News update 13 May
1. 1000 Hull Trains customers were surveyed in January with customer satisfaction at 96 % for overall journey experience, timekeeping 94%, journey time 93%.
2. 185,000 journeys have been made in the first three months of a Nottinghamshire County Council multi operator ticketing scheme for students staff and apprentices at the West Notts College campus in Mansfield, to give more flexibility using the local bus network than dedicated bus routes.
3. Cheshire East Council has launched a consultation asking residents to share their views on local bus services in the first review for seven years. 21 of the 37 services are financially supported by the Council.
4. £2.56m has been allocated from the HS2 Community and Business Funds programme over the last twelve months, taking the total to over £16m in the last seven years, in 285 separate projects.
5. Vectare has acquired Simonds of Botesdale, a bus and coach operator based in Diss on the Norfolk Suffolk border. Vectare now has around 200 vehicles across all owned subsidiaries based in the East Midlands and East Anglia.
6. A new bus station opened in Crewe on 7 May.
News update 7 May
1. A Transport Focus survey, Information and Infrastructure barriers to bus use in Wales - the passenger view, undertaken in partnership with Transport for Wales, provides an insight from passengers and non-users. Barriers include not knowing what the timetable is, where they can get to by bus, what route it follows, which side of the road to wait or how much it will cost.
Ref: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/publication/information-and-infrastructure-barriers-to-bus-use-in-wales-the-passenger-view/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20current%20barriers,how%20much%20it%20will%20cost.
2. The National Travel Survey shows an average of 23 bus trips per person in England outside London for the year ending June 2023, the same as for the calendar year 2022. This was a reduction of 28% from 32, in 2019. For the same periods bus use in London rose from 14 to 16 trips per person.
Ref: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/national-travel-survey-mid-year-estimates
3. The Labour Party has set out its plan for UK rail in a paper Getting Britain Moving: Labour's plan to fix Britain's railways, bringing the railways into public ownership.
Ref: https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GETTING-BRITAIN-MOVING-Labours-Plan-to-Fix-Britains-Railways.pdf
4. East West Railways Accessibility Advisory Panel has drawn up a list of priority issues for train companies to address, to ensure the needs of disabled people are met. These include accessible toilets on trains and at stations, step free access, level boarding, and information accessible to all.
5. Surrey County Council is to expand its demand responsive service from 12 minibuses to 28. Passengers can book through the app with 30 minutes notice. The Council spent an estimated £1.2m on the service in 2023-24 and has budgeted £4.85m for 2024-25 with a third phase budgeted at £3.15m.
6. The Bus Service Improvement Plan of Durham County Council is funding free travel to about 200 18 to 25 year olds leaving local authority care, and a link2work bookable by phone bus service in certain areas to help get people to work.
7. Research by YouGov for East Coast train operator LNER shows leisure travel this year is expected to be days out 36%, short breaks 25%, overnight stays 18%, and that savings could be made if people booked earlier. 33% leave booking until the week before they travel.
8. The Campaign for Better Transport is seeking rail companies to sell advance tickets 16 weeks prior to travel rather than 12.
9. From 2 June, ScotRail will introduce almost 100 additional rail services each weekday, including trains to new stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven.
10. Some roads in Wales are to revert to a 30mph speed limit from the default 20mph limit.
News update 29 April
1. 20 additional buses have been introduced by Transport for Greater Manchester on the existing Bee Network to improve reliability, punctuality and extra capacity in Bolton, Wigan, Bury and Salford.
2. A report by the Office of Rail and Road has been published following research and surveys with disabled people which collated evidence about their experiences of complaints handling by train operators. Complaints processes are broadly accessible but 46% of complainants experienced some barriers. 45% did not seek redress on any occasion when they could have.
Ref: https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-04/disabled-passengers-experiences-of-complaints-handling-april-2024.pdf
3. West Sussex County Council is spending Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to provide over 400 real time digital displays at bus stops as part of a £3.3m programme and £1.4m on traffic light upgrades at 24 junctions to give buses priority.
4. Stagecoach has introduced a pilot scheme in Irvine offering passengers the option to purchase single and return tickets on the Stagecoach app.
5. From 22 April Lincolnshire County Council is funding from the Bus Service Improvement Plan additional evening services in Lincoln with journeys after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
6. LNER is introducing digital information by scanning the QR code on a seat to access information on the journey and connecting services, facilities at stations, places to visit and to provide at seat food and drink.
7. Network Rail and ScotRail have jointly produced a report setting out how they will respond to climate change challenges over the next five years and beyond.
Ref: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Scotlands-Railway-CP7-Climate-Ready-WRCCA-Plan.pdf
8. A Rail Delivery Group report, Clearing the Air, demonstrates travelling by rail can be up to 80% cheaper on similar routes than flying.
Ref: https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/uk-rail-industry/clearingtheair.html#:~:text=Rail%20is%20the%20cleanest%20public,tonnes%20of%20CO2%20per%20year.
9. Warwickshire County Council is to fund a journey on service X18 from Stratford upon Avon at 2230 hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to Warwick Leamington and Coventry for theatre goers.
10. Transport for Wales is to spend £100m on transport improvements which include funding for Haverfordwest bus interchange and for bus corridors in Cardiff.
11. New tactile surfacing has been installed at the eleven rail stations managed by LNER.
12. Class 197 trains are entering service with Transport for Wales on the Ebbw Vale Line.
13. ScotRail has fitted 87 defibrillators at rail stations across Scotland.
News update 22 April
1. £4.65m funding is to be made available to help bus operators install live audio and visual updates on buses to meet the October 2026 deadline, set out in Government regulations. 29% of buses in England outside London can give this information currently.
2. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee submission to a call for evidence, has included that minibuses used by Community Transport organisations and Demand Responsive Transport services should be in scope of the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations as well as coaches.
3. The Government is consulting on two proposals to reduce driver shortages - allowing off road training whilst awaiting a provisional licence and allowing 18 year olds to drive all types of bus and coach services.
Ref: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/amendments-to-licensing-restrictions-bus-coach-and-heavy-goods-vehicles#:~:text=To%20help%20address%20the%20issue,are%20driving%20a%20regular%20service
4. The Confederation of Passenger Transport is lobbying for the extension of the £2 bus fare cap in England outside London into early 2025.
5. Transport for Wales has completed a rail timetable review to develop a long term strategy. As a result over the next few years some routes will have more services and longer trains, others will see different calling patterns targeted to current needs. 87 more services will operate on mainline routes compared to 2018, a small number of services will be withdrawn that have low passenger demand.
6. There were 1570m rail journeys in the year ending December 2023, a 20% increase on the previous year.
7. Lancashire County Council is to introduce 80 new digital real time information displays at stops linked to technology to give buses priority at traffic light junctions.
8. Rail Industry Association commissioned research by Steer, has published a new strategy for delivering a lower cost, high performing net zero railway by 2050. Electrifying a further 15% of routes would mean all passenger services and 95% of freight services would be decarbonised by 2050, with battery powered trains avoiding the need for a third of the network to be electrified.
Ref: https://www.riagb.org.uk/RIA/RIA/Newsroom/Press_Releases/A_new_strategy_for_delivering%20a_lower_cost_higher_performing_net_zero_railway_by_2050.aspx
9. A purpose built all electric bus rapid transit system connecting Whitfield with Dover town centre and Priory Rail station is to be introduced this year. Infrastructure improvements costing £23m are being introduced to improve bus services and electric buses are being funded by the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas Scheme.
10. A report from Living Streets examines good and bad examples of cycleways behind bus stop boarding areas and the impact on pedestrians, especially those with visual impairments.
Ref: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/press-media/research-into-bus-stop-bypasses-released/
11. Network Rail has installed British Sign Language customer information screens at Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central stations.
12. The Mayor of London has pledged to look at bringing bus routes into public ownership to guarantee consistency and value for money once contracts expire. Currently 675 routes are operated by 16 different companies.
13. The Isle of Wight is to introduce 22 electric single and double deck buses with a £4.5m grant from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas Scheme.
14. Luton Airport Express providing a link to central London, operated by East Midlands Railway has seen growth of over 50% since the introduction of the Luton DART shuttle.
15. Central Connect has withdrawn six bus routes in Essex and the County Council has introduced temporary timetables to be operated by other operators.
16. Two bus routes across Westmoreland and Furness have been increased in frequency to provide better access to employment enabling staff to get to work in hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses, and seven other bus services are receiving financial support using Bus Service Improvement Plan funding.
17. West Midland Railway has introduced 48 three carriage class 730 trains on the cross city line in Birmingham.
18. On 11 April Flixbus introduced a new coach service connecting Manchester with Bradford, Leeds and York.
19. National Express has increased direct coach services between Cheltenham and the south coast.
20. The Labour Party has pledged to introduce a Better Buses Bill by speeding up the franchising process and extending the powers currently given to Metro Mayors.
News update 15 April
1. First Bus is taking delivery of 178 fully electric buses with £16m funding from the Department for Transport Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas Scheme to be operated from Taunton, Weston Super Mare, Hengrove (Bristol) and Basildon garages.
2. Plans have been approved for a hydrogen production facility in Bradford to produce enough hydrogen daily for 800 buses.
3. The Department for Transport has updated its franchising guidance to reflect experience in Greater Manchester and to incorporate recent policy changes with the aim of simplifying the required processes for future schemes.
Ref: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-services-act-2017-bus-franchising-creation/setting-up-a-bus-franchising-scheme
4. Investors have committed £100m to fund up to 250 zero emission buses across the UK; the first 60 will be leased to Go Ahead for use in London. 2000 of the 36500 UK buses are currently electric. The leasing model is similar to that used to lease new trains.
5. East Midlands Railway has introduced auto announcements on its regional fleet of class 158 and 170 trains to provide consistent and clear information.
6. Lincolnshire County Council Bus Service Improvement Plan funding has increased services in Grantham with local service 1 operating every 15 instead of every 30 minutes and service 28 between Grantham and South Witham extended to Stamford. Skegness service 2 will operate every 15 minutes serving additional areas and the sea front.
7. A six week consultation is being undertaken in Glasgow on the option of franchising or a Bus Service Improvement Partnership.
8. The Welsh Government has withdrawn free public transport for refugees which had been funded by the Bus Emergency Scheme and Bus Transition Fund to help bus and rail services recover from Covid, both of which have ended.
9. TransPennine Express has launched Social Stories aimed at enhancing the travel experience for individuals with autism, learning disabilities and social anxieties.
10. Stagecoach is to operate a new bus service 701 between Eastbourne and Brighton from 13 May operating hourly Monday to Saturday.
News update 8 April
1. The third tranche of bus franchises commencing January 2025 covering the southern part of Greater Manchester with 248 services have been awarded to Metroline (ComfortDelGro) 420 buses at four depots, Stagecoach one depot, Stockport, with smaller franchises awarded to Diamond Bus North West who will operate 16 services using 25 buses and Go Ahead. 188 bus routes in phase one and 136 in phase two are already part of the Bee Network.
2. The largest reductions in bus mileage between 2010 and 2023 in Council funded services have been in Cumbria, Hull, Stoke on Trent, Portsmouth, Southampton, Nottingham, Stockton, Slough, Milton Keynes and Middlesbrough and in commercial services in Shropshire, Stoke on Trent, Blackburn, Peterborough, Bath, Torbay, Hertfordshire, Warrington, Slough, Blackpool.
3. The Government is to commit £50m to deliver the mid Cornwall metro rail scheme offering an hourly coast to coast train service between Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth by the end of 2025. Signalling and level crossing upgrades and passing loops on the track will increase capacity with a second platform at Newquay station. Tap in tap out ticketing will be available.
4. The Office of Rail and Road has announced the maximum fee train operators and retailers can charge when an unused ticket is refunded has been reduced from £10 to £5 from 2 April.
5. Arriva with Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas Scheme funding is to introduce 72 fully electric buses in Leicester, Tamworth, Redcar, Durham and Darlington.
6. Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas Scheme funding to Cornwall Council will allow the Truro park and ride service to be operated by electric buses with six more electric buses to operate in southeast Cornwall in partnership with Plymouth City Council.
7. Train operator Northern is to install 186 new information screens at 66 stations. The first phases installed 500 screens at 172 stations.
8. In a survey by the Institute for Public Policy Research, 53% regarded public transport as a necessity to get to work, with 35% seeing it as essential to see family and friends. 40% of those who drive regularly would like to use public transport more often.
Ref: https://www.ippr.org/articles/who-gets-a-good-deal
9. LibertyBus operating under contract to the Government in Jersey has reported patronage in 2023: 5 million journeys, equivalent to 2019 levels.
News update 2 April
1. 25 Councils in England have been awarded £143m for 955 electric buses. Regions will receive North West £9.4m, North East £14.8m, Yorkshire and Humber £5.7m, East Midlands £7.4m, South West £43.4m, South East £30.2m
2. Work commissioned by the Mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester to improve rail connections between the two cities, has provisionally concluded a new line around 70miles between Handsacre and Manchester Airport is the option likely to offer the best combination of costs and benefits.
3. The Board of Transport for the North has written to the Secretary of State asking for the Avanti West Coast contract to be terminated at the earliest opportunity.
4. The Office of Rail and Road has published passenger rail usage statistics for the period October to December 2023. 417m journeys were made in Great Britain, a 20% increase on the same period in the previous year. Five storms in this period were estimated to have reduced revenue by £21m.
Ref: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/passenger-rail-usage/
5. Transport for the North has published a new Strategic Transport Plan setting out the case to transform transport infrastructure and services, demonstrating how better connectivity can enable economic growth, decarbonise transport, and create more opportunities for all.
Ref: https://transportforthenorth.com/our-north/strategic-transport-plan/
6. Cross Country is to add five Voyager trains from May 2025 to its north south routes. Additional trains will be introduced from June 2024 and the Voyager and Turbo fleets are to be refurbished.
7. East Midlands Railway is undertaking a £60m refurbishment of its class 158, 170 and 360 trains.
8. Extra services on twenty routes for twelve months with a £1 fare cap for those under 19 are being funded by North Yorkshire Council from the Department for Transport Network North Bus Service Improvement Plan.
9. Greater Anglia was the best performing on time rail operator for the October to December 2023 period. Annual performance is 94.3% on the time to three measure, which is the arrival of every train every station within three minutes of the scheduled time.
Ref: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/jkfh21zr/performance-stats-release-oct-dec-2023.pdf
10. Lincolnshire County Council and it's Bus operators are introducing a Lincolnshire Bus Passenger Charter to enhance and standardise bus services across the County.
11. Under 16s are able to travel free of charge in Harborough between 16 March and 7 April on buses after 0930 hours Monday to Friday and all day at weekends as part of the Leicestershire Enhanced Bus Partnership. Under 19s are able to travel free of charge from Loughborough on South Notts 1 through to Nottingham from 23 March until 7 April as part of the same scheme.
12. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has approved recommendations to commence work towards franchising of the Bus network.
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