West Midlands BUS ALLIANCE Contents 2 What is the West Midlands Bus Alliance 3 Ticketing 4 Air Quality 5 Open data 5 Identity 6 Punctuality 6 Network Development Plans 7 Safety and Security 1 WHAT IS THE WEST MIDLANDS BUS ALLIANCE In the West Midlands, we have a proud capital and much improved perceptions operators, the Combined Authority, council history of delivering better bus services of personal security. highways and transportation departments, through partnership. Every year over a Local Enterprise Partnerships, the Safer quarter of a billion journeys are made The formation of the West Midlands Travel Partnership, influential councillors by bus in the region and passenger Combined Authority provides an exciting and Transport Focus. satisfaction with services has increased opportunity to advance this partnership to by 7% since 2012. a new level, ensuring that bus companies Alliance Board members are responsible not only provide a network that enables for identifying what the region’s buses Through the Transforming Bus Travel excellent connectivity and supports the need to deliver and then putting policies programme, over £100m of investment development of the region’s economy, but and funding streams in place for this to be has been delivered in improving services also that the region’s highways authorities achieved. The first meeting of the Board for passengers through partnership recognise their role in supporting this by took place at the end of 2015 and in March initiatives with bus operators. This has providing a road network that enables fast, 2016 the Board identified seven key actions resulted in a more modern fleet with punctual bus journeys to operate. which we will work together to deliver by lower emissions, the UK’s most advanced 2020. smart card ticketing system outside To achieve this, a new Alliance Board London through Swift, the largest real-time has been established that consists of passenger information system outsidethe representatives from the region’s bus 2 TICKETING We will deliver fare capping and contactless payment on all of the region’s bus services by 2020. There is a wide array of tickets available for Swift; the region’s smartcard bus ticketing bus passengers in the region. Individual solution. More and more ticketing products bus companies have their own ticket are being added to the Swift line, starting products, but there are various multi- with bus season tickets, pay-as-you- operator, multi-modal ticketing options all -go products and this has now been covering different geographical areas and expanded to cover the regions train and different time periods. Some may argue tram services. But this is just the start. this provides good value and consumer Customers still need to work out what the choice, but in reality many passengers tell best ticket is for their journey and ensure us they are confused about which is the that their card remains topped with valid best ticket to buy and the uncertainty about products or credit. The commitment to fare prices and how to pay can put people of capping means that a customer will not travelling by bus. need to work out what the best product is for them, the system will instead calculate This shouldn’t be the case. Alliance the best priced ticket for the journeys partners want bus travel to be as easy and they have made and only charge that intuitive as possible -which is why we are amount. Beyond this the commitment to committed to delivering fare capping and contactless payment means that by 2020 contactless payment on all of the region’s customers can do away with their smart bus services by 2020. cards entirely and use contactless debit or credit cards instead. SWIFT Over the last few years smart card ticketing CASHLESS TRAVEL? in the region has expanded rapidly. In Whilst fully embracing technology and 2008 Centro purchased ticket machines progressing new and innovative payment so that all operators became smartcard methods, we also recognise that for many ready. This enabled every concessionary customers the ability to pay cash fares will pass holder to be issued with smart a remain important. There are no plans to card and provided the platform to develop abolish cash on the region’s buses. 3 AIR QUALITY All buses operating in the West Midlands will be Euro V, Euro VI or better by 2020 Poor air quality is a major issue in the West STATUTORY QUALITY PARTNERSHIP ZERO EMISSIONS Midlands. Much of the region is designated SCHEMES The Alliance will also progress initiatives an Air Quality Management Area and it is The delivery of a Statutory Quality to deliver more zero emission buses to estimated that road transport emissions Partnership Scheme (SQPS) in Birmingham the region, building on the success of from exposure to fine particles account City Centre enabled standards to be set the electric buses operated by Travel De for around 1,460 premature deaths in the to limit emissions from buses entering Courcey in Coventry. We have bid to OLEV West Midlands (“Estimating Local Mortality the area. While this has been successful for funding to deliver 50 electric buses Burdens Associated with Particulate Air in raising standards, the Alliance will to the region, which could be the start Pollution”, Public Health England, 2014). do more, including extending the area, of much wider roll-out. Birmingham City increasing standards and developing new Council is also co-ordinating a programme Buses can play a key role in addressing schemes covering other local centres. The with Alliance partners exploring the this. By encouraging more people on to the Alliance is very much a partnership with feasibility of hydrogen powered buses. bus we can reduce the number of vehicles all bus companies committed to support on the road – a bus carrying 30 people the objectives, although it is important LOW EMISSION BUS DELIVERY PLAN will emit a lot less pollution than the same that the Alliance uses tools such as SQPS As more and more low emission vehicles people all travelling individually in cars. to protect investment by operators and are delivered by bus operators, it is However, to have the greatest impact we ensure that anyone wishing to run buses in important that these are focussed on need our buses to be as clean as they environmentally sensitive areas is required routes that have the poorest air quality can be. Alliance partners are committed to meet the same standards. and therefore where the vehicles have to ensure that all buses operating in the the biggest impact. The Alliance has West Midlands are a minimum of Euro V by SUCCESSFUL BIDS developed a Low Emission Bus Delivery 2020. Centro and bus companies have already Plan which identifies where the key air been working closely in partnership to bid quality hot spots are across the region, OPERATOR INVESTMENT for funds to support technology to reduce what opportunities and constraints Through the Bus Alliance, operators are emissions: there are for bus companies (e.g. depot making significant commitments to clean locations) and these can be assessed to up their fleets. National Express have - 2011/12: 49 diesel electric hybrids ensure the right solutions are applied to committed to purchase over 300 new Euro delivered by Diamond and NXWM the right places. VI micro hybrids before 2020 to replace through the Government’s Green many of their older buses; they have Bus Fund halved emissions from their fleet in the last five years and these will halve again - 2015: 21 Travel De Courcey buses between now and 2020. Stagecoach has converted from Euro II and III to Euro committed to invest £7.5m so that all of VI following installation of particle their buses in the region will be Euro V by traps funded through the Clean Bus 2020 and a number of smaller operators, Technology Fund including Diamond, Johnsons, Claribels - 2016: A further successful bid to and Central Buses continue to invest in the Clean Bus Technology Fund will brand new vehicles for the West Midlands. see National Express covert 150 buses from Euro III to Euro VI. 4 OPEN DATA An open data approach will be adopted for all non-commercially sensitive data All data relating to timetables, fares, improve punctuality. This approach will punctuality and reliability will be made also enable apps and other information freely available. This helps us to identify systems to be developed either by Alliance how networks can be developed and partners or other parties to ensure tailored services improved, for example by making information is available for customers, the case for road schemes that can regardless of who operates the service. IDENTITY A single public transport identity will be developed that provides a consistent, clear message for customers. The Network West Midlands brand is to delivering services across different widely recognised, but will evolve to organisations - a customer shouldn’t greater prominence across all public be confused about who is responsible transport modes, complementing for different aspects of their journey the strong individual brands that will experience - they should expect a continue to exist. This commitment clear, consistent response addressing also encompasses the ongoing work their concerns through a single, to provide a more joined up approach understandable point of contact. 5 PUNCTUALITY A reduction in delay minutes will be achieved across the Key Route Network This aligns with highways authorities’ commitments to reduce delays and is one of the most important factors for passengers. Rather than setting a global target for reducing delays there should be a focus on the areas that will have the biggest impact on meeting wider policy objectives. To achieve this we will seek external funding, such as from the Local Growth Fund.