Yet another skirmish in the Home Counties

Tuesday 1st September 2026 Yes; it’s another one. There’s an increasing contrast when it comes to bus provision in certain areas of Britain. The next round of franchised bus routes is about to be rolled out from next weekend in Liverpool City Region with more to follow in the former Metropolitan conurbations in the coming months and years, while down in the Home Counties we seem to be witnessing one minor competitive skirmish after another and not even over prime bus operating territory. Perhaps those operators involved are trying to rekindle the spirit of deregulation as its 40th anniversary fast approaches. My advice – forget it. This time it’s Harlow under the competitive spotlight. The town’s bus network has suffered considerable turmoil over the years with a myriad of operators coming and going (including some of dubious quality), but in recent years stability and a better quality of service returned not least following the sale of Central Connect to Vectare (later remained…