Merseytravel issued formal statutory notices on behalf of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority in late September to assess the market for both an enhanced partnership plan and for full scale franchising. A third option of retaining the bus alliance is also to be assessed, but it has rejected an advanced quality partnership scheme (AQPS). AQPSs already exist in Birmingham, Nottingham and Solihull, enabling a transport authority to set requirements for vehicles, fares and service levels, while still allowing a deregulated operator scope 'to secure an appropriate rate of return'.
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