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ITEM EX14
EXECUTIVE
– 7 SEPTEMBER 2004
TRANSPORT
INFORMATION FOR BUS SERVICES
Report by
the Head of Transport
Introduction
- Under the Transport
Act 2000, local authorities were given new powers to set standards for
public transport information, and to ensure that such information is
provided. OCC adopted a formal Transport Information Strategy for Bus
Services at the beginning of 2002, and since then discussions and negotiations
have continued with operators to ensure information meets the standards
set down by the Council.
- This report summarises
the problems faced in implementation of the Strategy, and asks the Executive
for authorisation to explore other avenues for securing improvements
in public transport information, in line with our PSA targets.
Background
- The Transport
Act 2000 gave local authorities new powers to set and enforce standards
of local bus information; these were to include what information was
expected, how it should be provided and where it should be made available.
The Act also requires the local authority, once those standards are
set, to ensure the information is being provided and, if it is not,
to negotiate with the operator to persuade them to do so or, if that
fails, to produce it on behalf of the operator and to charge them for
doing so.
- The Executive
agreed on 5 March 2002 to adopt a Transport Information Strategy for
bus services in Oxfordshire (a copy is in the Members’ Resource Centre.)
Under the Strategy, operators are expected to meet the full costs of
any information they provide, and following consultation with operators
the standards in the Strategy became enforceable from January 2003.
Prior to this, in the main only the three biggest operators in Oxfordshire
(Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach and Thames Travel) regularly produced
comprehensive transport information, and while the majority of operators
expressed a desire to improve the standards of information they provide
when consulted on the draft Strategy, in reality the possible cost and
the effort involved in keeping information constantly updated proved
somewhat unexpected for many of them. Smaller companies generally had
previously produced very little; they often relied on timetables supplied
in rough draft form by Council Officers during the tendering process,
or on publicity produced by the local authority under the umbrella funding
of the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant, some of which can be allocated specifically
for publicity purposes.
- Those operators
who do produce publicity generally do so well, and have little or no
difficulty in meeting the standards laid down in the Information Strategy.
Many other operators have made substantial improvements, though this
has usually been with the assistance of officers, and it has become
clear that, if these improvements are to be sustained, officers will
need to continue to work closely with operators and the County Council
may need to be prepared to make a greater contribution towards achieving
those improvements. All contracts for tendered services let since October
2002 include the Information Strategy as one of the Standard Conditions;
enforcement should therefore become easier once the agreed standards
have been reached following the letting of new contracts at each service
review.
- One of the Council’s
‘10 + 3’ priorities is "to increase public transport passenger journeys
in line with County Council targets", and the Transport Ambition Group
of the Oxfordshire Community Partnership has set a priority to "provide
easy access to transport information". Our PSA target looks for a 10-11.5%
increase in passenger numbers over three years, and, although there
is little publicly available research on the subject, it has been shown
that improved information and passenger awareness of services are major
factors in encouraging use of public transport. The most recent BVPI
figure for "Satisfaction with information on public transport" shows
an improvement from 46% to 49%. However, the Local Transport Plan sets
a target of a 5% increase each year, so even greater improvement will
be required if targets are to be met.
- Officers therefore
feel that a more proactive role will be required from the Council, and
this report sets out a number of initiatives which the Executive is
invited to consider. In many cases, officers are seeking approval in
principle to enable officers to pursue agreements with operators to
increase and improve the availability of transport information. If approved,
officers will explore the detailed arrangements required and the costs
involved and report back to a later meeting.
- While many of
the proposals in this report arise from suggestions made by operators,
they have not been consulted on any of the detailed proposals. This
will be necessary if these proposals are approved by the Executive,
and where changes to our Information Strategy are required, these will
be subject to full consultation and to report to a future Executive
meeting.
Roadside
Information
- Other than on
identified Premium Routes, the County Council has not hitherto taken
a pro-active role in the provision of bus stop infrastructure, and it
is felt that this has led to a lack of co-ordination, with a resultant
lack of consistency and quality throughout the County. For example,
under the current system, if a new route is introduced, there will be
no bus stops to indicate its existence or the timetable unless these
are formally requested by the Parish Council(s) affected.
- The Information
Strategy requires timetables to be displayed at every boarding point
along every route, but the lack of infrastructure is a significant barrier
to comprehensive roadside information. Most operators expressed willingness
during consultation to provide and update roadside timetables, but with
so few stops, particularly in rural areas, having timetable cases, operators
feel that, on low frequency subsidised services, the cost of providing
cases far outweighs any benefit they might gain from increased ridership.
If the County Council were to provide this infrastructure, operators’
responsibilities and subsequent enforcement would be greatly simplified.
- The Council’s
current delegation arrangements (recorded in the Schedule to Section
L of the Constitution) currently permit officers to agree the supply
of bus stop poles, flags or timetable cases only where a local council
(town or parish) has made a formal request, or where it is felt the
bus stop would mainly be of benefit to non-residents of the area, or
where another party such as a bus operator agrees to meet at least half
the cost. Officers feel it would be more useful for the Council to pursue
an active programme of ‘bus stop package’ provision without this being
subject to these conditions. This would not of course prevent provision
in response to any requests by and contributions from local councils
or other parties, and officers would obviously continue to consult interested
parties on the location of stops in all cases.
- Officers estimate
that the cost of this would be in the region of £100 for each new stop,
but some costs could be met from the existing budget for maintenance
of stops on the Premium Routes network, pending wider provision on those
routes. Officers would therefore propose that the use of this budget
be extended to cover all stops.
- In most locations,
bus stop poles already exist, and officers would propose fitting timetable
cases; costs in these instances will obviously be lower. Now that the
responsibility for ensuring timetable information is kept up to date
lies firmly with the operators, enforcement of the requirements of the
Information Strategy will be far easier if cases are placed on every
bus stop pole. The intention would be for the Council incrementally
to take over the supply (and therefore ownership) of all timetable cases
in the county, initially on subsidised routes only. Operators would
still be expected to supply both cases and timetables on commercial
routes, where the return for their investment is proportionately greater,
but it might be appropriate to consider further extending the scheme
in the future. It is proposed that the scheme be rolled out gradually
route by route as subsidy contracts are reviewed in each area of the
County on a rolling timescale.
- The further issue
of the timetable displays for these cases would also need to be clarified
– options would be for the Council to provide them, or for operators
to do so. Both options have advantages and disadvantages; on multiple
routes, for example, there is a danger that the multitude of individual
operator displays would be confusing. On the other hand, if the Council
takes direct responsibility for arranging the displays, while they would
have a consistent appearance, there would be staffing and cost implications.
- Officers have
also been in discussion with operators about the appearance of bus stop
flags. It is proposed that a standard design be used for all flags,
and that this show the bus stop pictogram, the name of the stop, operators
using that stop and possibly the service numbers. Operators have expressed
a desire to improve the ‘image’ of bus travel, and a combination of
the measures outlined above will help in achieving this aim.
- The precise means
for doing this, including procurement issues, would need to be subject
to further discussion, but the proposals arise from initial discussions
with operators, and, subject to Executive approval, officers will enter
into detailed negotiations over contracts and responsibilities, and
the timescale for implementation. Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach
have already suggested that it may be appropriate for them to pool resources
with the County Council, and further discussion with other operators
may show this to be a fruitful way forward. There is also a possibility
of much of the work being included in the Council’s existing contract
with Isis Accord.
County
Public Transport Guide
- The Oxfordshire
Public Transport Guide was published again in 2003 after a two-year
gap. It contained a map of bus routes, information on frequencies and
operator details, and was delivered to every household in the county.
This edition was funded under the powers in the Transport Act 2000 as
a joint exercise, with the Council contributing roughly one third of
the cost, and operators sharing the balance, based on the number of
services they operated. The overall cost of the project was around £20,000.
In fact, many operators (both large and small) were reluctant to fund
what they saw as a "Council" responsibility. Although there was some
disquiet, all operators did eventually make the requested contribution;
nonetheless, many were unhappy, especially the bigger operators, whose
publicity costs already form a significant part of their budgets.
- During consultation
it also became clear that the majority of operators believe the County
Guide is not the best format. Until 1999 the Council published Area
Guides twice a year for 12 areas of the county, which contained comprehensive
timetable information on all local services in each area. However, despite
the timetable information being simplified to keep costs down, residents
found the format slightly confusing, and, while the cost was significant
(£40,000 for the last edition), the guides were not universally well
received.
- Earlier versions,
which contained timetable information in a more conventional format,
had been even more expensive, but officers believe the format could
be improved if information were shown in less detail, possibly as a
list of available services. Various options will need to be investigated:
for the precise format of the guides, the frequency at which they are
produced, the areas on which they concentrate and how they are distributed.
For example, door-to-door delivery of the last County Guide cost almost
£6,000.
- Most operators
feel Area Guides are more relevant to local people, consequently more
likely to be used, and of more direct use to them in their operating
areas – many have said they would carry them on their vehicles, and
officers are therefore seeking Executive approval to produce examples
of different guides and to conduct some research with the general public
to investigate the preference for different formats of Area Guide.
- Officers would
also suggest that, if agreed, Area Guides be produced twice a year,
to coincide with the dates on which changes to subsidised services are
permitted (late May and early December). There would have to be an acceptance
that some commercial services would change between these dates, but
officers are engaged in separate discussions with operators to limit
the number of times a year on which changes to bus services can take
place.
- Some initial funding
for first editions may be available from ITS budgets if it is decided
to centre guides on those areas, but ongoing revenue will need to be
made available for future editions. It may also be possible to secure
operator commitment and funding if the guides are more localised.
Bus Route
Maps
- The County Council
has produced "Where to catch your bus" maps for Oxford city centre –
jointly funded by the Council, Stagecoach and Oxford Bus Company – and
a smaller project has been undertaken in Headington, funded under the
HAMATS budget. Unfortunately, with bus services liable to change at
only 56 days’ notice, these maps can quickly become out of date. If
they are to continue, and potentially be extended to other towns, a
commitment from operators will be needed to minimise the number of changes
to their services.
- Officers would
like to extend these maps to all ITS towns and larger rail stations
at least, possibly printed only twice a year to coincide with subsidy
contract change dates. The work of erecting them could potentially be
included in any contract we may let for the maintenance of timetable
displays at other bus stops, which would result in efficiency savings
and greater effectiveness.
- Funding of the
maps will need to be clarified with operators, but will clearly vary
depending on the location. The cost of these maps is around £200 each.
Traveline
- Traveline
is a Government initiative set up to provide comprehensive, multi-modal
travel information over the telephone and the internet. Provision of
timetable and bus stop data is arranged and funded by local authorities,
call-centre costs by bus operators. A commitment to the future of Traveline
forms an important part of the Information Strategy, but in recent weeks
funding has become a major issue, with some operators refusing to pay
their contribution to the day-to-day running costs, which are based
on the number of times their services are given as a journey solution.
- It has also consumed
a disproportionate amount of officer time in ensuring the data supplied
by Oxfordshire is accurate and timely, and has detracted from other
initiatives. Our data is now among the best in the south-east region,
but there have unfortunately been severe problems since the switch to
a new enquiry management (journey planning) system provider shortly
before Christmas 2003, and this may be one of the reasons why some operators
are reluctant to pay their share of the costs of the service.
- Officers have
taken up these issues with our local operators, and hope to be able
to achieve effective improvements, but if the Traveline call-centre
should fail, there will be pressure on the Council to provide an alternative
source of information. The costs of setting up an independent telephone
enquiry line have previously been investigated, and found to be in the
region of £30,000 per year, but it may prove more effective to enter
into a joint venture with the big local operators, who have retained
their own telephone enquiry systems despite the existence of Traveline.
- A further report
will be made if necessary if the Traveline service fails to deliver
the high standards it aspires to.
Oxfordshire
County Council Website
- If Traveline
should fail, or even be radically amended, there will be even greater
pressure on local authorities to provide a comprehensive and reliable
alternative. Our web-site has clear potential as a means of the Council
supplying its own up-to-date source of information. At present, links
are provided to operators’ own web-sites where these exist, along with
a link to the Traveline site. We do not currently supply timetable
information ourselves.
- Information could
be supplied from our database management contractor, but clearly costs
would need to be clarified before any commitment could be made. The
Executive is therefore asked to consider the possible development of
our own web-site independently of other initiatives, and give officers
authority to enter into negotiations with potential suppliers.
Marketing
- A sum of £50,000
has already been allocated from the PSA pump-priming grant for an Information
& Promotion campaign, and officers have identified Witney Market
Place as a potential pilot scheme for the overall improvement of infrastructure
and information. Bus stop poles there are in an advanced state of collapse,
timetable information is either out of date or non-existent, and there
is scope for a major improvement in passenger numbers as a result of
newer vehicles being used on the Witney-Oxford corridor by the operator.
- Some changes to
bus services in the area are likely as a result of the review of subsidised
services in the neighbouring Charlbury area and perhaps for other reasons
and any improvements would be timed to coincide with the introduction
of the new services, to raise awareness and to attract new passengers.
Officers would propose that the first Area Guide be produced for Witney
on the date of introduction, and that other ‘marketing’ activities be
explored to assist in raising the profile of public transport in the
town and increasing passenger numbers.
- If successful,
and subject to the availability of funding, such schemes would be extended
to other areas of the county.
Financial
and Staff Implications
- The Council will
need to procure new contracts for the supply, erection and ongoing maintenance
of bus stop infrastructure. Costs for these will be investigated by
officers and reported to a later meeting, if approved by the Executive.
There are currently 2,900 bus stops in use in the county, and, while
it is not proposed to replace all of these at one time or even at all,
it is clear that a gradual roll-out will be required if the scheme is
approved. There will be significant staffing implications for the management
of the contract, although direct officer involvement in the day-to-day
erection of infrastructure would hopefully be minimal. Discussions have
already taken place regarding the possible inclusion of this work in
our term contract with the Highway Management Division and with Isis
Accord.
- The Council would
also need to identify and secure a contract for the provision of roadside
timetable displays. This may form part of a new contract for maintenance
of our timetable database, although a separate contract with a printer
may be necessary unless the required software can be procured as part
of the database contract. There will be significant financial and staff
implications, both in contract management, and in the provision of timetable
displays. Current annual expenditure on timetable displays provided
by our database management contractor is around £10,000, but this covers
only around 100 stops where Parish Councils have previously requested
that the Council provide ‘composite’ displays for a number of operators.
There would undoubtedly, though, be economies of scale if the Council
were to start to produce displays in large numbers.
- Each of these
initiatives will require additional staff resources, principally in
managing the contracts which will be needed for each of the activities.
While perhaps one initiative could be absorbed within existing resources,
if the Executive agrees that the many suggested improvements to transport
information are necessary, one extra staff member will be required in
the Public Transport Information team, which would enable existing staff
resources within the team to be redeployed to cover the additional tasks
mentioned in this report.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- The Executive
is RECOMMENDED to:
a.
decide
whether to request officers to explore further any or all of the following
information issues outlined in the report and report back with detailed
costs to a future meeting:
- supply
and maintenance by the County Council of timetable cases at all
bus stops;
- provision
by the County Council of co-ordinated timetable information at all
bus stops;
- provision
of a standard bus stop flag;
- an active
programme of bus stop infrastructure provision;
- twice-yearly
area timetable guides in place of the current annual countywide
guide;
- "Where
to catch your bus" maps throughout the County;
- a public
transport telephone enquiry line for Oxfordshire separate from Traveline;
- a website
Journey Planner separate from Traveline; and
- a programme
of local marketing initiatives throughout the County, similar to
that proposed for Witney;
b.
authorise
officers to supply bus stop poles, flags and timetable displays as
a complete package without the need for a request or contribution
from the local council or other party as required by the terms of
the existing delegation, but subject to care being taken to avoid
excessive signing in environmentally sensitive areas and to no material
objection having been raised by the local council concerned (or otherwise
with the concurrence of the relevant Executive Member);
c.
authorise
officers to produce pilot Area Guides, and to investigate the preferred
format for these by producing different versions and consulting representatives
of the general public, to be funded jointly with operators wherever
possible;
d.
authorise
officers to investigate the production of "Where to catch your bus"
maps for all ITS towns, subject to funding being available;
e.
note
the difficulties currently being experienced with the Traveline service,
and that officers will report back to a future meeting in the event
that these difficulties cannot be overcome;
f.
agree
the allocation of £50,000 from the PSA pump-priming grant to an Information
& Promotion campaign to be focussed on Witney, including improvements
in Witney Market Place and a Witney Area Guide.
DAVID
McKIBBIN
Head of Transport
Background papers: Nil
Contact
Officer: Ian Connick Tel: Oxford 815088
August
2004
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