Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Growth & Infrastructure

Forward Plan Ref: 2010/168

Contact: Dick Helling, Principal Policy Officer Tel: (01865) 815859

Report by Head of Sustainable Development (CA10).

Government has determined that county councils must take over from district councils the management of the national concessionary fares scheme from 1 April 2011. Whilst the main part of the scheme – and almost all the cost – is a statutory responsibility, there is also discretion to enhance the scheme beyond the statutory minimum. Each individual district in Oxfordshire currently offers a different set of discretionary enhancements. These will need to be standardised for the county scheme.

Consultation is in progress on this, and the outcome will be reported to the 25 January 2011 meeting of Cabinet. However the Council is obliged to publish by 30 November 2010 a scheme for reimbursement of bus companies, for consultation with the companies. Decisions need to be taken now on those enhancements which directly affect this scheme.

Three of the five district councils currently allow passes to be used for free travel from 9.00 am (rather than 9.30 am which is the statutory requirement). It is not possible accurately to calculate the cost of this, but the true extra cost is undoubtedly small, since a large majority of people travelling free between 9.00 and 9.30 am would simply defer their journey slightly, until after 9.30 am, if they had to pay before that time. This extension is very popular with users and used to be offered as standard throughout Oxfordshire.

All district councils currently offer people who are so severely disabled as to be unable to travel by bus without a companion, a ‘companion pass’ entitles a companion to travel also at no fare. This is also very widespread elsewhere in the country. Terms of entitlement vary from district to district: a compromise standard is recommended.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)              Publish, for consultation with bus operators, a reimbursement scheme as outlined in the ‘Reimbursements to Bus Operators section above;

(b)              Allow free travel for concessionary passholders, throughout Oxfordshire, starting at 9.00 am (instead of 9.30 am) on Mondays to Fridays, this to apply for the 2011/12 financial year and be reviewed for subsequent years;

(c)               To offer companion passes to those residents who are in receipt of Carers Allowance; who can supply proof that they need assistance to use public transport; or are between the ages of 5 and 15;

(d)              Specify exemptions from and inclusions in the scheme as recommended in the section headed ‘Exemption of special categories of service’; and

(e)              Ask officers to report on other aspects of the concessionary fare scheme, including the outcome of consultation with passholder representatives, and any major issues raised by bus operators in the consultation on the reimbursement scheme to the Cabinet meeting on 25 January 2011.

Councillor Anne Purse, Shadow Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure welcomed that the proposals gave roughly the same service but indicated that in some parts of Oxfordshire the services would appear very different, and it was important to get a balanced view.

During discussion Cabinet Members expressed their views on the proposals and in particular on the 9.00 am start and the other discretionary elements of the scheme.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)               publish, for consultation with bus operators, a reimbursement scheme as outlined in the ‘Reimbursements to Bus Operators section above;

(b)               allow free travel for concessionary passholders, throughout Oxfordshire, starting at 9.00 am (instead of 9.30 am) on Mondays to Fridays, this to apply for the 2011/12 financial year and be reviewed for subsequent years;

(c)               To offer companion passes to those residents who are in receipt of Carers Allowance; who can supply proof that they need assistance to use public transport; or are between the ages of 5 and 15;

(d)               Specify exemptions from and inclusions in the scheme as recommended in the section headed ‘Exemption of special categories of service’; and

(e)               Ask officers to report on other aspects of the concessionary fare scheme, including the outcome of consultation with passholder representatives, and any major issues raised by bus operators in the consultation on the reimbursement scheme to the Cabinet meeting on 25 January 2011.