Agenda item

7.1

The Committee received a presentation from Ben Gilligan (Director of Public Transport, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive [SYPTE]).  Also in attendance for this item were Councillor Jack Scott (Cabinet Member for Transport and Development), Tom Finnegan-Smith (Head of Strategic Transport and Infrastructure) and Greg Challis (Senior Transport Planner).

7.2

Ben Gilligan reported on the background to the Sheffield Bus Partnership, following its launch in 2012.  He reported on the original objectives of the Partnership, and on the Better Bus Area, a key element of the original Partnership, which included a range of capital and revenue schemes, including Penistone Road, Heeley Bottom, improved urban traffic control and audio visual on buses.  Mr Gilligan reported on performance, including punctuality and reliability by year, passenger volumes, emissions and key challenges.  He concluded by referring to future steps which included, amongst other things, a vehicle retrofit programme, joint regulation of services, simplified fares and tickets, network simplification and enhanced bus priorities.

7.3

Members of the Committee raised questions, and the following responses were provided:-

·             Whilst the majority of bus drivers were friendly and helpful, there was always going to be a small percentage who were not, despite the efforts of the operators.  There had always been a struggle for consistency in terms of drivers providing excellent customer service, and it had been identified that there was a need for more consistent training for drivers, both in terms of their attitudes and knowledge of their routes. 

·             Capital investment in terms of the bus service was the responsibility of the operators.  Whilst it would be ideal to have a fleet of brand new vehicles, the SYPTE was dealing with a number of commercial partners, who had to be mindful of the costs involved.  It was considered that Sheffield had done very well in terms of the £40 million investment in new vehicles since 2012.

·             The SYPTE had the responsibility for repairing and replacing bus shelters, and had recently allocated £150,000 for shelter renewals across South Yorkshire (£80,000 in Sheffield), which represented approximately 35 new shelters.  It was accepted that there was a need to respond as quickly as possible to deal with damaged bus shelters.

·             Monthly punctuality and reliability figures were provided and reviewed at the Bus Partnership Operational Group meetings.

·             Problems caused by buses blocking roads, by doubling up, represented a major issue for the Partnership.  Consideration was currently being given to having someone in the City Centre to deal specifically with issues such as this, which would, in turn,  assist traffic flow.  Representatives of the two main bus operators and the Council worked together in the Urban Transport Control Centre, based in the Town Hall, which allowed for dialogue between the two parties.

·             Whilst it was accepted that having additional conductors on the buses would make it safer for passengers, as well as helping in terms of fare collection, this would have a major cost impact for the operators, and would be a decision for them to take. 

·             One of the reasons for the reduction in bus patronage was due  to a shift to taxi use, on the basis that it was more flexible in terms of the route, perceived as being safer and, with the ability to book and pay for taxi journeys via an app, it was a lot simpler.  Also, if there were a number of people wanting to reach a similar destination, it often worked out cheaper. 

·             Customer safety was viewed as paramount by the Partnership, and it worked closely with the police, requesting that they target their resources on the tram network where required.  The SYPTE was funding a role to co-ordinate activity between transport operators and South Yorkshire Police as part of the TravelSafe Partnership, which was also part-funded by operators.

·             The X17 (Sheffield to Barnsley, via Meadowhall) continues to run on the motorway, thereby helping to speed up journey times. 

·             Drivers were continually reminded about their responsibilities in terms of leaving their engines running (known as idling) whilst waiting at stops.  All drivers were measured on this, and questioned on their actions where necessary.  The new Euro VI buses, of which there will be 117 next year, and which were fitted with the engine cut-out facility, would help to reduce CO2 emissions.

·             The commissioner of the KPMG report “Trends in English Bus Patronage” was the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the industry trade body.

·             Following an initial period of growth in terms of passenger volumes, the general trend has been one of decline, driven by the English National Travel Concessionary Scheme (ENCTS) market, with fare-paying passengers having increased, and significant growth noted in child travel.  The key factors driving this were changes in employment patterns, reduced need to travel, relative costs of taxis and the increasing prevalence of online shopping.  The growth of 1.3 million more fare paying passenger journeys over the lifetime of the Partnership had been driven by the work of the Partnership, specifically with regard to the improved co-ordination of marketing and investment, and low fares.

·             Future steps include network simplification, with greater co-ordination, requiring fewer buses, as well as quicker journey times.

·             Total bus mileage was down by 10% as a result of efficiencies and measures to reduce city centre bus movements to improve air quality. 

·             The proceeds from the sale of multi-operator tickets were shared between the bus operators. 

·             The budget in respect of concessionary travel was underspent last year.  This money did not go to the operators, but the SYPTE identified a number of ways of allocating it to deliver benefits to passengers, including additional support for job seekers. 

·             The reduction in concessionary journeys disproportionately affected low frequency bus services, which were generally used by more elderly people. 

·             In terms of the future steps, the reference to the planned joint regulation of services referred to the joint corridors where a number of different operators ran services, and the plan was for one operator to take the lead to organise this route to allow for improved traffic flow and scheduling.

·             Around 2015, when the major network change took place, there were a number of issues, such as incorrect vehicle capacity and overcrowding.  These issues, together with the network changes and the changes to the national economic position at that time, were all contributing factors to the reduction in bus patronage.  The Partnership was continuing to look into this issue, and hopefully would be able to find some answers. 

·             The Partnership regularly monitored capacity on bus routes, and the operators would make any required changes, such as putting double-deckers on some routes during rush hour, and when children were travelling to and from school.  The Partnership had been working closely with the Council, following the withdrawal of the operator, Bright Bus, which operated a number of school services, to look at where extra provision in terms of services was required and the SYPTE stepped in to fund a number of additional services.

·             Bus operators had, and would no doubt continue to experience problems with regard to anti-social behaviour.  The Partnership would look into the problems and react where necessary.  The operators would only withdraw services where there were particular problems as a last resort.  The Partnership would request the police to direct resources to problem areas.

7.4

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)      notes the information reported as part of the presentation, together with the responses to the questions raised; and

(b)      thanks Ben Gilligan, Councillor Jack Scott, Tom Finnigan-Smith and Greg Challis for attending the meeting and responding to the questions raised.