CMA says competition must prevail

摘要

The Competition & Markets Authority has warned local authorities against entering planned network partnership agreements and multi-operator ticketing arrangements that could stifle competition or commercial innovation. In an open letter to local authorities across the UK, timed to appear shortly before the Buses Bill is published for England, CMA project director Douglas Cooper says that in striking the right balance between competition and cooperation, network planning should retain the scope for continuing commercial rivalry between operators. This should give operators the right to run tendered services and compete with each other where commercial routes overlap.