Fares Policy In London: Impact on Bus Patronage
Agenda Introduction to Transport for London Overview of Bus Patronage in London Changes in Policy and patronage since 2000 Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Impact of Strategies on Patronage Conclusion
Agenda Introduction to Transport for London Overview of Bus Patronage in London Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Impact of Strategies on Patronage Conclusion
Transport for London Mayor Board Commissioner London Rail Surface Transport London Underground DLR
How the London system works London Buses tenders routes and awards contracts by: setting routes, frequencies and types of bus provides bus stations, stops, information and monitors the 30 or so contractors from the private sector, who provide the assets, employ the staff and manage the service The Mayor sets fares for the bus, tube, DLR, Croydon Tramlink and taxi network.
Agenda Introduction to Transport for London Overview of Bus Patronage in London Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Impact of Strategies on Patronage Conclusion
London Bus Patronage 1950-1999/00 4 3 2 1 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Passenger journeys per annum (billions) Source: LBSL, 2005
Mayor s key objectives for buses People s experience of travelling by bus must be transformed..buses must be reliable, quick, convenient, accessible, comfortable, clean, easy and safe to use and affordable. It is expected that between 2001 and 2011 there will be a 40% increase in both passenger numbers and service provision Source: The Mayor s Transport Strategy, July 2001
London Bus Patronage 1995/96 2004/2005 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 Passenger journeys per annum (billions) Around 40% aggregate growth since 1999/00, meeting the 10 Year Target in only 5 years Highest number of passengers since 1965 Source: LBSL, 2004
Success in London s Bus Service 1 Bus passenger growth up 5.4% in 2004/05 compared to previous year - an extra 91 million passenger trips 38.3% aggregate growth since 1999/00, or by nearly 500 million trips per year from 1296 to 1793 million trips Highest operated kilometres since 1957 450 million in 2004/05 20% more passengers per bus since 1999/00 Best ever service quality since records began in 1977 95% of buses now accessible (100% by end of 2005) Staff lost miles 0.17% in 2004/05 lowest for about 50 years 1,099 bus lanes in London (290km) highest ever 49% year on year growth in night bus passengers (180% growth since 1999/00) 22% year on year growth in Sunday passengers (94% growth since 1999/00)
1 Understanding Passenger Growth Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Investment in the Quality and Quantity of the Service Background Economic Growth
1 Agenda Introduction to Transport for London Overview of Bus Patronage in London Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Impact of Strategies on Patronage Conclusion
Fares Strategy 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Annual passenger journeys Average fare paid deflated by real London earnings 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 The approach to public transport fares over the next three years will include a bus fare freeze 1
Free Travel for Under-16s Implemented in 2005 Provided free fares to all young people under the age of 16 Aimed to promote social inclusion Forecast to increase travel demand by around 50m journeys per annum, roughly the equivalent of 2.7% of total bus journeys Planned to extend the scheme to under-18s in full time education in September 2006. 1
1 Freedom Pass London Boroughs own and sponsor the scheme London residents who are over 60, or those are eligible by way of disability, are entitled to the Freedom Pass Enables free travel on bus, tube, DLR and Tramlink services though with some time restrictions Around 260 million bus journeys a year using the Freedom Pass (around 15% of the total bus trips made in London)
1 Agenda Introduction to Transport for London Overview of Bus Patronage in London Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Impact of Strategies on Patronage Conclusion
1 Simple Ticketing making the ticketing structure simpler and easier for passengers to use and understand Flat Fares One zone flat fare system created in 2004 One cash fare for any journey regardless of origin or destination Flat bus pass price, and any Travelcard valid on any bus
1 Smartcards TfL will develop targeted fares options using Smartcards to offer benefits to passengers, increase use and reduce delays as resources permit Oyster was launched in 2003 as TfL s multimodal smartcard Oyster can hold value in the form of Travelcards, PrePay and Bus Passes Capped PrePay facility ensures people will only pay the equivalent of a one-day bus pass
1 Cashless Operation New ticketing options and the promotion of their use through the fares strategy has decreased cash use 11% of passengers use cash, compared to 24% 5 years ago Enabled faster boarding times, and journey times, reducing the overall operating costs TfL aims to further reduce the level of cash use in order to bring greater benefits to passengers
2 Agenda Introduction to Transport for London Overview of Bus Patronage in London Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Impact of Strategies on Patronage Conclusion
Understanding the Impact of Fares and Ticketing Strategies 12 10 Percentage Passenger Growth 8 6 4 2 0 2000/2001 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 Other Fares and Ticketing -2 Between 00/01 and 02/03, around half of the growth in passenger journeys was attributable to the fares and ticketing strategies Key initiatives: Fares freeze Average fare was reduced Extension in validity of bus passes Passes included night buses 2
2 Quality Improvements Reliable and quick Simple information at the stop 24 hour operation Fully accessible Low emissions CCTV/Policing support Congestion Charging Zone Better traffic management Turn up and go frequencies
2 Agenda Introduction to Transport for London Overview of Bus Patronage in London Fares Strategy Ticketing Strategy Impact of Strategies on Patronage Conclusion
2 Influences on Demand Growth 100% 80% Other Percentage 60% 40% Trip per tkt factors service quality y- on-y service level y-on-y 20% 0% 02/03 03/04 04/05 Fares journeys y- on-y London economy y- on-y -20% Year
2 Conclusion London s bus revolution: - 40% growth in bus patronage in just 5 years - Fares policy has had a significant role in enabling the growth in patronage both in the short and longer term - Taking account of recent fares increases, customer satisfaction levels are at their highest level since records began in 1977, though patronage growth has slowed, with much of the growth attributable to free travel schemes. - Isn t over yet however - still more can be delivered to cope with growth in population of over 800,000 people by 2016, and further improve quality
WWW.TFL.GOV.UK 2