Transport & Infrastructure Group Update Ipswich Buses Overview
100% owned by Ipswich Borough Council Supports our shareholders values, national living wage & a disability confident employer Own board of directors and management team One of only 9 remaining municipally owned bus operators 75 vehicles – one of the cleanest bus fleets in East Anglia with 68% Euro V or Euro VI Employs 183 staff including 146 drivers across two sites 8 million passenger journeys per annum 1.5 million litres of diesel a year Route network covers Ipswich, East Babergh, Essex & Colchester Home to School contracts include local authority & local private schools Blue chip customers include Greater Anglia, Amazon & Transport for London Members of the CPT, ALBUM, CILT & Suffolk Chamber of Commerce Ipswich Buses – Recent Developments
Major review of Ipswich network in 2018 which pre Covid delivered year on year growth
Contactless payments introduced in 2018
New management team appointed in early 2019 with a focus to improve service quality and reliability
Launched Ipswich Buses APP in 2019 which includes M-tickets, journey planning and real time bus tracking
Further expansion with Essex County Council in 2020 on contracted services
New features added to APP including live occupancy data to assist with social distancing and help people plan journeys at quieter times
Ipswich Buses Today – Current Situation
Patronage initially dropped over night by 90% in March 2020 Now operating at 95% of pre COVID service levels Passenger levels are currently at 65% of pre COVID Car usage & congestion appears to have returned to pre COVID levels Local High Streets have suffered due to lockdown Lockdown has accelerated consumer behaviour towards online purchases Lack of destination means less demand to travel Government & Local Authority Funding has been essential to maintain services Followed government guidelines and industry best practice throughout the pandemic 96% of Ipswich Buses passengers comply with facial covering regulations A Declining Industry Contributing Factors & Challenges
Rising costs mean rising fares
Reduction in funding & reimbursement
Increased congestion, badly planned & managed roadworks
Car ownership – so easy and attractive
Lack of accessibility i.e. times of operation, ticketing & information
Anti social behaviour
Poor publicity and infrastructure
Pop up / App based transport solutions
Developers not held accountable and loss of section 106 funding
No joined up thinking between stakeholders & various forums
Lack of vision, Closure of Bury Road Park & Ride and resistance to reopen it, no Northern Relief Road or suitable solution, no Upper Orwell crossing
Closures on the Orwell Bridge cause disruption to our network and can be seen in the spikes on this graph Reversing the Decline Our drivers are one of our most important assets and key to the customer experience
Colour coded route branding continuing to be rolled out
Opportunities for the Industry
“Bus Back Better” – National Bus Strategy For England
Enhanced Partnership with local authority being explored
Increases in bus priority to speed up journeys
Clearer ticketing & publicity
Socially necessary services
Joined up future local transport
Future proofing legislation
Support for greener buses and alternative fuels
Shape & volume of bus services will be dependant on local economy The future for Ipswich Buses
Seize “bolt on” business opportunities that support our core network 3 additional Euro VI Scania Double Deckers to enter service ready for September 2021
Play a key part in the supporting and the regeneration of the communities we service Continue to embrace technology to operate more efficiently and enhance the customer experience Touch on & Touch Off contactless payments with day capping – May 2021
New partner for a workplace travel scheme to be launched in - May 2021 Next stop announcements to be launched on services 1,3,8,12 & 13 – Summer 2021 Retail partnerships
Support stakeholders such as Ipswich Central and the “Digital Ipswich” vision Develop work place travel schemes and partnerships, aligning bus routes and times to match key employers requirements Work with developers to create bus friendly developments from day one
Sizewell C Continue to explore alternative fuels Any Questions? [email protected]