Vision for Salisbury Quality Bus Partnership 25 July 2012
Vision for Salisbury Quality Bus Partnership Signed on 25 July 2012 Sir Christopher Benson J.P., D.L. Chairman... Salisbury Vision Partnership Board Cllr. Dick Tonge Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport... Wiltshire Council Andrew Wickham Managing Director... Go South Coast Andrew Dyer Managing Director,... Stagecoach South Adrian Hillier Managing Partner... Hatts Travel 1
Contents Signatures 1 Contents 3 Common objectives of partners 4 Governance and membership 5 Responsibilities of council 6 Responsibilities of bus operators 7 Responsibilities of the Salisbury Vision Board 8 Appendix 1 Bus Punctuality Partnership 9 Appendix 2 List of partners 11 Appendix 3 - Schedule of partnership projects 12 3
Common objectives of partners 1. The partners recognise that the objectives of the Vision for Salisbury cannot be achieved without a high quality public transport network in Salisbury that: a. encourages car-free travel b. supports business growth c. facilitates cultural activity including tourism d. enhances the historic and architectural features of the city e. supports the objective of improved air quality f. provides levels of reliability and punctuality that gives prospective passengers confidence in using it. 2. It has, therefore, been decided to form a Quality Bus Partnership to co-ordinate plans and actions in support of the above, to provide a panel of experts to help the Vision for Salisbury Board effectively incorporate public transport into their proposals and to incorporate a Bus Punctuality Partnership (BPP). A BPP obliges the partners take positive actions agreed between them to ensure that there is continuous improvement in bus reliability (the percentage of advertised bus journeys that are fully completed every day) and bus punctuality (the percentage of journeys that run at the advertised time) and to monitor these against targets as a measure of effectiveness. 3. The objectives of the Quality Bus Partnership are to: a. generate modal shift from private cars to buses b. increase the number of passengers using buses c. facilitate and encourage intermodal journeys by passengers incorporating buses, cycling, walking, rail or park & ride, in order maximise alternative options to car travel d. perform the role of a Bus Punctuality Partnership e. enable operators to develop and maintain financially sustainable bus services f. make buses easier for people to use g. improve the quality of the travel experience for bus users h. encourage the partners and others to invest in better facilities for buses and bus users i. ensure that appropriate and adequate public transport facilities are provided that are sympathetic to the built environment of Salisbury j. work towards reduced overall vehicle emissions in Salisbury k. reduce direct emissions of bus operation 4
Governance and membership 4. This agreement is voluntary and does not create any legally binding relationship between the partners. However, each partner will use its powers and duties to improve upon those areas in which it has the authority or ability to act. 5. The quality bus partnership will consist of commercial bus operators in Salisbury, the operator of the Park & Ride bus services, the Vision for Salisbury Partnership Board and Wiltshire Council. A list of partners is appended. Any other operator of commercial bus services in the city of Salisbury will be entitled to join the quality bus partnership. 6. There will be a steering group comprising representatives from all members of the partnership including the service heads in Wiltshire Council for Traffic & Network Management, Sustainable Transport and Passenger Transport. The steering group will elect a chairman by simple majority of those present. The chairman shall be elected on a rotating annual basis with the post holder not holding the position for more than two years duration. 7. The steering group will oversee the work of the partnership and for this purpose it may identify projects to be carried out by the partners and other bodies as applicable. The initial list of projects is included at Appendix 2. The steering group may add additional projects, terminate existing ones, modify the project outcome or change the completion date of any project by simple majority vote. 8. The steering group may set up working groups involving representatives of other organisations in order to pursue its objectives and plans. Such representatives may attend steering group meetings at the discretion of the chairman. 9. Local Authorities are subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations whereby information supplied to them by other parties may need to be released following a specific valid request. For the purpose of this legislation, any operator-specific data will be classified as commercially sensitive information under the terms of the legislation. The partners recognise that each request under the terms of the legislation will need to be assessed individually and subjected to a public interest test. Release of any operator-specific data will still be subject to the provisions of the data sharing agreements as specified in paragraph 30. 10. The partners acknowledge their obligations under the Competition Act 1998 and nothing in this agreement intends to breach that Act. 5
Responsibilities of Wiltshire Council 11. When tendering for supported bus services, to do so in a way that promotes fair competition, and that enables operators to put forward cost-effective or innovative bids that make best use of their resources and experience, for the benefit of the customer. 12. In co-operation with the bus operators, to minimise the number of occasions on which major timetable changes take place and, where possible, provide as much advance notification to the council as possible where changes are likely to have an impact on current service provision ( Major timetable changes means changes to routes and changes to service frequency of more than a five minute reduction or increase during the period Monday-Saturday 7am-7pm). 13. To use available powers and take actions to seek to continually reduce bus journey times and the variability of such journey times, both for the benefit of passengers and to facilitate more efficient use of bus operators resources, by: a. managing road works in co-operation with bus operators to ensure that wherever possible bus services are given priority or not disadvantaged, and that appropriate information about duration and delay is supplied to operators in advance so as to allow suitable alternative arrangements to be made b. prioritising the enforcement of existing bus priority and traffic management measures to prevent obstruction of buses directly or indirectly c. consistent maintenance of all such measures to facilitate proper use and enforcement d. introducing improvements in new and existing Traffic Regulation Orders to help facilitate bus movements e. standardising as far as possible the hours of Traffic Regulation Orders for bus lanes throughout the city in order to encourage compliance and simplify enforcement f. designing any traffic calming measures in consultation with operators to ensure that these are bus (vehicle, driver and passenger) friendly and compatible g. working with operators to identify locations where they face problems with schedule adherence, identifying the causes of these problems and implementing suitable solutions. 14. To develop infrastructure to improve ease of use of bus services and to improve its comfort and convenience for passengers. 15. To ensure that funding from developers is used to benefit the development of public transport and to keep the QBP up to date about the extent of relevant developer funding together with any plans under the Local Enterprise Partnership to provide facilities in advance in anticipation of recovering the cost from developers. 6
16. To prioritise bus based initiatives as agreed with bus operators over the period of LTP3 Implementation Plan 2011-2015 supporting growth in the area. 17. To ensure jointly with bus operators that a key interchange point is maintained within the city centre for layover/interchange as part of the city centre master planning process, ensuring that any change causes no detriment to passengers in respect of accessibility of City Centre facilities. 18. To examine the use of new powers and technologies as they emerge. 19. To respond to operators concerns about road safety issues. Responsibilities of bus operators 20. To ensure that, on routes where operators are participating in the Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) system, all their buses are fitted with on-board equipment capable of operating the RTPI system and that it is used by drivers in a way that maximises the benefit of the system to passengers. 21. In respect of routes covered by the RTPI system, to ensure that full timetable information including bus workings is provided to the council at least three weeks in advance of any change to the public or the working timetable. 22. In recognition that the true competitor to the bus is the car, to undertake, maintain and support initiatives marketing all bus services in Salisbury as a whole so that customers can easily find out about and use buses provided by all operators. 23. To display comprehensive timetable information at bus stops and provide information by other methods, all information to be provided in compliance with Wiltshire Council s Bus Information Strategy. 24. To provide staff training over the period of this agreement to improve standards of customer service, including the implementation of CPC training and Customer Service Excellence training programmes. 25. To invest in vehicles in order to minimise boarding times and improve reliability, including for passengers with enhanced accessibility requirements. 26. To maintain staff, systems and processes to provide the best possible information and customer service during both pre planned and emergency disruptions to the network, including use of the real time information system. 7
27. To make amendments to services through timetable alterations, rescheduling, route changes, and number of buses, as necessary to meet any requirements agreed by appropriate members of the partnership, no operator member being able to influence the amendments that another operator is required to implement at any time. 28. In co-operation with the Council, to minimise the number of occasions on which major timetable changes take place and, where possible, provide as much advance notification to the Council as possible where changes are likely to have an impact on current service provision ( Major timetable changes means changes to routes and changes to service frequency of more than a five minute reduction or increase during the period Monday-Saturday 0700-1900). 29. To use the information and techniques available to them to advise other partners on how the public transport network can be used to best effect in the Vision for Salisbury proposals. 30. To supply aggregate punctuality data and aggregate patronage data to the Council under this partnership agreement. These data will be subject to a data sharing agreement between the Council and each individual operator partner. These data will be combined by the Council to produce indices for all operators for external publication as agreed by all partners. Individual operators data will not be made public without prior permission, subject to the provisions of paragraph 9 Responsibilities of the Salisbury Vision Board 31. To take action and use its influence to maximise the opportunity for synergy between new development and bus services in order to meet the partnership s objectives. 32. To ensure that developments as a result of the Vision for Salisbury where relevant facilitate the provision of public transport that meets the objectives of the partnership; 33. To understand the implications for public transport of any and all proposals; 34. To ensure that the advice originating in the partnership is taken into account in land use, traffic management and street scene developments on projects that are led by the Vision. 8
Appendix 1 Bus Punctuality Partnership The DfT Bus Punctuality Working Group has endorsed the following six principles which a Bus Punctuality Partnership (BPP) should adhere to: Principle 1 Principle 2 Principle 3 Principle 4 Principle 5 Principle 6 Recognition of the importance of punctuality and reliability to delivering a good service to the passenger. All parties recognise their contribution to the provision of punctual services and jointly identify and agree actions that can be taken. A shared commitment to achieving a high standard of service punctuality to the benefit of the passenger A commitment to constructive partnership between the operator, the local highway authority and the local transport authority that is clear to all. A working level commitment to regular and timely constructive dialogue on operational issues. Mutual sharing of information on operational issues so that areas for action can be identified, on the understanding that the information will only be shared with a third party in accordance with any data sharing agreement Reliability is: the operation of the timetabled advertised services the provision of a vehicle to meet the reasonable travel expectations of a passenger (by vehicle type and capacity). Punctuality is: adherence to the published timetable at all registered timing points on the route; the timetable is adhered to if the departure of the bus falls within the window of tolerance set out by the Traffic Commissioner: up to one minute early or up to five minutes late. It is recognised that punctuality can be improved by operators increasing journey times and by providing additional recovery time. However this can have an adverse effect in increased operating costs and reducing the overall appeal of the service to users. Therefore other means of achieving punctuality must be explored in full. The aims of the BPP are: to improve journey time reliability and end to end cycle time for buses with a commitment to reducing cycle times to improve punctuality by attention to motivation of staff, boarding times, information, infrastructure, service quality and vehicles providing the service to use traffic management enforcement, improved TROs and control of temporary works on the highway as tools to improve bus punctuality. 9
The objectives of the BPP are: to agree where time keeping and reliability fall outside agreed targets with the ultimate aim of exceeding the Traffic Commissioner s defined targets to identify areas or junctions or other issues that delay services or increase journey times and work to resolve these where possible to monitor journey times along the main corridors into the city, with the intention of facilitating reduced and less variable journey times for buses, year on year to agree an implementation plan, reviewed annually, taking a corridor by corridor approach which will be incorporated into the council s capital programme and informing investment and business plans of the relevant operators and groups. The members of the BPP will consider and employ the following data and information in helping tackle timekeeping problems: Manual & Electronic on-board and off-board timekeeping data Real Time Information data Customer feedback Partner pomments and staff feedback; Lost mileage statistics Route audits to identify pinch points and current priority measures Joint action to identify the causes and locations (hot spots) of delays to services in order to target action by partners to improve conditions Identification and communication of issues between parties to identify potential problem areas that are causing reliability issues with bus services, and consideration of improvements that can be made with prioritisation of these improvements Maintenance and expansion of the bus priority, arrival prediction and information supply elements of the Real Time Information (RTI) system, and extension where practicable to all operators through a service level agreement, utilising partners existing and emerging technologies and business management systems to reduce the overall operating costs of the system Investigation and investment by the partners, where appropriate, to improve on-bus ticketing through the introduction of innovative ticket products and delivery systems, including smart ticketing applications, to reduce bus stop dwell times and achieve a reduction in the proportion of cash fare payers 10
Appendix 2 List of Partners Salisbury Vision Wiltshire Council Wilts & Dorset Bus Co Stagecoach in Hampshire Hatts Travel 11
Appendix 3 Schedule of partnership projects (List subject to change and revision of dates according to circumstances) Project Outcome Target date Churchfields Extension of existing Park & Ride service to provide access to Churchfields Summer 2013 industrial estate from the city centre Quick Read (QR) codes at every city bus stop and city-wide distribution of Near Personalised Field Communication (NFC) enabled key marketing fobs to access local bus stop departure 2012 information City centre passenger waiting facilities Improved traffic regulation and enforcement a) New waiting room at bus station b) community based art work on wall c) Improvements to Tesco stop in city centre Improved road signage, markings and enforcement at five key pinch points, leading to more consistent journey times on R1 so that a 10 minute frequency can be maintained a) March 2013 b) March 2014 c) March 2014 March 2014 New buses New buses will be provided in Salisbury March 2014 Secure cycle facilities at bus stops in four Bike to Bus strategic locations on main bus routes scheme into the city, together with associated March 2013 marketing and monitoring Low energy lighting Punctuality Improvement Programme (PIP) Review bus service tender specifications Data sharing agreement LED lights replace fluorescent lights on all Wilts & Dorset buses in Salisbury. The old lights will be reused on buses in other areas. To commence a programme of positive actions agreed between the partners to ensure that there is continuous improvement in bus reliability and punctuality and a process to monitor these against targets as a measure of effectiveness. To ensure the way tenders are specified encourages fair competition, and permits operators to suggest cost-effective or innovative alternatives that will benefit the public An agreement between Wiltshire Council and each operator setting out their rights and obligations regarding any confidential data they choose to share in pursuit of the partnership. March 2014 August 2012 April 2013 To be identified 12
Project Outcome Target date Regular publication and interpretation of Bus use figures showing how bus use contributes October 2012 statistics to the life of the city Bemerton Heath quick wins Multi-operator smart ticketing Bemerton Heath improvements and enforcement Network marketing The Central Car Park and The Maltings development and long-stay parking relocation Bus/rail interchange Central interchange arrangements Early implementation of the most practicable improvements to maintenance, road marking and enforcement on bus routes serving Bemerton Heath in order to improve punctuality of bus journeys Passengers have the option to buy tickets that can be used on the buses of more than one operator Longer term improvements to maintenance, road marking and enforcement on bus routes serving Bemerton Heath in order to improve punctuality of bus journeys Passengers and potential passengers are inspired to use the public transport services of all operators in Salisbury as an integrated system The removal of the majority of the long stay parking from The Maltings and car park site and optimisation of the park and ride scheme (and other public transport facilities as necessary) to provide replacement long stay arrangements New infrastructure to provide convenient transfer between train and bus at Salisbury Railway Station To ensure convenient pick-up/set-down facilities in the city centre that meet the objectives of Salisbury Vision. April 2013 At least some benefits during 2012 March 2014 2013 To be identified 2016 (subject to LSTF project timetable) To be identified 13