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ITEM EX10 - Annex 1EXECUTIVE – 26 NOVEMBER 2002REAL TIME PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR OXFORDSHIREDetailed Project Appraisal (download as .rtf file) DETAILED PROJECT APPRAISAL APPRAISAL NO: H168 NAME OF SCHEME: REAL TIME PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR OXFORDSHIRE BASIS OF ESTIMATE: Stage 1 report from Halcrow (consultant)
RTPI systems can provide accurate information on arrival times of buses through a range of media. In addition to displays at bus shelters and in public places, information can also be disseminated to passengers by means of the Internet, ordinary telephone and through text messaging systems to mobile phones. Location information, such as ‘next stop’ displays, can also be provided on buses. Most recent systems work through global positioning satellite (GPS) technology and radio signals communicating with mini-computers on-board buses, receivers at bus stops and computers at central control stations (located with bus operators and the Local Authority). An important consequence of this communication network is the ability of operators to track their buses ‘live’ on a computer screen (known as Automatic Vehicle Location or AVL). Operators can then manage their services more proactively, keeping services closer to the scheduled timetable. Over the longer term, reports can show where timetables require revision to make them more robust. Bus drivers can be advised visually of deviations from scheduled time at any point. Inefficiencies such as the bunching of buses can be reduced thus allowing operators to allocate resources more efficiently and minimising waiting times for passengers. This technology can also be used to provide bus priority measures at signalised junctions thus improving bus journey reliability. The existing transponder system causes traffic lights to change as any bus fitted with a tag approaches a junction. The RTPI system, however, can distinguish between late-running and early-running buses and can trigger the traffic signals selectively. As the first stage of the project it is proposed to provide Real Time displays at 20 bus stops along the Oxford to Kidlington corridor and for 80 buses (both Stagecoach and Oxford Bus Co) to be equipped with small on-board computers. Control centres would be established with both operators and with the County Council. It is proposed to specify in the tender that the RTPI system has the capability of communicating through a wider range of media than just bus stop displays, such as the internet, mobile phones and displays within shopping centres, although not all options are likely to be taken up in the first stage. For the time being, the current transponder system for those traffic signals that are equipped would be retained. As a separate part of this project there would also be new bus stop infrastructure at some bus stops to accommodate the Real Time bus stop displays. New standards for provision and management of shelters are currently being developed and will be the subject of a future report to the Executive. For Kidlington to Oxford, we will need to reach an understanding with Kidlington Parish Council and Oxford City Council. The estimated costs of this enhancement are also included in the Detailed Resource Appraisal. A new quality partnership agreement would be entered into with both the operators. Bus priority would also be improved in Kidlington (further details of this aspect will be reported in the January report on Premium Routes).
The objective of the project is to contribute to an increase in bus patronage as part of a package of measures. The need to increase bus patronage is more fully discussed in the section 4 below ‘Consistency with the Service Strategy’. Several surveys of bus passengers have indicated that service reliability is the most significant barrier to greater use of buses. An RTPI system can contribute to improving bus services in the following ways: A Improve actual timetable adherence and thus reliability B Enable operators to manage their fleet more efficiently and therefore enable them to match demand and supply more effectively within a given level of resource. C Provide reassurance to passengers, empowering them to make decisions about their journey. D Increase the convenience of bus use by enabling users to check the availability of a service before proceeding to the bus stop These are discussed further in 3 below. To further establish whether there is a demand for Real Time information from the public a survey was recently conducted amongst the Citizens panel. (A full copy of the results is available on the County Council’s website.) Some key findings are as follows:
These results would indicate that an RTPI system would be generally popular and particularly so amongst younger adults. The behaviour of this section of the community is particularly important for developing long term sustainable travel habits.
Since the RTPI system is seen as part of a package of measures to improve bus patronage the question has to be asked could this be achieved without it?
Currently bus operators monitor timetable adherence by making manual spot checks. This does not give a complete picture of bus operations at all times. Drivers have a running board which has to be manually checked to see if timetables are being adhered to. In practice this may not be checked at every timing point. Feedback from drivers in Brighton suggests that they are much happier with a small screen that gives a constant indication of the number of minutes early or late. Should there be unexpected delays drivers in Oxfordshire currently have to radio their control centre, but this should not be carried out whilst driving. Minor delays, such as those caused by delivery vans temporarily blocking a road, for example, may not get reported, but such incidents cause gaps to develop in the service. With a visual display at the control centre, such occurrences can be easily identified and action taken to rectify this.
B Enable operators to manage their fleet more efficiently and therefore enable them to match demand and supply more effectively within a given level of resource. Related to the issues explored in the paragraph above there is currently no easily managed method to prevent buses from bunching. If a more regularly spaced service can be achieved then the number of buses required could be reduced and possibly reallocated elsewhere, or service frequency increased. With a more sophisticated level of bus priority at junctions this could further reduce bunching. C Provide reassurance to passengers, empowering them to make decisions about their journey. Up to date and clear timetables can provide a measure of reassurance for passengers. Currently if there is a significant gap in service passengers may ring a helpline (if a current number is displayed), but it is quite possible that the person answering the query will not have access to detailed operating conditions. Feedback from other RTPI systems indicates that the reassurance provided by bus stop displays is valued by bus passengers. Research has indicated that with a Real Time display, the perceived waiting time is reduced. D Increase the convenience of bus use by enabling users to check the availability of a service before proceeding to the bus stop If bus patronage is to increase and for buses to compete with the convenience of the car then waiting time at bus stops needs to be minimised by making it possible for bus users to plan their journey in advance. Information displayed at stops allows people to make better use of their time (eg, buying a newspaper) whilst information on the Internet or telephone would allow people to minimise the time they spend waiting at stops. Existing paper-based information does not provide these benefits. There are options within this system regarding the extent of geographic coverage or choice of information media used. It is suggested that a basic minimum system is implemented in the first stage but that the system should be capable of expansion. The unit cost of extending RTPI to other routes, once the control centres are installed, will be lower. In the longer term the system could extend beyond the Premium Routes network.
The approved Oxfordshire Plan has a Strategic Objective of ‘Sustaining Prosperity’, and this is carried forward into the outline Oxfordshire Plan agreed by the Executive on 12 November for consultation. Within the Environmental Services Divisional Service Plans for April 2002 to March 2003 under this heading there is a Medium Term Aim ‘To Reduce traffic growth and increase the use of public transport and other alternatives to travel by car’. This includes the encouragement of bus travel by developing a network of high quality Premium Routes and ensuring improved public transport information. The Local Transport Plan 2001-2006 (LTP) states that Real Time Information is envisaged at bus stops along Premium Routes. Oxfordshire LTP Road Traffic Reduction Report 2001-2006 indicates that the Premium Routes Network would be the most significant contributor to the reduction in car use. Challenging targets have been set in the LTP for increasing the number of passengers using local bus services, by 5% a year in urban areas and 2% a year in rural areas. The Council is close to agreeing a Public Service Agreement with Government, which includes a target of increasing bus patronage in the County by 13% between 2002/03 and 2005/06. The provision of an RTPI system has also been incorporated into the County’s adopted Public Transport Information Strategy.
For an RTPI system to run successfully and contribute to the strategic objectives of the County Council there has to be bus operator commitment. Work by Halcrow reveals that there is a varying level of commitment amongst the five largest operators within the County. Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach are keen to progress the Oxford to Kidlington scheme, and are willing to contribute financially. They see the advantages of the Automatic Vehicle Location facility as being very valuable in a mainly urban operating environment. With a reduction in bunching of buses along the Kidlington corridor it should be possible to operate a better quality of service with fewer buses, thus creating a business case to support their investment. Further negotiations will be needed with operators and Quality Partnership Agreements will need to be concluded. It is believed that smaller operators might be less willing to contribute financially, and to secure their involvement on future corridors, the County Council might need to bear a larger proportion of the costs. A formula will need to be developed that encourages all operators to participate. Given the uncertainty regarding bus operator financial contributions, the Resource Appraisal is based on certain assumptions. It is anticipated that the major bus operators will pay for their own control centres, on-bus computers and a proportion of the communications and maintenance costs. For the smaller operators some of these costs may need to be underwritten by the County Council. Full details of the roll out programme will be given in a future Executive report on Premium Routes. An area of potential risk for a project of this nature stems from a lack of national standards for RTPI systems. These are currently being developed with optimistic estimates suggesting that these could be agreed in 6 months to a year. Currently there are two different methods of radio communication (Digital and Analogue), and buses equipped with one system cannot talk to the other. This means that bus services based in a geographical area served by one type of system cannot then communicate with a different system further along its route. Whilst most of the Premium Route services are wholly within Oxfordshire, some services such as those going to Aylesbury, Cambridge, Swindon or Reading could potentially be affected. Reading and Wiltshire Local Authorities are understood to be in the process of introducing new systems with differing radio communications. Linked to this is the issue that RTPI systems as described above are a rapidly changing area of technological development and there are contingent risks attached to investing in such an area. There are relatively few systems in operation within the UK that are running very successfully. Unlike some continental systems there are further complications because of the different institutional arrangements (i.e. working with commercial operators rather than a state owned operation.) Another issue to carefully consider is that whilst the County Council was not successful in bidding for Government funding for an RTPI system, another 19 local authorities were. They are now working to Central Government’s deadline of having systems up and running by December 2003. Should we follow the same timing (see section 9 below) this may affect the quality of service we receive, the choice of companies who tender, prices submitted and the ability of suppliers to deliver a system.
The introduction of an RTPI system would require an electricity supply to bus stops and control centres. Any masts fitted for radio communications would be added to existing infrastructure and would be relatively unobtrusive. (Solar powered bus stop displays are in early development and might be usable in later phases.) Many new bus shelters capable of displaying the information would be erected as part of the project. Some of the locations are likely to be environmentally sensitive and care would be needed in selecting the locations and shelter designs. By increasing the attractiveness of bus use it is anticipated that the environmental impact of motorised traffic could be reduced through fewer car journeys.
No additional land should be required for this project as there should be sufficient space available within public highway boundaries.
Staff resource would be required to oversee the implementation of the project. This would require specialist project management from consultants as well as staff resource within the Transport Development Division. This has been allowed for in the Detailed Resource Appraisal. Once the system is in place, staff will be required by the County Council for monitoring the system and carrying out the following functions:
It is estimated that the County Council would need to commit 0.5 FTE to operation of the system and this is included in the Resource Appraisal. I will look carefully at how this function could be incorporated into existing work of the department and explore any synergies that may exist with other duties.
To enable the information to be displayed at appropriate locations along each route, it will be necessary to erect new or replacement bus shelters. The procurement of bus shelters to new standards, will be the subject of a future report to the Executive. The significant revenue costs associated with both the RTPI project and the supply and maintenance of bus shelters are included in the expenditure pressures for Environment, Roads and Transport. After the first stage of the project is operational, it would be possible to slow down or speed up the rate at which the system is expanded to other bus routes across the County. This is important given the uncertainty over the Council’s future capital and revenue expenditure budgets. It is to be hoped that some of the costs of supply and maintenance of new shelters can be met through an agreement with a supplier in return for their having advertising rights at shelters (at appropriate locations). This issue will also be the subject of discussions with other Councils along each corridor. The Resource Appraisal assumes that the County Council would need to fund 50% of the new shelters and their maintenance. Again, the position should be much clearer by the time tenders are invited. It is anticipated that the bus operators would fund some 30 – 40 % of the capital and revenue costs of the whole project. The Resource Appraisal shows only those costs for which the County Council would be liable.
Subject
to successful tendering and the necessary financial allocations through
the 2003/04 budget settlement process, it is hoped to let a contract
in April/May 2003 to a supplier who can have a system installed and
operational by December 2003. This would then be followed by a series
of installations along the Premium Routes by 2011. Further details
of this programme will be supplied in the report on Premium Routes
to be submitted to a future meeting of the Executive. |