AGENDA ITEM

EXECUTIVE

DATE: 20TH MAY, 2002

SUBJECT: TENDERED LOCAL BUS SERVICES: WITHDRAWALS

REPORT BY: HEAD OF ENGINEERING AND TRANSPORTATION

CONTACT OFFICER: SIMON AYRES 547165

IMPLICATIONS:

LEGAL  STAFFING 

EQUALITIES  COMMUNITY SAFETY 

FINANCIAL  OTHER 

CONSULTATIONS: COUNCILLORS CONSULTED  SCRUTINY COMMITTEE CONSULTED  STAKEHOLDERS  OTHER  CONSULTED

WARDS AFFECTED: ALL LEAD EXECUTIVE MEMBER(S): COUNCILLOR TAYLOR

RECOMMENDATION(S)

1. Executive is recommended to instruct the Head of Engineering & Transportation to give three months notice to County Council for withdrawal of the Borough Council’s financial support from the following contracts:- LB1/371, LB1/807, LB1/808 and LB1/809.

REPORT 2. On the 7th May, Executive considered a report about the projected full-year committed expenditure on tendered local bus service contracts. The report identified a projected over- spend and the need to find savings in the full-year commitment, based on estimates of how prices for contracts that come up for renewal during 2002/03 might increase. Executive resolved:-

Page 1 of 5 (i) That outside conurbation cross-boundary services and those which are the most expensive per passenger be afforded the lowest priority and subjected to detailed examination, with a view to identifying possible budget savings.

(ii) That an upper limit of £1.94 be identified as the appropriate figure to trigger the detailed analysis leading to possible withdrawal or investigation of an alternative type of service.

(iii) That following the action detailed in (i) and (ii) above, the Head of Engineering and Transportation be instructed to submit proposals to a future meeting of the Executive. Reason: To provide tendered local bus services within the budget available.

3. The Report to the previous Executive meeting gave a range of possible savings, between £29,200 and £44,200, the outturn figures being dependent on the actual contract price increases (ranging from +25% to +100%) during the forthcoming year - which cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. The discussion during the Executive meeting identified specific services that were obvious candidates for detailed review, as follows:-

Approximate Estimated Contract Service Days and Times of Operation cost/passenger Saving LB1/371 75 - 79 Mondays - Saturdays, day-time £0.88 £19,000 LB1/807 20 Mondays - Saturdays, day-time £0.47 £8,500 LB1/808 223/231 Thursdays - Saturdays, evenings £4.69 £4.500 LB1/809 223/231 Sundays, day-time £0.88 £3,500

4. The “Estimated Saving” figures in the above tabulation are based on a decision being made at this meeting of the Executive and the required three month notice being given to Bedfordshire County Council before the end of May, so that the financial support would cease with effect from the end of August. The result saving in the current financial year is, therefore, two-thirds of the full-year cost. There will be a greater saving in 2003/04 and future years.

5. If financial support were withdrawn from just contracts numbers LB1/371, LB1/808 and LB1/809, this may barely meet the budgetary demands - but only if contract price increases during 2002/03 are less than 25%. Experience in recent years shows this to be an optimistic expectation, therefore it is probably sensible to withdraw financial support from all the above contracts, although this still only generates savings needed for the 75% contract price increase scenario.

6. Members should note that the bulk of tendering for renewed local bus contracts will not take place until January 2003. While this has the advantage of limiting the impact of significant price rises upon the budget for 2002/3, it does mean that there will not be sufficient time left to make further adjustments to the council’s overall commitment level, should such an adjustment become necessary. To have a reasonable opportunity of ending this financial year with a balanced budget, it is important that savings be made as soon as possible.

Passenger Numbers

7. Recent survey data, where available, for these services is set out in Appendix A. These tables are based largely on data collected in 2000 and 2001. There is no reason to expect that these passenger loadings are significantly different from current use. There is relatively

Page 2 of 5 less survey data available for off-peak services 75 and 76. This is because, at the time of the surveys, these services were mostly commercially operated and not, therefore, subject to regular monitoring. From September 2001, Arriva withdrew its remaining commercial journeys on these services and they were incorporated into the Bedfordshire County Council contract for services 78, 79 and peak hour 75.

8. Bedfordshire County Council has been requested to supply survey data to supplement that which is already available. However, it is not known whether or not more comprehensive data will be available by the time of the meeting.

9. If the above recommendation is carried out, Members will wish to consider

(a) the impact on Luton residents; and (b) what alternative services are available.

10. The figures set out in Appendix A show the minimal numbers of journeys made wholly within Luton on all the relevant services. Of the journeys into or from Luton on the weekday services, the numbers into Luton on morning journeys and from Luton on late afternoon journeys suggest that the greatest use is by commuters from Bedfordshire villages. It is difficult to detect, from these figures, any significant flows of Luton residents, particularly for ordinary work journeys. Indeed, the pattern of timings from Luton (see below) suggest that the services are designed primarily for Bedfordshire to gain access to Luton for employment, shopping or leisure purposes or for access to coach and rail services.

Services 75, 76 and 78/79 11. These services (contract number LB1/371) between them provide an intermittent service that operates along the New Bedford Road and Barton Road within Luton and provide links with villages in Bedfordshire as shown below (times at Luton Bus Station):-

Mondays - Fridays Service Villages Served Arrivals Departures 76 Streatley and Barton only 11:25 10:30 14:25 13:30 (** School-days only) 15:35 ** 14:30 75 as service 76 plus , , , 07:55 11:30 and 09:35 17:05 13:25 18:05 78/79 as service 76 plus Higham Gobian, Shillington, 07:30 08:45 Shefford, and Camp 08:37 12:30 10:27 16:20 14:30 17:50 17:40

12. There is a similar service on Saturdays with a total of nine arrivals and eight departures to/from Luton Bus station, between 08:39 and 17:50. There is no equivalent Sunday service.

13. If the withdrawal of financial support by the Borough Council were to cause Bedfordshire County Council to withdraw or radically change this service, there would be no direct links between Luton and Streatley village, Maulden, Ampthill, Higham Gobian, Shillington, Shefford, Meppershall and Henlow Camp. Barton, Silsoe and Clophill are linked with Luton by the existing X1 (and X52) limited stop “Coachlinks” service between Bedford and Luton,

Page 3 of 5 which operates approximately hourly every day, including Sundays (although approximately two-hourly). Significantly, these “Coachlinks” services call at all bus stops along Barton Road and New Bedford Road, after 18:30, Mondays - Saturdays, and all day on Sundays. Flitwick has a regular rail link with and Luton.

14. For journeys wholly within Luton, there are alternative services available. Number 2 provides a half-hourly service between Manchester Street and Bramingham Park, via New Bedford Road, Mondays - Fridays between 07:15 (at Quantock Rise) and 18:10 (at Manchester Street); whilst service number 24 operates between Bridge Street and , via Old Bedford Road and Barton Road, every day.

Service 20 15. The services provided under contract number LB1/807 operate along Dunstable Road (through Bury Park), Leagrave Road, Marsh Road and Sundon Park Road within Luton and provide links with villages in Bedfordshire as shown below (times at Luton Bus Station):-

Mondays - Fridays Service Villages Served Arrivals Departures 20 Sundon, Chalton, Toddington, Harlington, 07:10 14:47 07:10 14:52 , Flitwick, Greenfield, 07:55 16:09 08:55 16:30 and (not all villages on every 08:22 17:41 10:52 17:10 journey). 10:27 19:05 * 12:32 17:52 (** Thursdays - Saturdays only) 12:27

16. There is a similar service on Saturdays with a total of 7 arrivals and 6 departures to/from Luton Bus station, between 08:22 and 17:52. The Sunday service is provided under contract LB1/809.

17. If the withdrawal of financial support by the Borough Council were to cause Bedfordshire County Council to withdraw or radically change this service, there would be no direct links between Luton and these villages, except Flitwick (by rail).

18. For journeys wholly within Luton, service number 23 (Church Street - Sundon Park) provides two buses per hour between 06:35 and 18:20, Mondays - Fridays and between 07:10 and 18:25, Saturdays (as timed at Church Street).

Services 223 and 231 19. The services provided under contract number LB1/808 operate along Farley Hill and along Dunstable Road (through Bury Park), Leagrave Road, Marsh Road and Sundon Park Road within Luton and provide links with villages in Bedfordshire as shown below (times at Luton Bus Station):-

Thursdays - Fridays Service Villages Served Arrivals Departures 223 Sundon, Chalton, Toddington and Harlington. 20:31 19:20 22:41 21:30 (** and on to Westoning and Flitwick) 22:43 ** 231 and . 21:29 20:31

20. There is no service on Mondays - Wednesday evenings.

Page 4 of 5

21. If the withdrawal of financial support by the Borough Council were to cause Bedfordshire County Council to withdraw or radically change this service, there would be no direct links between Luton and these villages, except Flitwick (by rail). The survey data shows the journey arriving in Luton at 20:31 carrying the greatest number of passenger trips within Luton, this being the first direct bus from Sundon Park into the town centre after the finish of commercial service 23. Passenger numbers, however, are consistently low on all journeys.

22. For journeys wholly within Luton, service number 1 (Church Street - Farley Hill estate) provides an evening service up and down Farley Hill, Mondays - Saturdays; and service 27 provides an evening service along Dunstable Road (through Bury Park), Leagrave Road, Marsh Road and service 24 provides an evening service to/from Sundon Park, although not via a direct route.

23. The services provided under contract number LB1/809 operate as described above (paragraph 19) on Sundays at an approximate two-hourly frequency between 10:30 and 21:30 (times at Luton Bus Station), except that service 223 operates beyond Flitwick, via Ampthill and to/from Bedford. 24. Very little data is available for service 231 on Sundays, but loadings are believed to be poor, with little or no use made of the service within Luton. As with the evening service, there is an alternative hourly service (number 1) operating up and down Farley Hill.

OPTIONS 25. The obvious option is not to withdraw financial support from these services but, without other remedial action, the budget for tendered local bus services for 2002/03 will be overspent.

26. At an approximate cost of 90 pence per passenger, contract number S98/608 for service 61, - Dunstable - Luton, at an estimated full-year cost of £4,389, ought to feature in the above list. However, this is an evening service that operates in conjunction with other “Dunstable Road” services and might be seen as, essentially, an intra-conurbation service and important as part of the integrated network that serves Luton Station.

27. The approximate costs per passenger-journey of the other cross conurbation boundary services are lower than those identified in this Report. Furthermore the absolute costs of other contracts are insufficient to warrant detailed attention at this stage, bearing in mind the objective of balancing the 2002/03 commitments with the actual budget.

28. There are other services with apparent passenger-journey costs that exceed the £1.94 “trigger” figure identified in the previous report to Executive. However, these services are within the conurbation and, whilst they will be subjected to more detailed analysis when resources permit, they are not identified for attention at this stage.

Conclusion 29. Financial support for the contracts identified in the above paragraph should be withdrawn and Bedfordshire County Council given three months’ notice of the Borough Council’s decision.

APPENDIX Appendix A: Selected Cross Conurbation Boundary Local Bus Services

BACKGROUND PAPERS Committee Report Ref : EX/5/02/12.6

Page 5 of 5