Bristol City Council has published its Bus Strategy which incorporates some of the conclusions of an all-party Improving Bus S

Bristol City Council has published its Bus Strategy which incorporates some conclusions of an all-party Select Committee on Improving Bus Services.

The Council wants:

● 12% more passengers on buses by 2010

● a bus stop within 400 metres of the home of 98% of the population, served by a route with at least 4 buses an hour during the day, reaching the local neighbourhood centre within 15 minutes and the City Centre within 25 minutes, by 2010

● accessible public transport to all major health centres by 2010

● increased reliability, defined as not more than 1 minute early or more than 5 minutes late.

● 90% of bus stops to display a current timetable by 2003 [unlikely to be met].

The Select Committee makes recommendations to the Government (more money), the City Council and bus operators, particularly First Bus. In addition to those mentioned here they cover Dial-a-Ride, Park & Ride, Customers Charters, accessibility to disabled travellers, safety, services for students and recruiting planners.

The Select Committee heard from passenger groups, First Bus and its smaller rivals (ABus, Bugler Coaches, Eagle, South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach), business, the TGWU, Bristol University Students Union, voluntary groups including some of the disabled, elderly and women, MPs, surrounding Councils and focus groups of users and non-users. Concerns were:

● Reliability and punctuality. Unquestionably the first complaint of passengers and the main reason for non-use. Slowness is a consequence. Passengers (and operators) want more bus lanes and strict enforcement of the rules against parking on them. Passengers suggested deliveries should be restricted to certain hours.

● Frequency. The Strategy seeks a maximum interval of 15 minutes between buses on a route between 7 am and 7 pm Monday to Saturday on main radial routes, 20 minutes on main orbital routes; both to be reduced to 10 minutes by 2010. On Sundays between 7 am and 7 pm maximum interval should be 30 minutes on all main routes, reducing to 15 minutes by 2010. A maximum interval of 30 minutes is the aim in the early morning and evening before midnight on the main routes. It is not clear whether this is for routes or for services (of which they may be several at a bus stop) and there are targets only for main radial and main orbital routes.

● Fares, particularly in contrast with the marginal costs (petrol, parking) of driving. Some frequent users who could buy bargain tickets were less dissatisfied, but the popular Centra-City 10 ticket had been withdrawn. There was particular concern about children’s fares which are not in fact half. First Bus suggested free travel for over 60s (as in London, Wales etc). ABus suggested free travel for everyone. This would save the company from the expense and danger of handling cash and speed up boarding; it would simply run the bus and collect all costs and a profit from the community.

● Tickets. Suggestions include standard fares (including dropping them in a box without the need for the driver issuing a ticket), and more buying in advance include more publicity for shop agencies and introducing roving tickets sellers, ticket machines at bus stops and a bus sales and information office on the City Centre. There was also a plea to bring back conductors.

● Routes. Many feel that these are determined for the convenience and profit of First Bus rather than where people need to travel, and that they have not changed to meet new needs (e.g. the offices at Temple Quay; and the Avonmead Entertainment Centre where First Bus gave little publicity to the service and withdrew it because of lack of demand). There is particular concern about the few buses going to Temple Meads, the difficulty of reaching Southmead and Frenchay hospitals and that in so many cases services run into the Centre where travellers have to find another bus from another stop to complete a journey across the City. The Council wants to increase the frequency of the orbital services running round the inner, middle and outer areas.

● Interchanges. Much more needs to be done to improve these at the Bus Station, City Centre, wherever radial routes cross orbital ones and most of all Temple Meads [and other rail stations?]

● Buses. Users claimed that on a majority of routes they were old, dirty, cramped, uncomfortable and jerked and threw passengers; that better maintenance was needed to prevent breakdowns and passengers being forced to change buses; that they were old buses brought down from the North and that new buses never went to the poorer areas. Routes 75, 54, 45 and 41 were said to be the worst.

● Drivers. A few bus drivers are surly, don’t wait for passengers to be seated before setting off, charge wrong fares, can’t advise on connecting routes, don’t know the names of streets along the route or did not help disabled passengers (it is said they are not allowed to do so to avoid liability for any harm that might result). In extenuation it was acknowledged that they did a stressful job, were hurrying to make

up for delays, suffered from split shifts and frequent roster changes and that the operator had difficulty recruiting because of low unemployment in Bristol. Drivers were brought in on short contracts from elsewhere. Passengers called for better pay and conditions, the TGWU wanted improvements in holiday and sick pay, shift patterns, canteen and toilet facilities; consecutive rest days; breaks after 4 hours driving; more support from the Police and employer in cases of assault.

● Information. Much dissatisfaction with the availability of timetables; maps; information on fares, especially special ticket offers; where to buy tickets in advance; when the next bus is due; and delays. Complaints include lack of information at bus stops and that the telephone help-line is not answered.

● Stops. The Council is responsible for the poles and flags at 325 bus stops in and around the City Centre or used only by council-supported services. First Bus is responsible for most of the other 1225. The Council is responsible for all shelters and wishes to eventually upgrade all stops and shelters where space, road safety and passenger demand warrant. The need for more than one bus stop at a location, requiring passengers to run between them and risk missing a bus, should be reviewed.

The Select Committee define the ideal bus stop as having an accessible well-lit four clear sided large vandal proof shelter accessible to wheelchair users, with a raised kerb, accessible information displays including larger print, better identification of the numbers of buses using the stop, integrated timetables, real time information, first and last bus information, connecting services, bus route maps, fare information, bus map and timetable dispensers, audio information (“talking bus stop”), customer service/complaints contact details, email electronic information point facility and free-phone help-line to bus operators and the Police.

● Night buses on Friday and Saturday are popular. The Council would like to run them every night if there is enough demand but nightclubs and pubs have not responded to an invitation to contribute to the cost. It should be investigated whether this could be made a condition of licensing.

● Yellow buses. Council should extend the pilot scheme to other schools to reduce the school run which adds to congestion and pollution.

● QP or QC. In a Quality Partnership (QP) a Council and an operator share responsibility for agreed improvements to selected routes. Bristol and First Bus have had an informal QP since 1997 which has produced 18 kilometres of bus lanes and £6 million of new buses. The Council is now “pursuing” a QP Plus which would also include the Police, to bring in 7 Showcase routes by 2008, improve driver training and set standards for information (a Council duty) and ticketing (a Council power). First Bus will consult the Council about frequencies and consult before raising fares and as far as is legally possible will reveal its accounts to the Council. A QP does not allow a Council to fix frequency or timetables.

A Quality Contract (QC) allows a Council to decide routes, frequency and timetables and then put services out to tender, giving the selected operator exclusive rights to provide those services. Our Group wants buses returned to public ownership, and this was reflected in a few of the responses to the consultation. Although the Government has taken some hesitant steps to do this for the railways (where passenger numbers have shot up) it shows no sign of doing so for buses (where passenger numbers have fallen). A QC seems to be the next best thing; bus use has risen in London which has similar powers under a different law; but the Government has approved no QC and Bristol hasn’t even applied.

The Council’s bus budget this year is £8,711,000, including supported services (£1.8m), concessionary fares (£1.5m) Park & Ride (£0.63m), night buses (£0.15 m), Showcase routes (capital cost, £1.85m).

Comparitive statistics from the report

Changes in bus usage 1980-1998

Italy	up 50%
Denmark	up 40%
Austria	up 20%
Sweden	up 20%
UK	down 20%

Fare for a typical public transport trip

UK	Taken as 100
Germany	87
France	62.5
Netherlands	35

Countries in the European Union subsidise buses up to 70%. The UK subsidy is the lowest – 32%. On average just over 80% of motorised journeys are by car: in the UK it is nearly 90%.