ITEM CMDT10
CABINET MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT – 27 MARCH 2008
REVIEW OF GRANTS FOR PROVISION OF TRANSPORT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS
Report by Head of Transport
Introduction
1. This report invites the Cabinet Member to consider future funding for two dial-a-ride services which provide pre-booked door-to-door transport using fully accessible vehicles for people with mobility impairments who could not easily be able to use conventional public transport. In both cases, current County Council funding arrangements come to an end on 31 May 2008.
2. The Dial-a-Ride services currently under consideration comprise the dial-a-ride shoppers’ services which operate into Reading from two areas in South Oxfordshire.
3. This review has been undertaken in conjunction with that of supported bus services in the Didcot / Wallingford / Henley area, and the Cabinet Member may wish to refer to the separate report of that Area Review in considering funding for these dial-a-ride services.
Review of ReadiBus Dial-a-Ride Shoppers’ Services
4. ReadiBus operates Dial-a Ride (DAR) services (including timetabled shoppers' services) in much of Central and West Berkshire. The ReadiBus operation is funded by a number of Councils, most notably Reading Borough Council, and in the last financial year (to 31 March 2007) it received local authority subsidy payments totalling £514,612.00 (£534,786 if funding from Falklands Surgery and Berkshire Community Foundation is included).
5. For a number of years ReadiBus has operated two shoppers' bus services from South Oxfordshire into Reading on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council and our overall contribution towards this currently amounts to almost £3,237 per annum. The current County Council funding arrangements for both of these DAR services come to an end on 31 May 2008. The services under review are those operating between Henley and Reading (and from communities en route), and between Goring and Reading.
6. Both services accept South Oxfordshire District Council concessionary bus passes, enabling pass-holders to travel free of charge.
7. Consultation was undertaken with the parish councils of Eye & Dunsden, Harpsden, Rotherfield Greys, Rotherfield Peppard, Shiplake, Sonning Common, Henley-on-Thames, and Goring; also with the Parish Transport Representatives of such of those parishes which had appointed such a post-holder. Additionally, comments were sought from ORCC, OCVA, Transport For All and from South Oxfordshire District Council. The Oxfordshire County Councillors representing Henley North & Chilterns, Henley South, Sonning Common, and Goring divisions were also contacted.
8. Letters of support for the continuation of the Goring service have been received from the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and from Goring Parish Council. Henley Town Council also responded with reference to the Henley service, but expressed the view that “Councillors were of the opinion that this service has little impact in Henley”.
9. Transport For All considered the issue of these Readibus services at their meeting in January 2008 and expressed the view that the Henley service should be withdrawn, whilst re-stating their support for the continued funding of the Goring service.
Henley Dial-a-Ride shoppers’ service
10. The service from Henley operates one day per week (Wednesday) and was last reviewed by the Transport Implementation Committee in December 2005. ReadiBus has informed us that the number of passengers registered to use this service (pre-registration is a legal requirement for such services) has declined from the 46 passengers registered when the situation was last reported to the Transport Implementation Committee (it had been 54 in 2001/2), to 25 currently registered in December 2007. The number of passenger journeys has also shown a marked decline, from 150 in 2004/5 to just 14 in 2006/07, and 19 for the period 1 April to 31 December 2007. This equates to a cost per passenger journey of £149.64 in 2006/07 and a projected figure for 2007/08 (assuming the full-year out-turn is proportional to the number of passenger journeys in the first nine months) of £83.80 (£12.69 when last reported to this Council in December 2005). It should be remembered that Dial-a-Ride services are expensive to operate and generally result in a much higher cost per passenger journey than conventional bus services. Even so, the quoted figure for cost per passenger journey at recent patronage levels is exceptionally high and should probably be regarded as unsustainable.
11. ReadiBus has suggested that “with such little demand manifested now over a two-year period, that this service be withdrawn”. I would recommend that the Cabinet Member decides not to continue the present funding arrangement and allow discontinuation of the Henley Dial-a-Ride service after 31 May 2008.
12. If the decision is taken to withdraw funding, Readibus has offered to write to each member of the scheme explaining that it is no longer feasible to operate the service after 31 May on the basis of current usage and the cessation of funding support for it. This would inform those who currently use it or have recently used it and give due notice of the service withdrawal.
Goring Dial-a-Ride shoppers’ service
13. The service from Goring to Reading operates one day per week (Thursdays) and was last reviewed by the former Transport Implementation Committee in December 2005. This service has been established for a number of years, following its instigation by Goring Parish Council. The Parish Council continues to make a significant contribution towards the cost of the service, and the parish clerk reports that they have budgeted £600 for 2008/09 (£550 was paid in 2007/08) in anticipation of the service continuing.
14. ReadiBus has informed us that the number of passengers registered for this service has remained stable since last reported (pre-registration is a legal requirement for such services) at 65 currently-registered users. The use of the service has also remained roughly stable, at 796 passenger journeys in 2004/05, 622 in 2005/06, and 775 in 2006/07. This equates to a cost per passenger journey to the County Council of £1.45 (£1.29 when last reported) (There have been 492 journeys recorded for the first nine months of 2007/08 – which would equate to 656 passenger journeys in a full year). This represents excellent value for money for a service of this type.
15. If the funding support from Goring Parish Council were included in the calculation, then the current cost per passenger journey is £2.16 (based on 2006/07 funding and patronage figures)
16. Messages of support for the continuation of this service have been received from Goring Parish Council, whose Clerk stated that “Goring Parish Council would like to see the service retained”. The Parish Transport Representative for Goring had earlier indicated that she felt that the amount of time that the service allowed users in Reading (three hours) was too long. The Rural Transport Partnership Officer at Oxfordshire Rural Community Council also made reference to the time currently allowed in Reading in his consultation response, describing the development of a similar weekly shoppers’ service for disabled and mobility-impaired people from Goring to Wallingford and Henley, funded by the Rural Transport Partnership and Goring Parish Council. He reports that “this largely came from local pressure by older people who found the Reading service beyond their stamina”. It is reported that this alternative Wallingford & Henley service attracts similar patronage levels to the Reading service under review, but that the clientele served is different to those who use the Reading service. On the evidence of current patronage figures quoted by Readibus, it would seem that the development of the ‘rival’ service has increased the travel options open to disabled and mobility-impaired people in Goring and ‘grown the market’, without adversely affecting the viability of the established Reading service.
17. The service is scheduled such as to arrive in Reading at approximately 10.45am and depart Reading at 1.45pm. There has been some expression of opinion that this allows too long in Reading. Readibus has offered to adjust these times slightly if it is preferred by a majority of current users.
18. ReadiBus has offered to continue to operate this service at the same cost as at present, adjusted for inflation. At present this amounts to £1,129.44 per annum, but this figure is due to receive its standard inflationary increase from 1 April 2008. I would recommend that the Committee continue to fund this service for a further period of four years. This would enable a further review of the Goring Dial-a-Ride to be undertaken in early 2012, which would coincide with the scheduled review of subsidised bus services in the Goring area, which is due for implementation in May 2012.
Financial and Staff Implications
19. The total cost of these various schemes currently amounts to £3,236.56. The total cost of the recommendations below amounts to £1,129.44, a saving of £2,107.12.
20. The report is not considered to raise any staffing issues.
RECOMMENDATION
21. The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED:
(a) to cease to pay ReadiBus for the Dial-a-Ride service between Henley-on-Thames and Reading and agree discontinuation of that service after 31 may 2008 and thank ReadiBus for their past operation of this service; and
(b) to pay ReadiBus up to £1,129.44 per annum but with continuing annual adjustments for inflation to secure the continuation of the Dial-a-Ride service between Goring and Reading for a period of four years commencing 1 June 2008 and concluding on 31 May 2012, or on whatever date the scheduled Area Review of bus services in the Didcot / Wallingford / Woodcote & Henley area is implemented.
STEVE HOWELL Head of Transport Environment & Economy
Background papers: Correspondence with service providers and user representatives (refer to contact officer)
Contact Officer: Neil Timberlake. Tel: Oxford 815585
March 2008
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