Who Is Responsible for Bus Safety in the East Midlands?

Devolution, Governance Gaps, and the Missing Safety Framework

By Lee Odams
Branch Secretary – RMT Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Bus Branch

🔎 Summary

New evidence obtained through Freedom of Information requests confirms that no formal bus safety governance framework currently exists within the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) — despite the authority now holding operational control of bus services.

This raises urgent questions about accountability, oversight, and driver safety across the region.

A System That Doesn’t Yet Exist

Over the past few months, I have been submitting a series of FOI requests to EMCCA.

The aim was simple:
To understand who is responsible for bus safety now that powers have been devolved.

What I have uncovered raises serious and urgent questions.

In response to multiple FOI requests, EMCCA has consistently confirmed that key information is “not held”.

In their latest correspondence, they go further:

“This information is simply not held at the moment… nothing has been formalised or agreed yet.”

Let’s be clear what that means.

This is not a case of missing documents.
This is confirmation that the system itself has not yet been created.

Control Has Been Devolved — But What About Safety?

As of January 2026, EMCCA has taken on responsibility for:

• Bus service delivery
• Contracts with operators
• Funding and subsidies
• Bus infrastructure
• Passenger information

In short, they are now the Local Transport Authority.

Yet despite this:

• There is no defined safety governance framework
• No clear structure for oversight or accountability
• No publicly defined approach to driver fatigue
• No independent system for incident investigation

Why This Is Happening

The documents I have obtained show that EMCCA has made a deliberate policy choice.

They are pursuing an Enhanced Partnership (EP) model — not franchising.

Under this model:

• Bus operators retain control of routes, timetables and operations
• Risk largely remains with private companies
• The authority works in partnership rather than direct control

This explains a lot.

Because if control remains with operators, then the question becomes:

👉 Who is responsible for safety at a system level?

The Missing Piece: Safety Governance

In rail, there is the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
In aviation, there is the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

Both provide:

• Independent investigation
• System-wide learning
• Transparent reporting

In buses?

There is no equivalent.

And now, in the East Midlands, we have confirmation that:

👉 There is not even a regional framework in place yet

Why This Matters to Drivers

This isn’t abstract policy.

This is about:

• Fatigue after long shifts
• Pressure to maintain time
• Road conditions and infrastructure
• Real incidents happening every day

Drivers carry the responsibility in practice.

But the system around them?

👉 Still being “developed”.

A Structural Gap — Not an Oversight

What’s becoming clear is this:

This is not an accident.
It is the result of how the system has been designed.

We now have:

• Devolved control of bus services
• A new regional transport authority
• Significant public funding

But no fully defined safety governance structure to match it

The Question That Needs Answering

So we come back to the core issue:

Who is responsible for bus safety in the East Midlands?

Right now, based on official responses:

👉 There is no clear answer.

What Needs to Happen Next

This is not about criticism for the sake of it.

It’s about getting this right.

At a minimum, we need:

• A clearly defined regional safety governance framework
• Transparent reporting and accountability structures
• Proper consideration of driver fatigue and welfare
• A move towards an independent accident investigation function for buses

Final Thought

Bus services are now being reshaped across the country through devolution.

But if we devolve control without building proper safety systems alongside it, we risk creating a gap at the very heart of the network.

And that gap affects:

• Drivers
• Passengers
• The public

This issue is not going away.

And I will continue to pursue it.

📢 Call to Action

If you are a driver, transport professional, policymaker or passenger with views on this issue, I welcome your input.

This conversation needs to happen — openly and urgently.

👤 About the Author

Lee Odams is a frontline bus driver with nearly two decades of experience and the Branch Secretary of the RMT Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Bus Branch.

He is actively involved in national and regional transport policy discussions, FOI-led investigations, and campaigns focused on bus safety, driver welfare, and accountability.

Lee is also organising the National Industrial Organising Conference of Bus Workers (April 2026, Chesterfield), bringing together industry leaders, regulators, and workers to address the future of the bus sector.

Bus Safety, EMCCA, East Midlands Transport, Bus Governance, Public Transport Policy, Bus Drivers UK, Transport Devolution, Bus Regulation, Enhanced Partnership, Bus Franchising, Driver Fatigue, Transport Accountability

#BusSafety #PublicTransport #Devolution #EMCCA #BusDrivers #TransportPolicy #DriverFatigue #BusReform #RMT #Accountability #UKTransport #VisionZero #BusIndustry #TransportGovernance

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