bus network. They dictate prices, routes and timetables. The result has been catastrophic - passenger numbers have plummeted, prices have risen and services have shrunk. Tim Bowles, the Mayor of the West of England, has the power to take our buses back under public control, enabling us to cap prices, set timetables and extend coverage where it’s needed, rather than where it is profitable for greedy bus companies. Tim Bowles is yet to commit. First Bus West of England could be taken over by a worker buyout, with backing from Bristol City Council, that would bring the buses into worker and public control. Sign this petition to take back control of our buses! Why this is important The privatisation of buses has been a total failure. Outside London, passenger numbers have fallen by half and average prices have risen 35% above inflation since the 1980s. It’s a shambles for passengers but bus companies' shareholders have made £billions from fares and subsidies. It doesn’t have to be this way. What ACORN is demanding Tim Bowles has the power to take buses back into public control through franchising or the kind of worker buyout that would deliver partial public ownership and control - but so far he's failed to act. We know public control is more effective. It's how transport is run in London where the market is regulated by Transport for London (TfL) - buses are more regular, prices are capped, and essential routes are protected. Franchising or a worker- & council-owned bus service would give us: control over the bus network, which would mean companies would be forced to put on certain, less profitable routes and more regular services. control over fares, so we are the ones that set the prices. control over ticketing, which could mean one single, affordable ticket for the whole of the West of England, like it is in London. Bristol - and the whole region - deserve better buses. We demand that Tim Bowles start an investigation into bringing the buses back into public control and that Bristol City Council support franchising or a worker buyout. Send a clear message to Tim Bowles, Marvin Rees & leaders across the region - we want our buses back!",
"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/take-back-our-buses"
}