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ITEM TIC14

TRANSPORT IMPLEMENTATION SUB-COMMITTEE – 27 NOVEMBER 2003

SERVICE 31/32 CHANGES

Report by Assistant Director (Highway Management)

1. On 4 November Council referred a petition from Mr Joe Campbell in the following terms to this Committee to consider:

"We the undersigned respectfully petition Stagecoach Bus Company about the changes to the bus services (Number 31 and 32 bus routes) from Wantage and Grove to surrounding areas. These changes have caused extra hardship and inconvenience, as the services are crucial in supporting our local town."

Mr Campbell addressed Council. This report sets out the background to the changes to the Stagecoach bus services in the Wantage and Didcot areas which were revised on 17 August 2003.

2. Prior to 17 August 2003 Stagecoach operated the 31/32 group of interworked services between Wantage and Oxford without County Council subsidy (except for a few late night journeys). Both services operated on a basic 30 minute daytime headway, with extra buses in the Monday to Friday peak hours, and with most buses operating "through" journeys across Wantage, giving local passengers more travel opportunities, without having to change buses, such as Grove to Didcot.
3. The old network involved the use of up to 17 buses at peak times and Stagecoach continue to operate Service 31 commercially, with four buses, on a basic 30 minute headway. All buses on Service 31 terminate in Wantage instead of running through to Didcot and there has been some reduction in the level of service, especially in the early morning.
4. Stagecoach gave the Traffic Commissioners due notice that the 32 group of services would be totally withdrawn from 17 August. These operated from Wantage via The Hendreds, Harwell, Didcot, Milton Park and alternatively via Steventon and Drayton or via Sutton Courtenay and Culham to Abingdon and then through to Oxford.
5. After (unsuccessful) attempts were made with local bus companies to encourage them to take over Service 32 commercially it was recognized that the County Council could not afford to replace the previous network without making some reductions in the level of service when putting out the route to competitive tender. It was decided to provide a Wantage-The Hendreds-Harwell-Didcot-Milton Park-Sutton Courtenay-Culham-Abingdon tendered service after the Oxford Bus Company did offer to increase the frequency on their existing Service 35A between Oxford, Abingdon, Drayton, Steventon, Milton Park and Didcot without subsidy.
6. Competitive bids were invited for two tenders for the replacement Service 32: one for an hourly service throughout the day and one for an hourly service off-peak but half-hourly in the peaks. Unfortunately only one bus company (Stagecoach) submitted tenders for both these options and as these were very expensive we had to opt for the hourly service throughout. Despite obtaining financial contributions from Abingdon-Witney College and UKAEA at Harwell IBC towards the cost of the new tendered Service 32 our Public Transport budget has now been stretched to the limit and the cost of providing extra buses would be prohibitive. Additional contracts were awarded to Weavaway Transport for evening and Sunday journeys on Service 32 and the overall cost of the new contracts to the County Council has stretched the Public Transport budget to its maximum limit.
7. When drawing up the new timetable we tried to include travel options for as many people as possible but, as the travel patterns in this corridor are extremely complex, it was recognized that to satisfy all of them would be an impossible task with an hourly service. There are many establishments on the line of route that, in themselves, require public transport that should be tailored to their requirements, such as Harwell IBC, Didcot Parkway Rail Station, Milton Park and Didcot, Abingdon and Wantage Town Centres. Therefore some public transport users, such as Joe Campbell, have seen their journeys withdrawn as the County Council does not have the financial resources to replace the previous level of service that was operated by Stagecoach.
8. It is alleged that Stagecoach withdrew Service 32 in favour of the new competitive Service X4 between Abingdon and Oxford but, of course, under the current legislation Stagecoach are perfectly entitled to do this. Deregulation of bus services allows bus companies to choose which services they run and draw up their own timetables. The County Council has a duty to arrange "such services as they consider it appropriate" to meet transport needs which are not met by services arranged in other ways.

RICHARD DIX
Assistant Director (Highway Management)

Background papers: Petition received from Mr Joe Campbell

Contact Officer: Allan Field, Tel: Oxford 815826

November 2003

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