Jersey’s ‘franchise-light’ model offers lessons for smaller cities and rural authorities considering reform. With just one government FTE managing the contract, Jersey has delivered strong outcomes through a genuine authority–operator partnership, clear incentives and a focus on patronage growth. Passenger journeys rose from 3.2m to 5m between 2013 and 2019, with full post-Covid recovery by 2023 and continued growth since, demonstrating how franchising can succeed without the scale or resources of larger metropolitan areas.
