Please Find Our Evidence on Public Transport Network in South West England During the COVID-19 Emergency
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Written evidence submitted by David Redgewell (MRS0487) Please find our evidence on public transport network in south west England during the COVID-19 emergency. Our bus network has been maintained by COVID-19 bus operators grant at £400 million set at £17 pounds a week in England. Here in south west England transport users groups, LGBTQ groups, disability and BME groups have worked together with regional transport companies First Group, operator of the south west bus and rail network under brand such as First Bristol buses, Bath buses, the buses of Somerset, Wessex buses in Dorset. Kernow buses in Cornwall and the First Group rail services under First Great Western Railway and South Western Railway. We have also worked with Stagecoach West and South West and Go South Coast, Plymouth City bus and transport for Cornwall. We have been working with TravelWatch, Southwest Rail Future, Severnside, Wessex and south west. We have been involved in zoom meetings in Greater Bristol and Bath to discuss bus service provision to Hospitals in the region for disabled people, social distancing on buses and the use of wheelchair space on trains and buses. We worked with the Bristol Mayor Transport Board to restore train service on the Severn Beach Line to get access to chemists, banks and supermarkets at Clifton Down Station and Gloucester Road from communities in Severn Beach, Avonmouth, Shirehampton Sea Mills, Clifton Down, Redland and Montpellier to access food shopping, post offices and banks. The day time shopping service have been restored. We have still got concerns about bus service provision to Southmead Hospital in Bristol and the new Nightingale Hospital to from Bath Spa bus station and Kingswood to new Nightingale Hospital and Bristol Parkway Station. We have no evening or Sunday services on this route for key workers and have press for a service review from the WECA Mayoral Transport Authority. Also with access to South Bristol hospital at Hengrove where the Saturday and Sunday services is not being provided across south Bristol route 36 and 96 from Bristol city centre via St Anne's Park, Brislington, Hengrove to the hospital which has minor injuries unit and A&E emergency services. In greater Bristol A&E services have provided minors injuries unit at Yate Clevedon, South Bristol hospital at Hengrove and doctor service at Cosham Hospital. In Plymouth, hospital services have moved to the Nuffield Hospital. Working with Somerset County Council we have kept a 2 hourly bus service across the county for key workers and disabled people shielded community to access the shops, banks post office and medical centres. Similar discussions have taken place in Gloucestershire. With Stagecoach West and the County Council over key routes in Gloucester and Cheltenham to the city and town centre with rural services every 2 hours. In Dorset with the West Dorset Transport Group we had to work very hard to rescue bus service which were cut and withdrawn but with the government COVID-19 grant we have services restored from Axminster, Lyme Regis, Bridport to Dorchester for the County Hospital and the town for shopping and medical care. We have still not been able to access a Bridport Hospital to Beadminster, Crewkerne and Yeovil by the y6 and get bus service operating between Weymouth Abbotsbury, Bruton Bradstock, West Bay and Bridport for health care and shopping. X53 needs a bus service in each direction. We are asking Dorset Council to look urgently at these services. Weymouth Town service and service to Poole and Bournemouth have been restored with rural routes operated to North Dorset. In Wiltshire we have kept the Bath Spa bus station to Melksham and Devizes bus service 7 days a week for key workers access to shopping, chemists, banks and medical care. Our concern in Dorset was to get access for disabled people to services and older people to access basic shopping and health care. In Devon and Cornwall the County Council have kept bus service operating on emergency timetabless and regional train service on the local branch railway lines to Barnstaple, Exmouth, Gunislake and in Cornwall to Looe, Newquay, Falmouth, St Ives .and a hourly train service from Plymouth to Penzance .First Great Western Railway only operate the inter- city Express trains from London Paddington to Taunton, Exeter and main line service terminate at Plymouth North Road Station people need to change for Cornwall. To prevent tourist travel disabled passengers’ assistance is being stepped up all First Great Western railway stations. We have been very concerned about the impact of a poor train service on the Bristol, Bath to Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Frome, Bruton Castle, Cary Yeovil, Pen Mill to Maiden Newton, Dorchester, West Upway and Weymouth the route serves Yeovil Hospital and Dorchester County Hospital but the 3 trains a day do not provide access to health care at the hospitals or access to food shopping leaving disabled and older people isolated in the Dorset Halts along the route at Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole, Maiden Newton with just 3 train in each direction and 5 hour gaps provided a very poor service to the communities. Without any bus service to these villages. The Department for Transport need clear guidelines to transport operators on the reason for operating train service for key workers access to shopping and medical services. The Somerset town of Frome has 3 trains a day which fails to provide key worker access to Bath Spa and Bristol or provide access to health care facilities or shopping centre. There is a 2 hourly bus service to Bath Spa and the main hospital. We have been pushing hard for cashless payments on the bus and rail network for the safety of drivers and passengers, we have pushed very hard for high quality cleaning standards on buses and trains bus and rail stations It been disappointing to see Somerset West and Taunton Council with First Group closure of Taunton bus station leaving poor passenger facilities and lack of social distancing in bus shelters in Taunton. The lack of accessible taxis is big issues in south west, is big issues in the south west for access to health care shopping without bus services where disabled people have to travel, no disabled accessible taxis are operating or the government failed to provide these vehicles in regulations under the equalities act. This issue needs addressing. Other concerns are the London Waterloo to Exeter St David train service every 2 hours but not stopping from Honiton to Exeter St David is a bus service withdrawing the train service meaning disabled people have to use buses service then a train to access Yeovil Hospital or Exeter St David why has the Department for Transport signed off such a timetable. With south western railway first group MTR contractor without public consultation. We are concerned about lack of community consultation over emergency train service s. Despite the bus operator COVID-19 bus operators gran,t we have service being withdrawn by Stagecoach West between Weston super Mare, Clevedon, Portishead and Cribbs Causeway bus station x5 from 13th June 2020. North Somerset Council and WECA Mayoral Transport Authority are tendering this service but this provides hospital link and shopping centre service s and access to key workers. The major problem is the withdrawal of Stagecoach West Express bus link between Newport bus station, Chepstow bus station and Bristol Bond Street Bristol bus and coach station. Service gold 7xp and Chepstow bus station to Cribbs Causeway bus station x14 . The problem being that English COVID-19 grant a not available and Transport for Wales and Newport City Council and Monmouthshire Council have not funded this service .Transport Focus need to be given powers over bus passengers needs in Wales with bus users Wales a new passengers body needs setting up. In Wales by Transport for Wales. These bus services are important to access medical centres, hospital and shopping facilities the communities do not see the Welsh/English border. We have seen go working relationships with the we country police services in Wiltshire Somerset and Avon Devon and Cornwall and Dorset police. Have worked hard with equalities groups we have need to remind all police forces and the British Transport Police and Bristol Port Police that disabled people have the right to travel on the bus and rail network. for food shopping, banks, post office and medical centres. Disabled people are also key workers and need to travel. We welcome the south west police operation to prevent access to the region by tourists. Whilst many people are staying at home and safe we have worked with local authorities mayoral transport authority Healthwatch Transport Focus, NHS Trust and public transport companies region police to keep public transport network operating from access to work health services shopping facilities. We are also about the isolation of the gay community with all their centre closed in Bristol, Bournemouth, Exeter, Plymouth and s May 2020.