BUS reform is still on the table across Greater Manchester despite the pandemic.

Leaders say the moves, which would allow them to take over route planning, fare setting and connecting buses to the wider public transport network, are now needed ‘more than ever’.

If approved, the region would become the first in the UK to bring back regulation since Margaret Thatcher privatised all bus networks outside of London in 1986.

But council tax will still have to rise considerably in order to pay for the bus franchising proposals, which will cost at least £134.5m.

A further public consultation on the plans, which will take into account the ‘severe’ impacts of Covid-19, is planned between December 2 and January 29, 2021.

Bus operators have consistently opposed the plans and urged the combined authority to work with them to build bus usage back up to pre-pandemic levels.

But Sir Richard Leese, deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, has insisted bus franchising remains the best option for bouncing back from the impact of coronavirus.

He said: “Throughout this pandemic, buses have proven themselves to be a critical lifeline for people who have needed to get to work, to help other people or to access essential services.

“But before Covid-19, bus usage was already falling in Greater Manchester, and the pandemic has caused passenger levels to drop even further.

“If bus usage remains low and nothing is done to reform the market, services may be further reduced, which may mean the public sector will have to provide more funding to keep essential services running, especially for Greater Manchester’s poorest and most vulnerable who depend on them.

"But we currently have no control and limited oversight over any changes to services.

Martin Griffiths, chief executive of one GM operator Stagecoach, wants a 'recovery partnership’ with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to be created, offering ring-fenced funding focused on passenger improvements, to be jointly agreed by all parties.

He said: “These would provide the framework, funding and flexibility to ensure bus networks coming out of the pandemic meet the changing needs of local communities, get people back to work, and maximise the power of buses to drive a green recovery.

Transport chiefs had admitted the current £3 per year cost of bus reform for council taxpayers would rise to £18.20 by 2025-26.