BOROUGH OF POOLE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY GROUP – THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER 2005 REPORT OF HEAD OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ON THE ACTION TAKEN FOLLOWING THE WILTS & DORSET BUS COMPANY SERVICE REVISIONS 1. Purpose and Policy Context 1.1 To inform Members of the action taken following the major local bus service revisions introduced by Wilts & Dorset Bus Company on 28 August 2005 and 17 September 2005. 1.2 Local bus services contribute to the Council’s priorities of improving the Health and Well-Being of its residents and promoting a Clean, Green and Safe environment. 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are asked to support the emergency action taken in letting temporary local bus service contracts in the light of the Wilts & Dorset bus service revisions. 3. Information 3.1 Local bus services are operated under the Transport Act 1985, subsequently amended by the Transport Act 2000. Under this legislation, bus operators are free to operate local services at times and on routes they feel will be most cost- effective and deliver a profitable return. Operators are required to register the details of new local services and changes to existing services with the Traffic Commissioner giving 56 days notice. Shorter notice may be agreed in certain circumstances including when the change has the support of the local transport authority. 3.2 The Council has a number of duties and powers concerning public passenger transport. In particular the 1985 Transport Act requires a published statement to detail how it proposes to secure those public passenger transport services it considers appropriate to meet any passenger needs that would otherwise not be met. The Transport Act 2000 also placed a duty on local authorities to prepare a Local Transport Plan containing general policies as to how best to carry out their functions in order to secure that:- bus services meet such of the transport requirements of persons within the authority’s area the authority consider should be met by such services bus services meeting such requirements are provided to the standards to which the authority consider should be provided 1 such additional facilities and services connected with bus services are provided as the authority consider should be provided 3.3 Wilts & Dorset Bus Company notified the Council of its intention to introduce a significant number of service changes from 28 August 2005 with additional changes effective from 17 September 2005. These were a combination of service withdrawals and rationalisation of both commercial services and services operated under contract to the Council. In addition, the bus company has enhanced services in Bournemouth and Christchurch in competition with Bournemouth Transport (Yellow Buses). 3.4 The withdrawn services involved a number of school buses. These included commercially operated services and services provided on behalf of the Borough of Poole, including three funded by Pupil, Parent and Youth Services conveying pupils mainly entitled to free transport between Merley and Corfe Hills School. 3.5 All the replaced school services are operated by Shamrock Buses. With the exception of the Corfe Hills School contracts which have been subjected to formal tender, these are for a temporary period to the end of the Spring Term 2006. A poorly used afternoons only contract from Talbot Combined School to Talbot View Estate has not been replaced and no action has been taken to replace the five withdrawn Poole High School services (four of these operated afternoons only). Poole High School is in reasonable walking distance of the bus station where alternative services may be accessed. 3.6 Bournemouth Transport (Yellow Buses) stepped in to operate the withdrawn Service 101 (Poole-Bournemouth via Penn Hill) on a commercial basis with a revised timetable. This service now has an enhanced frequency on Sundays (half-hourly from hourly). It is worth noting that the service operates into Poole Bus Station (Wilts & Dorset own the departure stands). 3.7 Bournemouth Transport are also operating Service 147 (Poole-Canford-Cliffs- Bournemouth) under temporary contract to the Council on a revised timetable and at the same level subsidy previously paid to Wilts & Dorset. Similarly, Services 168/169 (Upper Parkstone-Bourne Estate/Alderney East circulars) are operated under contract to the Council at the level of subsidy previously paid to Wilts & Dorset. 3.8 For the summer, Wilts & Dorset revised their Rockley Park to Poole 154 service and their Poole to Sandbanks 152 service into a combined through service numbered 152 operated with open-top double-decker buses. This ran on a commercial basis until 17 September. Wilts & Dorset will be operating the same service for summer 2006 (from July). However, the partly subsidised winter timetable was withdrawn by Wilts & Dorset from 17 September. A 2 revised winter timetable offering, effectively, three return journeys has been negotiated with the bus company. 3.9 Services 129 and 131 have been combined into a single 131 daytime service. One of the consequences of this has been the loss of the daytime hourly service to/from Christopher Crescent in Oakdale where there are a number of older people’s properties and accommodation for learning disabled people. Following representations from residents, a temporary service numbered 128 has been introduced offering three return journeys to Poole and to Tesco at Fleetsbridge. Consideration is also being given to whether this service can be revised to serve Upton Country Park to replace a Social Services transport arrangement. 3.10 There remain a number of areas where certain journeys are no longer possible or where a change of bus is required. These include: Lower Parkstone to Ashley Road following the rerouting of service 150 via Penn Hill. Merley to Tesco Fleetsbridge following the withdrawal of the 132 from the store. Waterloo Estate to Bournemouth following the withdrawal of service 109 Tower Park to Bournemouth following the withdrawal of services 106/107 3.11 Appendix A sets out all of the bus service revisions introduced since 28 August 2005. The majority of the bus service contracts are due for retendering later this year. Surveys are currently being undertaken and it is proposed that different options on service level will be requested. A further report will be brought to the Transportation Advisory Group in January 2006 to consider the tender results. 3.12 Additional costs have been incurred as a result of services previously operated on a commercial basis now receiving support. However, there have been reductions in the level of service provided through some of the contracts with consequential pro-rata adjustments to costs and one contract has been discontinued (LB 24). As a result the net effect of the service changes equates approximately to an additional £13,000 per annum. On a pro-rata basis this equates to approximately £7,500 for 2005/06. 3.13 It is anticipated, however, that there will be significant increases in contract prices following the retendering exercise. The Local Economy Overview Group will also be considering the Council’s overall support for bus services. JAMES T BRIGHT Head of Transportation Services Background Information 3 None APPENDIX A – BUS SERVICE REVISIONS Name and Telephone Number of Officer Contact John McVey (01202) 262221 28 September 2005 TAG 4 APPENDIX A – LOCAL BUS SERVICE REVISIONS Service No. Route Description Changes Contract No. Old Price New Price 132 / 708 Merley-Allenbourn Middle School Commercial 132 school extensions am & pm Commercial Commercial £19,000 and pm only commercial 708 journey withdrawn from 28.08.05. No suitable alternative am journey. PM 132 journey but not via school resulting in safety issues for pupils. Shamrock Buses operate temporary replacement am & pm to/from school grounds to Easter 2006 numbered 22. 710 Talbot Comb. Sch.-Talbot View Estate (pm Contract terminated from 28.08.05. Not LB24 £6,871 N/A only) replaced due to very low passenger numbers. School informed. 716 Broadstone Mid. Sch-Springdale Rd/Corfe Contract terminated from 28.08.05. Temporary LB27 £7,592 £23,560 Mullen (pm only) replacement by Shamrock Buses operates am and pm to Easter 2006 renumbered 60. 730 Creekmoor-Hillbourne First and Middle Contract terminated from 28.08.05. Temporary LB33 £16,820 £16,820 Schools replacement by Shamrock Buses to Easter 2006 renumbered 30. 751 Poole High School-St. Osmonds Church Commercial school services withdrawn. Commercial Commercial Commercial 752 (pm only) Alternative W&D services operate from Poole 753 Albert Road Poole High / Poole High-Penn Bus Station (some via Wimborne Road or 755 Hill Sterte Road). 756 Poole High School-Wallisdown (pm only) Poole High School-Waterloo (pm only) Poole High School-Creekmoor (pm only) 757,758,759 Merley-Corfe Hills School Contracts terminated from 28.08.05. Retendered Pupil, Parent £85,500 £96,330 and awarded to Shamrock Buses. & Youth Svs Contracts M7 Parkstone Gram. Sch-Canford Heath- Commercial am journey withdrawn and pm Commercial £10,864 £21,660 Poole Bus Sta. contract terminated from 28.05.05. Temporary – am replacement by Shamrock Buses am and pm LB35 (pm) with extension to Baiter renumbered 45 to Easter 2006. 97/98 Poole-Creekmoor Existing daytime commercial combined 20 Commercial Commercial Commercial minute frequency reduced to combined 30 minute service. 5 97/98 Poole Creekmoor Evening service reduced to one circular journey LB59 £4,973.89 £1,657.96 (evenings) from three 101 Poole-Bournemouth via Lwr Parkstone & This commercial service withdrawn from Commercial Commercial Commercial Penn Hill 28.08.05. Wilts & Dorset will divert service 150 (Bournemouth-Sandbanks-Swanage) to cover 101 route between Westbourne and St. Osmonds Road (instead of Ashley Road). In addition, Yellow Buses will commercially operate a replacement 101 service on a similar timetable. 106/107 Canford Hth-Tower Park- B’mouth via Upp. The four daytime services combined into single, Commercial Commercial Commercial 109/110 P’stone half-hourly 108 service running over a standard Corfe Mull-Br’stone-Oakdale- B’mouth via route between Bournemouth, Canford Heath, Upp.