Hertfordshire has formally begun assessing bus franchising for East Herts. It could cost £2.5m to £6.9m a year, and a decision is due in late 2027.
Hertfordshire County Council has formally started work that could see it, rather than the bus companies, decide routes, timetables and fares across East Herts from 2028. It published a legal notice on 19 October saying it will prepare an assessment of a bus franchising scheme. The scheme would cover East Hertfordshire, North Hertfordshire and Stevenage (Hertfordshire County Council notice, 19 October 2026).
No decision to franchise has been made. The assessment is the legal first step, and it includes an independent audit and a public consultation. The county says it has £1 million from the Department for Transport to pay for it.
A short survey on what people want from their buses is open now (Hertfordshire County Council, bus franchising).
What would change
Today, bus companies decide most routes, fares and service levels on commercial grounds. The county helps pay for around 40% of Hertfordshire’s bus services, including ones that would not otherwise pay their way.
Under franchising, the county would plan and manage:
- bus routes and timetables
- how often buses run
- fares and ticketing
- vehicle standards and accessibility
- passenger information and branding
- service performance
Bus companies would bid for contracts to run the services to the county’s standards. The county stresses this “is not public ownership”. The buses and depots would stay with the operators.
It has not decided anything about fare levels. It says franchising could make tickets simpler and work across different operators.
What it could cost
The case for going ahead was set out in a report to the county’s Cabinet on 17 June. Hertfordshire was one of five councils picked by the Department for Transport for a franchising pilot, which ran from October 2025 to the end of March 2026. It found East Herts, North Herts and Stevenage were the best area to look at in depth (Cabinet report, 17 June 2026).
The report’s early figures:
- extra cost to the county of £2.5 million to £6.9 million a year
- 4% to 8% more passengers, from simpler fares, more reliable buses, better information and joined-up services
- the risk of fares income falling short would move from the bus companies to the county
It said patronage, punctuality and passenger satisfaction across the network “are not presenting positive trends”. It also named the risks of going ahead: operator challenge, financial exposure, legal complexity, workforce transition and funding uncertainty.
Three options will be tested in the full assessment:
- Do minimum: carry on with the current partnership with the bus companies.
- Do something: franchise the network without adding many services.
- Do maximum: franchise and spend more on extra and more frequent services, including evenings and Sundays.
The HertsLynx on-demand bus, which runs in North and East Herts, would be looked at too. The report says it could be reshaped to support a franchised core network.
Cabinet agreed on 17 June to go ahead, subject to the Department for Transport paying for it (Cabinet minutes, 17 June 2026).
When it could happen
The county’s own timetable is:
- September 2026 to May 2027: talking to the public and bus companies, and designing the options
- summer 2027: formal public consultation
- autumn or winter 2027: the county decides
- 2028: franchised buses could start, if approved
The Cabinet report estimated the assessment itself would take about 12 months.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes on your bus yet. Routes, fares and timetables stay with the operators until at least 2028, and only if the county decides to go ahead.
- You can have your say now. The county’s short survey asks what matters most to you on the bus. Paper and Easy Read copies, with a freepost envelope, are available from busfranchising@hertfordshire.gov.uk.
- The bigger say comes in summer 2027, when the county consults on a worked up scheme with its costs.
- The cost question matters. The county already supports about 40% of Hertfordshire’s bus services. Franchising would add an estimated £2.5 million to £6.9 million a year on top.
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