Appendix A to Agenda Item 8
Luton Borough Council
Bus Strategy
2007
May 2007
Mehmood Khan Head of Engineering and Transportation Luton Borough Council Town Hall Luton LU1 2BQ
For further details contact
Keith Dove on Tel 01582 547211
CONTENTS PAGE
FOREWORD
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
2.0 PROGRESS MADE IN DELIVERING THE FIRST 2 BUS STRATEGY
3.0 POLICY CONTEXT 5 National Policy The Regional Level The Local Level
4.0 THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL PICTURE 8 The National Picture Town, People and Economy Current Bus Use Luton Borough Council’s Responsibilities School Transport Post-16 Students Social services and Community Transport Interurban Services Airport and Coach Services Problems and Options
5.0 THE STRATEGY 14 Consultation and Co-ordination Quality Bus Partnerships Environmentally-friendly Vehicles Publicity and Promotion Crime Reduction Emergency Plans and Mass Evacuations Service Coverage and Accessibility Luton Town Centre Economic Regeneration and New Developments Park and Ride Airport Services Service Standards – Reliability and Punctuality Bus Stops Bus Priority and Bus Lay-bys Traffic Calming Enforcement The Luton Dunstable busway Access to Vehicles Integration and Information facilities Information Interurban Bus services Express Coach Services Tour Coaches
6.0 CONSULTATIONS AND PARTNERS 31
7.0 MONITORING AND REVIEW 32
8.0 FUNDING 33
Action Plan
References
Further Information and Contacts
FOREWORD
Bus travel is essential for the continued success and growth of Luton and the surrounding area. Public transport, and bus travel in particular, will play a key role in reducing congestion and air pollution and will be crucial in maintaining the vitality and viability of our town centres and retail areas, industry and other employment destinations. Travel by bus is used by thousands of people each day for education, work, retail and leisure related trips; often bus travel is the only viable mode of travel for these journeys and is therefore essential for improved accessibility. Despite the above, like in most other parts of the country, bus usage has declined in Luton over recent years. For these reasons, I am pleased to present this Bus Strategy that supports our second Local Transport Plan (covering the period 2006-2011).
The aim of the Bus Strategy is to set out policies and actions to establish a high quality, safe, secure and reliable network of routes, with good interchanges and which matches the pattern of travel demand in order to maximise the potential usage of public transport.
The benefits arising from the Strategy can only be achieved by working with our key stakeholders. Clearly, the bus operators will play a lead role in implementing this Strategy and I look forward to working closely with these companies and to establishing Quality Partnership agreements with them. As well as these commercial bus services the Strategy also covers the transport requirements needed to carry out local education and social services functions, concessionary fares, subsidised services and coach services. Good infrastructure including bus priority, bus stops and shelters and initiatives such as Real Time Passenger Information will play an important role in encouraging further bus patronage as will the softer measures such as changing attitudes to bus use through initiatives such as Travelwise.
The Bus Strategy is clearly an important document, particularly in light of the declining passenger numbers over the last five years, and the progress that needs to be made on implementation of the Luton Dunstable busway. While extensive consultation has already been carried out, further examination should make it a more robust and encompassing Strategy.
I would finally like to confirm this Council’s commitment to increasing and improving bus travel and that I look forward to working with our partners on the implementation of this Strategy.
Councillor Don Worlding Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport Luton Borough Council EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. All local transport authorities are required to prepare a Bus Strategy, as part of their Local Transport Plan (LTP). Luton published its first Bus Strategy in 2003. With the new LTP (covering the period up to 2011), the Bus Strategy needed to be updated and to address the issues of congestion and improved access to key facilities, particularly for disadvantaged groups.
2. Bus use in Luton has fallen continually over the last five years. The introduction of free bus travel for over-60s and disabled people in April 2006 increased off-peak bus use. Most bus services (about 96% of bus- kilometres) in Luton are provided commercially. Arriva operate 19 commercial services in Luton, and Centrebus five.
3. The Council has set up a Passenger Transport Unit (PTU) which carries out all the functions related to the provision or securing of public transport for the general public, for people with special needs and for students. The PTU is responsible for meeting statutory needs for transport, and these in turn depend upon policies for schools, social services and other areas. The Council has powers to support a service where there is a social need but no operator is prepared to provide it commercially. In summer 2006 21 bus routes operated wholly or partly under contract to the Council. The other major payments to bus operators are reimbursements for carrying elderly people and people with specific disabilities. All payments are subject to available funding.
4. One of the cornerstones of the Bus Strategy will be the provision of the Luton Dunstable busway; a high quality rapid transit system serving Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis that is due to become operation in 2010.
5. In line with our policies for services to residential areas, all new housing will be within 400 metres of an existing bus route or a road suitable for bus use. Where accessibility by public transport is not satisfactory, an undertaking to provide such access through Section 106 contributions will be required from developers.
6. In the longer term Park and Ride facilities are being investigated at Butterfield (provision made in current works), M1 junction 10a and other potential sites around the edge of the conurbation. Bus priority measures will be essential for any of these sites to achieve their objectives of reducing congestion, emissions and demand for car parking in the town centre.
7. Bus stops should make boarding buses as easy as possible and be a secure and convenient place to wait. When upgrading stops priority will
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 1 generally be given to those on corridors designated for improvement and to heavily used stops elsewhere. There will be a need for regular reviews of town centre bus stops in partnership with bus operators. The Council will continue to make improvements to bus stops.
8. The argument for bus priority measures is that cars are the biggest contributors to congestion. Cyclists and hackney carriages are generally allowed to use bus lanes. Following a review of bus lane operating hours in 2006, most bus lanes generally operate for12 hours. Experience in London has shown that effective enforcement of bus lanes is vital if they are to succeed in making buses faster, more reliable and more punctual. The Council will move towards local authority enforcement of bus priority measures using cameras.
9. Various traffic calming measures have been installed over the years, culminating in a rolling programme in residential areas. In all recent schemes only ‘bus friendly’ traffic calming measures on bus routes have been installed and this policy will be continued.
10. In 2004 the Council signed a Quality Bus Partnership (QBP) Agreement with Arriva to work together to improve bus services in Luton. The Council will build on the QBP and will work to make Quality Partnership Agreements with other operators.
11. The Council and the operators will work with the Police to investigate vandalism and assaults on bus staff and to ensure that offenders are prosecuted.
12. All new full size buses need to have low floors and buses of this type already operate on some routes. The Council will work with operators to improve publicity and information concerning facilities for groups with limited mobility, including users of the Access Buses.
13. Two important ways to encourage through travel between bus and rail services, and from one bus service to another, are through ticketing arrangements and interchange facilities. The through ticketing arrangement between First Capital Connect and Arriva has been brought into the country-wide PlusBus scheme. The Council will encourage further moves towards integrated ticketing for public transport in Luton.
14. All three railway stations have potential for interchange between rail and bus. Interchange at Luton station will be greatly improved under the Luton Town Centre Improvements Scheme. Luton Airport Parkway station has good bus interchange facilities but few bus services. Its role is likely to expand with the opening of the Luton Dunstable busway. Leagrave station could be a valuable interchange for north Luton, though the nearby
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 2 bus stops are awkward to reach. The Council will improve the integration between modes by ensuring appropriate provision for pedestrians, cycles, buses and taxis at all three railway stations.
15. A Bus Information Strategy was produced in 2005. It covers timetables, leaflets, information at stops and on buses and information provided through electronic means such as real time information at stops and journey planning facilities on the Internet. The Council will continue to support development of the national public transport information (PTI2000) system and will work with operators to improve information to bus users and potential users in accordance with the Bus Information Strategy.
16. The Council will work for a good network of interurban bus services linking Luton with surrounding major towns and growth areas, plus good quality terminating and interchange facilities in Luton. The Council will also encourage long distance coach services to serve the conurbation and investigate the scope for a coach stop next to the M1 at junction 10a.
17. There is clearly a need to monitor the effectiveness of the Bus Strategy. The Key Performance Indicators will be reported in our Annual Progress Reports (APRs) as part of the LTP process and these will cover bus patronage, satisfaction with local bus services, bus punctuality and the number of accessible buses within the PTU fleet
18. This Bus Strategy will be reviewed on an annual basis and updated where appropriate. A full formal review of this Strategy is anticipated at the end of the LTP2 period. The Council will consult with and work in partnership with the key stakeholders on the formulation on future updates of this Strategy and on the delivery of this Strategy.
19. Funding for implementing this strategy will mainly come from LTP settlement and Council capital and revenue funds, including funds budgeted for supporting socially necessary services.
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 3 1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Transport Act 2000 requires all local transport authorities to prepare a document known as a Bus Strategy, which is to be part of that authority's Local Transport Plan (LTP). The Council published its first Bus Strategy in 2003 followed by a Bus Information Strategy. These formed “daughter documents” to the LTP and were part of a series of strategies covering areas such as cycling, walking, road safety and parking.
1.2 Like the first LTP, the second Plan (covering the period up to 2011) places public transport (buses and rail) as its highest priority modes, followed by walking and cycling. While retaining many of the policies of the old Plan, the new LTP has several new features. The most important of these are action plans to address congestion and to improve access to key facilities, particularly for disadvantaged groups. Buses have a key role to play in both these areas, and these key changes warrant a review of the Bus Strategy. At the same time the commitment to safety and environmentally sustainable transport has not diminished, and here too buses can make a large contribution.
1.3 This Strategy contains the Council’s general policies as to how best to carry out their functions in order to meet the following objectives: • Bus services meet the transport requirements of local people • Bus services are provided to the required standards • Additional facilities and infrastructure connected with bus services are provided (including bus stations, bus shelters, bus priorities, information about bus services, etc but also interchanges and integration with other travel modes) • Public transport measures required or proposed to enable the Council to carry out its local education and social services functions are considered
Some of the concerns raised by bus operators related to the lack of parking enforcement and the impact of roadworks on the reliability of bus services. The first of these issues will be covered in the proposed revisions to the Parking Strategy, which is currently being drafted, and the second will form part of a Traffic Management Strategy being developed. It is planned that both of these strategies will be adopted during 2007. The Traffic Management strategy will also commit the Council to work in partnership with operators in effectively signing temporary repositioning of bus stops during road works.
1.4 One of the cornerstones of the Bus Strategy will be the provision of the Luton Dunstable busway, a high quality rapid transit system serving Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis. In November 2006 the Secretary of State issued his Decision for this £86 million scheme, which went through the
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 1 Public Inquiry process in 2005/06.
2.0 PROGRESS MADE IN DELIVERING THE FIRST BUS STRATEGY
2.1 The 2003 Luton Bus Strategy set out twenty three policy objectives for the improvement and promotion of public passenger transport in the borough. This chapter of the Bus Strategy sets out how many of these objectives have been met over the last four years, although some still require further work.
2.2 In terms of organisational structure, the council took a major step forward in 2004 with the creation of the Passenger Transport Unit. This unit has assumed responsibility for the provision of the council’s social services transport, transport for children with special needs, and public passenger transport, including concessionary fares for the elderly. The process of fully integrating these functions is well advanced, and the unit is now able to provide services more cost effectively than many commercial transport providers.
2.3 In April 2004, the Borough council signed a voluntary Quality Bus Partnership with Arriva the Shires. The partnership has boosted the level of co-operation on a number of levels, has given the company confidence to invest significantly in the Luton area and has helped to shape the council’s strategy for investing in transport infrastructure. The council is working towards entering a similar partnership agreement with Centrebus.
2.4 In addition to the close ties with Arriva under the aegis of the QBP, the council has liaised continually with all Luton bus operators to ascertain their views on a number of major schemes, as well as to enlist their support for council transport initiatives, such as improvements to waiting conditions along specific corridors, real time passenger information and the rationalisation of bus lane regulations in 2007. By making improvements to the waiting environment, including better street lighting and illuminated bus shelters, the council has worked to reduce the fear of crime and to make the public transport network more attractive to non-bus users.
2.5 Since 2003, the council has continued to monitor the provision of commercial bus services and to provide “safety net” services at times and on days when commercial services are not available. However, the increasing cost of service provision – coupled with a huge increase in the cost of concessionary travel – has meant that, in some areas, the council is no longer able to provide the level of bus service that it would wish to see. Nevertheless, the council continues to aspire to a high standard of bus provision and is considering a number of transport solutions to improve service levels and drive down costs. Luton also benefits from the fact that its major operators are willing to experiment with new services in
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 2 the quest for competitive advantage and as a result Luton residents have benefited from several service enhancements, such as increased service frequency along Crawley Green Road, Biscot Road and Leagrave Road, improved service to Luton railway station and commercial Sunday operation on route 10.
2.6 Since the 2003 Luton Bus Strategy, the council has introduced a number of bus priority measures, such as the Dunstable Road bus lane between M1 junction 11 and Chaul End Lane, and electronic vehicle detection at certain town centre traffic signals. The Bury Park improvement scheme has seen the removal of a bus lane, but improved overall journey times through better traffic management and better facilities for waiting passengers. A five year programme of corridor improvements commenced in 2006 with enhancements to bus stops in Marsh Road and Leagrave Road. New shelters, raised boarders (to ease entry to low-floor buses), renewed road markings and bus stop clearways have set standards for improvements across the town. This, coupled with the roll out of real time passenger information, which has been the subject of a two year trial at a number of locations between Luton and Dunstable, will make a significant difference to the attractiveness of public transport.
2.7 For their part, the major bus operators have made significant investment in new, accessible vehicles, publicity, bus stop signs and driver training. In late 2005, Arriva purchased 19 new Scania 44-seat single deckers for service in Luton on their “Breeze” network of frequent services. At the same time, many older vehicles were refurbished to improve passenger comfort. In 2006, Centrebus invested in four new 38-seat buses for service 10 and is steadily updating its fleet with second-hand easy access buses. Coach operators are starting to invest in wheelchair-accessible vehicles for inter-urban services, the first examples having entered the fleets of Green Line, National Express and Stagecoach (for the Virgin Rail Link).
2.8 New vehicles delivered in 2005/6 meet Euro 3 emissions standards and all Luton buses use low sulphur fuel which reduces the emission of particulates and nitrogen oxides. Unfortunately, Arriva’s trial of LPG- powered buses on service 321 was not a success and the vehicles have all been converted to diesel power.
2.9 The council continues to support Traveline as the principal provider of telephone bus information for Luton, and has also invested in printed publicity, producing popular network guides in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The council continues to act as distributor for local operators’ timetable publications. In addition, the council has produced publicity for new or upgraded tendered services, such as Grant Palmer’s south-Luton network which was re-launched with a new vehicle under the “Red Gem” banner in
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 3 2006, and the Luton Access Bus, which acquired a council-owned wheelchair accessible vehicle in 2005.
2.10 In the areas of integrated ticketing and off-bus ticket sales, the council has made great progress but there is still much to do. The Luton Plusbus scheme, launched in 2005, has been very popular with rail passengers and has become one of the most successful schemes in the country, with the help of council funding for publicity and signage at stations. The Savercard for post-16 students was introduced in 2006 and demand has exceeded expectations. The council has yet to make progress in the field of multi-operator ticketing, but there is a determination to achieve this during the life of the next bus strategy.
2.11 The council continues to balance the needs of existing and potential public transport users with the imperative to bring inward investment into Luton to create jobs, achieve regeneration and improve the built environment. The pedestrianisation of St. George’s Square in 2005 presented a number of challenges to transport providers. One consequence was significant changes to the bus circulation network in the town centre, improving connectivity,between services in the north/west and south/east of Luton by giving greater prominence to Church Street as an interchange point. The growth of London Luton Airport over the last five years, both in terms of passengers and employment has led to service improvements between Luton Airport Parkway Station and the Airport terminal. Passenger numbers using this service has increased, new vehicles have ben introduced, and an onward travel centre set up in the terminal concourse.
2.12 In terms of assessing the views of local residents about whether public transport has improved since the 2003 when the Bus Strategy was introduced, the results of the Best Value survey carried out in Autumn 2006 provide some useful information. The BV survey enables the overall results to be compared with those for residents of different genders, age, and ethnicity, and where there significant differences (more than 5 percentage points) between these groups those are highlighted below.
2.13 Overall 21% of residents felt that the quality of local public transport services had got better and 20% felt it was worse, although for those people over 65, 30% felt the quality of services had improved and only 13% felt they were worse. There was little difference between the overall results and those for residents that had used or not used public transport over the last 12 months.
2.14 Overall 19% of residents felt that the quality of local public transport information had improved and only 17% felt it had got worse. However when considering only those residents that had received or used public transport information the overall proportion who felt the quality of the
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 4 information had improved rose to 27% and those who considered it was worse fell to 9%. In this context there was a significant difference between the proportion of males (18%) and females (30%) who felt the information was better, and those people over 65 (36%).
3.0 POLICY CONTEXT
National Policy
3.1 The Government’s White Paper The Future of Transport (2004) continues to recognise the wide use and the flexibility of bus services and urges that they should be at the heart of Local Transport Plans. It supports partnerships with bus operators to secure improved services and aims to bring about greater use of quality contracts (where a local authority specifies what services should operate in an area and contracts to an operator the exclusive right to provide them). The White Paper also supports coach services as a low cost form of inter urban, and town to airport, transport. To provide services where demand is low and the costs of running conventional bus services are high, the White Paper advocates greater use of demand-responsive transport; typically these use minibuses to provide a service that comes somewhere between bus and taxi services. The Government has introduced various changes to the licensing and tax systems to make the securing of such services easier. The White Paper states that bus services must be:
• punctual - which could mean giving buses priority in congested locations and using more pre-paid ticketing to speed boarding;
• good value - for the traveller and the taxpayer;
• frequent and reliable - with up-to-date travel information that is easy to obtain;
• seamless - with good integration of bus services and other travel networks;
• safe - when travelling on the bus, when walking to and from the bus stop and while waiting at the bus stop; and
• clean, comfortable and attractive - with well-designed and maintained buses.
3.2 Planning Policy Guidance – Transport (PPG13) notes that the likely availability and use of public transport is a very important ingredient in determining locational policies designed to reduce the need to travel by car. PPG13 states that within the context of the local transport plan, local
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 5 authorities should work in partnership with public transport providers and operators, using their planning and transport powers to improve public transport in ways which will reinforce the effectiveness of locational policies in the development plan. The aim should be to establish a high quality, safe, secure and reliable network of routes, with good interchanges, which matches the pattern of travel demand in order to maximize the potential usage of public transport. Through the planning process, PPG13 seeks to ensure that new developments have good public transport access.
The Regional Level
3.3 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, 2004, has introduced a new system of strategic planning, replacing Regional Planning Guidance and structure plans with Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS). A draft RSS 14 – “The East of England Plan” was sent to the Deputy Prime Minister on the 25 November 2004 and is presently undergoing Examination in Public. The RSS sets out a strategy to guide planning and development in the East of England to the year 2021. It covers economic development, housing, the environment, transport, waste management, culture, sport and recreation, mineral extraction and implementation. The RSS has a bearing on almost every aspect of the way we live in the region. It aims to improve the quality of life, and sets out proposals that will influence where we choose to work and live and how we move about the region. It also seeks to address issues such as social exclusion, the need for regeneration and the impact of climate change.
3.4 Within the RSS the Luton and Dunstable conurbation has been identified as a Regional Interchange Centre where service coverage and accessibility should meet high standards. Regional Interchange Centres aim to be foci for improved public transport, allowing interchange between interurban rail and coach services and local bus networks. The key regional objectives relevant to bus and coach services are:
• To improve opportunities for all to have access to jobs, services and leisure and tourist facilities
• To enable infrastructure programmes and transport service provision to support both existing development (addressing problems of congestion) and that proposed in the spatial strategy (economic regeneration needs and further housing growth)
• To reduce the need to travel in particular by car
• To minimise the environmental impact of transport provision and travel, protecting and enhancing the natural, built and historic
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 6 environment
• To improve safety and security.
3.5 The Milton Keynes – South Midlands Sub-regional Strategy, published in March 2005, envisages that 10,000 new homes will be built in an area stretching from Luton through Dunstable to Leighton-Linslade by 2011 and 26,300 by 2020, while 12,600 new jobs are to be created. The Sub- regional Strategy’s Policy for Bedfordshire and Luton aims to:
• Reduce the need to travel by private vehicles by integrating land use and transport planning, making walking, cycling and public transport more attractive, implementing park and ride schemes and travel demand management measures
• Ensure that new developments are as sustainable as possible by working out how land uses and transport should be arranged, and the phasing of their provision.
3.6 Apart from existing committed schemes in the conurbation, such as the Luton Dunstable busway and the Town Centre Transport Scheme, the Sub-regional Strategy supports the extension of the Luton Dunstable busway to Junction 10a on the M1 and possible further extensions to serve new developments to the north of the towns.
3.7 Bedfordshire County Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Luton Borough Council, Milton Keynes Borough Council and Northamptonshire County Council have issued a Joint Sub-Regional Statement on their priorities for transport in the Milton Keynes-South Midlands Growth Area. They seek to define a strategic highway and public transport network to link the individual growth areas.
The Local Level
3.8 The Bedfordshire Structure Plan 2011 and the Borough of Luton Local Plan constitute the statutory Development Plan for Luton, although as mentioned above, the Structure Plan is expected to be superseded by RSS14. Policy 39 of the Structure Plan encourages a greater proportion of trips by public transport by measures such as improving the attractiveness, frequency and reliability of services and improving the integration between different modes of transport. Policy 40 sets out how a higher proportion of travel by bus will be promoted by measures such as bus priority, improving the frequency and reliability of services and supporting the development of improved facilities for passengers.
3.9 The Borough of Luton Local Plan sets out the basis of the transportation
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 7 strategy for the Borough, which is to give priority to development proposals which reduce the need to travel or encourage the use of modes other than the car (Policy T1). The Luton Local Plan (Policy T2) states:
“Proposals for development with potential to have significant transport implications will not be permitted, unless it can be demonstrated that either:
[A] the site is well served by public transport; or
[B] public transport will be provided to meet the anticipated demand generated by the development.”
The same policy also requires developers to submit transport assessments and travel plans with their applications.
3.10 The Council endorsed the Luton Town Centre Development Framework (TCDF) in Autumn 2004 following extensive consultation. This sets out the pattern for the centre’s growth in response to local pressures and the requirements of the sub-regional strategy. It identifies three main transport interchange points:
• New Bedford Road • Church Street • Railway station
3.11 The Council is working in partnership with local people and organisations to make dramatic improvements to the quality of life in Luton by 2011 through its Corporate Strategies and Community Plans. These set out a number of exciting and challenging targets for the next seven years including an increase in the use of public transport for travel to Luton Town Centre.
3.12 The LTP accords public transport, walking and cycling the three highest priorities. It is a key policy of the LTP to provide alternative travel arrangements to the private car with special emphasis on integrated transport solutions to encourage public transport, cycling and walking.
3.13 The Council has also published various ‘daughter’ documents to the LTP and many of these are also relevant to the Bus Strategy. They include:
• Road Safety Plan • Speed Management Plan • Cycle Strategy • Walking Strategy • Bus Information Strategy
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 8 • Motorcycle Strategy
Luton’s Regeneration and Economic Development Strategy, published in 2001, emphasises that an important component of regeneration is to revitalise and empower communities and renew the town’s infrastructure, thereby enabling people to reach jobs and training opportunities.
3.14 From the above it can be seen that the Bus Strategy links into many different initiatives and areas of work. Other key linkages include the Road Traffic Reduction Plan, Air Quality Action Plans, Local Agenda 21 initiatives, Community Safety and Crime and Disorder issues and many other cross boundary initiatives. It will be important to ensure these linkages are fully utilised in order to ensure that the maximum benefits of this strategy can be obtained. Local Authorities are now required to draw up an Accessibility Strategy and this Bus Strategy will need to be an integral part of our accessibility planning and the Accessibility Strategy itself.
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 9 4.0 THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL PICTURE
The National Picture
4.1 Bus journeys comprise nearly two thirds of all public transport trips in England. For many trips they are the only public transport alternative to the car. In recent years the number of bus journeys in most areas has fallen, the main exception to this is London. Over the last 20 years the number of bus passenger journeys has fallen by around 20% from nearly 5,000 million per year to less than 4,000 million. There has been a slight increase in recent years but this has been substantially due to high growth in London (which accounts for around 40% of all bus use in England).
Town, People and Economy
4.2 In 2001 Luton had a population of 184,390. Together with Dunstable (33,040) and Houghton Regis (15,880) it forms the largest urban area in the East of England and many bus services pass through two or three of these towns. Under the Sustainable Communities programme substantial growth in all three towns is forecast as well as in the area to the north. According to the 2001 Census, 7.8% of people in Luton aged 16-74 travelled to work by bus, minibus or coach, while another 5.0% travelled by rail. These are above the averages for the East of England and for England and Wales.
4.3 Unemployment and social deprivation in Luton are high compared with other parts of south and east England. Ten of Luton’s sixteen wards have unemployment rates above the national average and of Luton’s 121 Super Output Areas three – in Northwell, Dallow, and Biscot wards – have indices of multiple deprivation that put them in the 10% most deprived such areas in England. Several former manufacturers have contracted or closed and the production of cars at Vauxhall ended in 2002. On the other hand some employment areas, particularly London Luton Airport and Capability Green, remain buoyant and the Sub-Regional Strategy envisages the creation of 12,000 additional jobs in Luton between 2001 and 2021.
4.4 The conditions in Luton suggest that demand for bus travel among certain sectors of the population will remain high. There will also be a need to ensure that both existing and newly developed areas, both in and outside the town, have an attractive and useful bus service that will give an alternative to travel by car.
Current Bus Use
4.5 Bus use in Luton has continually fallen over the last five years, from 11
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 10 million bus journeys per year in 2000 to 8.7 million journeys in 2004; a fall of over 20%.
4.6 Commuting by bus is most important in two sectors of Luton: the first running west and northwest of the town centre and extending from Runfold and Marsh Farm round to Farley Hill, and the second smaller sector running roughly along Crawley Green Road and Ashcroft Road to Stopsley. Sectors with relatively little bus use include the ‘Bedford’ roads corridor to Barton Hills and Bramingham, the Wigmore area and the Tennyson Road area. This last may arise from its closeness to the town centre. This, however, does not show the whole picture as buses are widely used for school, shopping and social journeys as well as commuting. The introduction of free bus travel for over-60s and disabled people in April 2006 will probably increase off-peak bus use.
4.7 Most bus services (about 96% of bus-kilometres) in Luton are provided commercially. The operator registers any proposed service with the Traffic Commissioner for the East of England, giving its route, timings and fares, eight weeks in advance. The Council receives a copy of this registration but cannot object to it except on the grounds of safety.
4.8 Arriva operate 19 commercial services in Luton, Centrebus five and UNO one (interurban and coach services are listed elsewhere). In addition, London Luton Airport supports a free shuttle service to Luton Airport Parkway station. As in many other parts of the country operators are tending to focus their resources on core commercial services to the detriment of marginal non-core services.
4.9 In 2005, most of the bus operators in Luton joined the PlusBus scheme, which allows discounted through booking between rail and bus. This superseded the previous arrangement which gave free bus add-ons to rail travel to and from Luton, but on Arriva services only. The Plusbus scheme has proved very popular with passengers and has rapidly become one of the most successful schemes in the country.
Luton Borough Council’s Responsibilities
4.10 The Council has set up a Passenger Transport Unit (PTU) which carries out all functions related to the provision or securing of public transport for the general public, for people with special needs and for students. The PTU is responsible for meeting statutory needs for transport, and these in turn depend upon policies for schools, social services and other areas.
4.11 The Council may not directly subsidise any bus operator. However, the Council has powers under the Transport Act 1985 to support a service
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 11 where there is a social need but no operator is prepared to provide it commercially. Operation of the service must be put out to competitive tender and in doing so the Council must have regard to efficiency, economy, effectiveness and environmental issues as well as the interests of the public and the operators. As well as administering the contracts for tendered bus services within Luton, the Council contributes to the cost of many cross-boundary services from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, while Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire County Councils also support a few services running into Luton.
4.12 In summer 2006 there were 21 bus routes wholly or partly operated under contract to the council, operated by Arriva, Centrebus, Grant Palmer Passenger Services, Red Rose Travel and Stagecoach. This includes an Access Bus which links sheltered housing developments with Luton town centre and various superstores, the route varying from day to day during the week. It uses a low floor minibus, owned by the Council but operated under contract by Grant Palmer. Since acquisition of the new vehicle patronage has been steadily growing. Pressure on budgets forced the Borough Council to terminate prematurely a number of contracts for Sunday bus services in spring 2006. The remaining Sunday services in Luton, apart from some cross-boundary services, are provided commercially.
4.13 The other major payments to bus operators are reimbursements for carrying elderly people and people with specific disabilities. Under the Transport Act 2000 and policies announced in the 2005 Budget, from April 2006 all local authorities in England must grant all such people free travel in off-peak periods. The Council extended the statutory minimum scheme to allow free travel at any time within the Luton-Dunstable-Houghton Regis conurbation and half fare travel to selected destinations in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. The Council also offers concessionary travel to users of South Bedfordshire Dial-a-Ride services. From April 2008, the Government intends to extend the free local concessionary travel to cover any services in England.
School Transport
4.14 The Council provides assistance with transport to school or college under the following circumstances:
• On medical grounds, provided that the child is attending their catchment school and the request is supported by medical evidence.
• When a child cannot gain a place at the catchment school and has been placed at a school more than three miles from its home address (two miles if the child is under the age of eight).
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 12 • Year 10 or 11 students who have moved address within Luton, are still attending the catchment school of the old address and the new address is more than three miles from the school.
• On denominational grounds. Students must attend the nearest denominational school and must live more than three miles from it.
• Where a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) includes a transport requirement.
4.15 All students must live in Luton. In the case of statemented SEN students, transport is provided either by the PTU or by a contracted transport provider. Scholars attending mainstream schools, who qualify under the above criteria, are generally provided with a season ticket purchased from the appropriate bus operator.
Post-16 Students
4.16 The Council has formed a partnership with further education institutions in Luton (and with Connexions, Dunstable College, Bedford College and the Learning and Skills Council) to ensure that full time students are able to travel to attend the courses of their choice. Any Luton student attending a college in Luton or Dunstable may buy a saver card, currently priced at £10, from Luton Borough Council. This entitles them to discounts on Arriva’s and Centrebus’ weekly tickets which in turn allow unlimited travel within the Luton-Dunstable-Houghton Regis conurbation and are valid throughout the day and at weekends. Although these discounts are less than the previous 50% discount, they are available to all students whereas in the past they were only available to students living more than three miles from their college. In September 2006 Luton Borough Council sold 300 more saver cards than the total number of discounted tickets that they had sold in the previous college year, and by the end of 2006 809 saver cards had been issued.
4.17 Mainstream school bus services in Luton are mostly provided commercially by Arriva and financed by sales of season tickets to the Council (on behalf of students eligible for assisted travel) and cash fares. The main foci of school bus services are Cardinal Newman School, a denominational school near the northern boundary, and South Luton High School, where contracted school services are being phased out. Additional services are provided commercially to relieve overcrowding at college start times on routes to Barnfield College and Luton VI Form College.
Social Services and Community Transport
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 13 4.18 The PTU is also responsible for social services transport (although the procurement body is the Department of Housing and Community Living). It operates a fleet of 20 buses which are mainly used to take clients from their homes to day care centres.
4.19 South Bedfordshire Dial-a-Ride, a voluntary sector organisation, provides a pre-booked door to door transport service to those who are unable, because of age or disability, to use ordinary local bus services. Intending users have to register with the organisation. If registered users are aged over 60 or have one of the qualifying disabilities, they are entitled to concessionary travel on both Dial-a-Ride and the buses. The organisation receives financial support from local authorities, including Luton Borough Council. The Women’s Royal Volunteer Service operates a voluntary car scheme which provides a similar door-to-door service, mostly for hospital journeys.
4.20 The PTU is developing a "one stop shop" approach to transport services for the community. The unit manages concessionary fares for the elderly and for Dial-a-Ride users, bus information, school transport for children with special needs and transport to Social Services facilities and establishments in and around Luton.
Interurban Services
4.21 Several inter urban services operate from Luton. Many of them are continuations of local services. The principal places served on weekdays, outside the Luton-Dunstable-Houghton Regis built-up area, are Leighton Buzzard, Hitchin, Stevenage, Harpenden and Watford (all half-hourly), Hatfield (hourly with some additional journeys), Aylesbury (hourly), Toddington (seven journeys) and Hemel Hempstead (seven journeys). Services in the evenings and on Sundays are much reduced and most are tendered. Some express services also link with neighbouring towns, including Milton Keynes town centre (16 journeys), Milton Keynes Coachway (18 journeys), Hitchin (17 journeys), Stevenage and Hatfield (eight journeys) and Hemel Hempstead (27 journeys).
Airport and Coach Services
4.22 Luton has a large number of express coach services to central London, nearby airports and other places as shown in the table below. Almost all serve London Luton Airport and, currently, only about half the 757 “Green Line” services to London call at the town centre (Bute Street) bus station. The Virgin London Luton Airport - Milton Keynes coach service calls at Luton station rather than the bus station in order to strengthen its integration with rail services.
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 14 4.23 Coaches are a growth area. Although originally intended as a link between the airport and the West Coast Main Line railway, the Virgin service has opened up a new market for interurban travel. The 737 Oxford – Stansted service was only introduced in 2005, and National Express have expanded their service to Stansted with a new route 767 to Nottingham via Luton. Arriva have introduced coaches with disabled access onto their 757 Airport service.
Table4.1: Express services calling at Luton (total daily number of journeys)
Service Operator Main places served Buses per day in one direction EZ1 EasyBus Luton Airport – London 18 Baker Street X1 Stagecoach Luton - Bedford 13 VT99 Virgin Luton Airport – Milton 16 Keynes 230 Nat Exp Mansfield – Nottingham – 8 Heathrow – Gatwick 422 Nat Exp London – Manchester – 1 Burnley 591 Nat Exp London – Edinburgh 1 707 Nat Exp Northampton – Heathrow – 9 Gatwick 737 Nat Exp Oxford – Stansted Airport 8 755 Arriva North Luton – London 3 Moorgate 757 Arriva North Luton – London 3 Victoria 757 Arriva London Luton Airport – 40 London Victoria 767 Nat Exp Nottingham – Luton – 8 Stansted Airport 772 Marshalls Houghton Regis – Lewsey 1 Farm – London 777 Nat Exp Birmingham – Stansted 8 Airport 787 Nat Exp Cambridge – Heathrow 9 861, Nat Exp London - Holyhead 2 871
Problems and Opportunities
Luton Bus Strategy - May 2007 15 4.24 The Bus Strategy comprises of a number of different policies and related actions that need to work together to establish a high quality, safe, secure and reliable network of routes and infrastructure, with good interchanges, which matches the pattern of travel demand in order to maximize the potential usage of public transport. In order for the Strategy to be successful it needs to address real and perceived problems and grasp the many opportunities that bus travel offers. The main problems and opportunities associated with bus travel have been outlined below.
Problems
• The number of passengers carried on local buses has fallen by 20% since 2001 and the decline has steepened of late .
Year Million passengers per year 2000/01 11.020 2001/02 10.435 2002/03 10.325 2003/04 9.626 2004/05 8.744 2010 target 8.947
• Dispersal of businesses and service establishments to outer parts of the town, such as Capability Green and the Airport area.
• Rising car ownership.
• Increasing congestion
• Higher costs of operation, resulting from increases in the cost of fuel and of wages.
• Problems with recruiting drivers, which from time to time have led to service cuts in order to reduce the risk of cancellations.
4.25 The 2002 Citizens’ Panel survey suggested that the following factors (listed in decreasing order of importance) deter people from using buses more often: