Should London's Buses be Deregulated?

London is the only place in Britain that has a regulated bus industry. Although there is effective competition in central London due to so many common sections of route would it not be better to have a truely free market in bus travel in London?

Your views please.

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If public transportation (namely, buses) were unregulated, there would be chaos on the roads. It sounds like a good idea in theory, but practically it would come out as a terror. Travel for London (TfL) has thus far been able to construct a level of service that's usable, while using different 'contractors' for it as well. Mind you, London's bus routes weren't always regulated - but there came a time that it was necessary.

Removing regulation would mean that more residents would be unsatisfied with buses travelling down their road more than ever. It's bad enough that Kentish Town has to endure the castration of the Leighton Road Neighbourhood Association over the 393 bus route (and I'm certain there's plenty enough more of these types of organizations complaining of bus routes) - but it's a prime example as to why bus routes and buses as a whole are regulated by Travel for London.

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