Public service: state of transformation case studies Ticket to ride: getting Jersey 18 back on the buses Ticket to ride: getting Jersey back on the buses

l Almost as many cars as l Wheels in motion: people: making bus travel St Helier’s incredible viable to motorists 41 per cent increase in bus ridership l Profit share contract to keep commissioner and provider l When objectives align on target – the benefits of partnering 18 a

new network. They infrastructure: building bus stops, What is were looking for a partner to work reducing car parking and so on. This with them to grow ridership, reduce would then lead to greater operator the context? subsidy and create a bus network the profits, and to a larger share for the Jersey is a British Crown island could be proud of for residents States, creating a virtuous circle in Dependency and the largest of the and visitors. Each step they took which operator and commissioner are Channel Islands. With a population of in the procurement process was in incentivised to want the same things. 100,800 and, with 70,429 registered creating such a partnership. vehicles, it has almost as many cars Further, the contract was also let as people – as many as there are The States’ commissioners held an over a long period, so the successful adults. This has led to a significant extensive pre-tender consultation, bidder could invest in new vehicles. issue with congestion, particularly with a range of stakeholders and However, to ensure contractor around St Helier in peak time. market participants. This was to motivation throughout, a clear set gain an insight into what might be of target-driven contract extensions In 2010, Jersey’s new sustainable possible, but also to ‘set out their were included and focussed heavily transport policy recognised action stall’ – signalling to the market on performance mid-period to avoid was needed, and called for a the sort of working relationship they complacency. significant increase in bus ridership, were anticipating. creating the need for a new model. Trust is an essential component At that time, bus ridership in Jersey – Having selected a range of potential of any such partnership. It’s one and across the UK – was in decline, bidders via a pre-qualification of the reasons that HCT Group, with the service not viewed as questionnaire, the tendering process a transport social enterprise, a credible alternative to the car. and eventual contract applied a was successful during the tender huge array of measures to facilitate process. In addition to competitive With the current bus operator a successful partnership. The most pricing and high quality, it was contract up for renewal, Jersey significant of these was a profit share clear to the commissioners a social began an in-depth procurement scheme carefully constructed to align enterprise was likely to share their process to find not just a contractor the interests of the commissioner and values and objectives. for their bus service, but a genuine the operator. partner. This process led to HCT The notion of trust was also reinforced Group winning the contract. In The contract was let on a minimum contractually – not just through January 2013, Jersey launched the subsidy basis. This limited the the relatively commonplace use of new bus service under the brand potential cost to the States and open book accounting to calculate LibertyBus. allowed the operator to keep the profit share, but through open data. fare revenue, a powerful operator The States of Jersey maintains a incentive to grow ridership. Yet, login for the networks’ ticketing and What’s the story? after a certain level, profits would be performance systems, so contract The States of Jersey had ambitious shared with the States, encouraging performance can be monitored objectives when they commissioned them to take positive, pro-bus steps. in real time. their new bus operator to create a The money would also be ring- fenced for reinvestment in transport

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 01 Trust was also a factor for the broader shortlisted for Small Operator of stakeholders in Jersey. The local the Year in the National Route One What has community strongly felt the bus Awards in 2017; and, at the 2017 service was of low quality and not run Jersey Customer Service Awards, been learned? in their interest. The States sought won Best Team, Best Business and That it’s possible to commission an operator with a track record in Best Overall on Island. for the abstract nouns that matter – community engagement, community- shared values, trust, partnership. led design and customer service. The contract has been straightforward This enabled a social enterprise for the States to administer – with It’s also possible to create a operator such as HCT Group to a partnership very much in place. sustained partnership by creating a play to their strengths, combining Significantly, the contract is managed system of mutual incentives, and that operational excellence with by just one transport professional. shared values between commissioner a social mission.. and contractor are key to success. As the new Bus Services Act in the UK was being developed, Jersey’s Who are the success in franchising their bus Who are the service became the focus of civil key partners? service and parliamentary attention, key contacts? The States of Jersey Department demonstrating that it was possible to Stephen Sears, Performance and for Infrastructure, HCT Group and achieve Transport for scale Innovation Director, HCT Group the HCT Group on-island operation, quality with local scale resources. 020 7608 8953 / 07973 263922 LibertyBus. What have been the key elements [email protected] of success? Frank Villeneuve-Smith, Communications Director, Taking a sensible amount of time What has been HCT Group and resource was vital. It was through the impact? rethinking what was needed from the 020 7608 8954 / 07891 960084 We have an outstanding success ground up and engaging with the [email protected] on our hands. With shared incentives market and other stakeholders, and and both sides motivated to grow actually listening, which helped us ridership, the service has been prepare the right level of bid detail. incredibly successful. Since the bus For the successful tenderer it gave service was launched in January enough time to get everything right 2013, we’ve seen a 41 per cent from day one. increase in passenger ridership, and this has been against a steady By having a commissioning rather UK-wide decline. We’ve also had than a procurement process, a 5.1 per cent drop in peak time it meant it was run with the congestion in St Helier. overarching strategy uppermost in the commissioner’s mind. And The levels of subsidy from the States the mechanics of procurement – has reduced by £800,000 per year, designed to deliver outcomes – were on a service with a Peak Vehicle not run for the sake of it. Requirement of approximately 80. Customer satisfaction, meanwhile, There was also unity in our purpose. has increased by five per cent, five Our social enterprise shared the new routes have been introduced values of the organisation. and bus frequencies have increased We were also open to new ideas and on key traffic corridors. innovations from the commissioner, understanding that they were The service has also gained local and commissioning expertise and a new national attention. In 2016, LibertyBus bus network. were winners of the Growing Ridership through Good Practice and Innovation at the National Transport Awards held in London; they were

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 02 Delivering the On behalf of and through

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