Greater Manchester is set to become the first city region to take back control of bus services.
Mayor Andy Burnham wants to create a London-style integrated transport system that puts passengers before bus company profits.
Fares and routes would be regulated and bus firms would have to bid for franchises, making public transport less “fragmented and unreliable”.
Labour and transport campaigners said Mr Burnham’s scheme could be a “blueprint” for other city regions, such as Bristol, Liverpool, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.
Mr Burnham said: “People’s patience has run out here and they want affordable buses linked to the train system, serving communities.”
He will ask the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to approve the plan on Friday, then go to public consultation, with a final decision next year.
Greater Manchester would be the first city region outside London to use the Bus Services Act 2017 to take control of regulating its buses.
Since services were privatised in 1986, the number of annual journeys has fallen 45%, with firms cherry picking the most profitable routes.
Pascale Robinson, of Better Buses for Greater Manchester, said: “Public control of our buses would mean affordable fares, a simple smart card with a cap on spend.”
Stagecoach accused Mr Burnham of keeping taxpayers “in the dark” about the cost of regulating buses. Graham Vidler, of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents operators, said council taxpayers would bear the “financial risks of running services”.
Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald said Labour would invest £1.3billion annually in buses to “reverse cuts” made since 2010.
