Re-regulating * UK - Govt unveils proposals for bus industry

Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government in 1986 controversially deregulated bus services outside London: Critics say the resulting free-for-all in the regions has left rural communities with virtually no public transport and has caused chaos in major cities, as competing operators pack routes with buses in a bid to fight off rivals

London,UK -Forbes (USA)/AFX -12 Dec 2006: -- The UK government on Tuesday unveiled plans to give local councils more control over local bus services... The Department for Transport said it intends to strengthen the powers of authorities and urban passenger transport executives to set minimum service frequencies, timings and maximum fares across services run by various different operators... The DfT also plans to make it easier for authorities to replace unsatisfactory deregulated services with services run under contract, to introduce a new performance regime for operators and to consider changes to bus funding...