Contact: Keith Willcox, ext 6997 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report outlines the services provided by the Passenger Transport Group and details the work undertaken in the Test Valley area.

2. Background

2.1 The Passenger Transport Group has 70 staff and 700 school escorts in the Design and Implementation Branch reporting to the Assistant Director (Design and Implementation). The Group, comprising five teams, is highly diverse with a wide customer base. The Group deals with the following:

(i) passenger transport strategy;

(ii) passenger transport infrastructure;

(iii) information provision;

(iv) community transport;

(v) subsidised bus services;

(vi) finance and contracts;

(vii) social services transport;

(viii) mainstream home to school transport provision; and

(ix) special educational needs transport.

2.2 The £20 million home-to-school transport provision is undertaken by the Group on behalf of the Education Department.

2.3 The Group's aim is to produce a top class passenger transport network, and service provision for the residents and scholars of Hampshire and visitors to the county, allowing a greater modal shift towards passenger transport in a safe, efficient, reliable and affordable manner.

2.4 The overarching objectives are as follows:

(i) make public transport as widely available as possible;

(ii) maximise the use of passenger transport;

(iii) seek innovative approaches to transport provision;

(iv) ensure social inclusion with regard to public transport;

(v) ensure continuing improvements in quality of service;

(vi) maintain successful partnerships and build others;

(vii) ensure effective consultation; and

(viii) provide an efficient and innovative home-to-school transport service on behalf of the Education Department.

2.5 The Group is facing an exciting and challenging time. It needs to further address some concerns, eg the improvement of Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) 103 Public Transport Information and BVPI 104 Local Bus Service, whilst in parallel playing a major role in the implementation of the Community Strategy, Corporate Objectives and in the development of Local Public Service Agreement 2, as transport is a cross-cutting issue. During 2005/06 there is a need to implement the Passenger Transport Strategy which will feature prominently within the Local Transport Plan 2. There is also a need to maintain the high standard of school transport provision for the County Council.

3. Strategy

3.1 Work to develop a Quality Bus Partnership (QBP) for route 15 from Romsey to Southampton is under development. Solent Blue Line is aiming to introduce low-floor accessible buses to the service. County Council-funded works may include minor junction alterations to enable buses to flow more freely through congested traffic, new bus shelters, raised boarding kerbs to assist the mobility impaired, new bus stop poles and improved passenger information. A project appraisal is expected in the autumn. Test Valley Borough Council is anticipated to partner in the QBP.

3.2 Work to develop a QBP with Stagecoach, Wilts & Dorset and Wiltshire County Council is underway for the Andover-Tidworth-Salisbury bus corridor. Low-floor accessible buses are now in operation and the bus operators are seeking to improve the frequency of the service. County Council-funded works are likely to include upgraded passenger facilities at bus stops and improved information.

4. Community Transport

4.1 Work has been undertaken over recent months to establish a district-wide community transport scheme in the Test Valley. Similar schemes operate in most other districts of the county. One of the key objectives of this new community transport scheme will be to extend the travel opportunities of groups of people and individuals in the area by providing affordable

transport in order to help reduce social exclusion. This will be achieved through the operation of a number of new vehicles by the scheme and by seeking to make the most effective use of other existing resources in the area.

4.2 The scheme is being developed with Test Valley Community Services which is hosting the new scheme. A Transport Co-ordinator's post has already been established at Test Valley Community Services to develop and operate the scheme, which has already taken delivery of one new minibus. A formal launch of the scheme will take place at a later date. The first year costs of operating the scheme and purchasing four new vehicles will be provided by the County Council through a previously successful Rural Bus Challenge bid.

4.3 Officers from the County Council's Passenger Transport Group are currently working with the new community transport scheme at Test Valley Community Services to develop a minibus brokerage scheme in the Test Valley. Voluntary organisations and schools operating minibuses in the district will be approached and given the opportunity to be involved in this initiative.

4.4 A Moped Scheme which enables young people without access to transport to take advantage of training and employment opportunities was launched in Test Valley on 2 June 2004. The scheme, which will be operating 15 mopeds initially, has been funded by the County Council through a previously successful Rural Bus Challenge bid and the Local Transport Plan Capital Programme. This scheme is being operated by the new community transport scheme at Test Valley Community Services.

5. Operations

5.1 The County Council provides funding for approximately 25% of bus services across the county, from budgets of £5.2 million for local bus subsidy and £1.0 million from the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant. Contracts for these subsidised services are normally retendered every four years. Consultation is undertaken with Test Valley Borough Council and Parish and Town Councils as part of each retendering process.

5.2 Test Valley is split into two tendering areas, Andover and Romsey. The total annual cost of the Andover and North West Hampshire area contracts is £487,574, of which £339,464 comes from the local bus subsidy budget and £148,100 from the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant. These contracts are due to expire at the end of May 2005 and tenders for replacement contracts will be sought during January/February 2005.

5.3 The retendering programme will provide an opportunity to review the supported network to make the most appropriate use of resources available. However the increasing costs faced by operators could be reflected in tender prices, meaning that some poorly-used journeys may have to be withdrawn.

5.4 Villages around Stockbridge now have through off-peak services to Salisbury, following award of the contract for the Winchester-Stockbridge service to Wilts & Dorset, based in Salisbury.

5.5 The total annual cost of the Romsey area contracts is £294,250, of which £285,970 comes from the local bus subsidy budget and £8,280 from the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant. New contracts for Romsey and Southern Test Valley area were let in June 2004 and expire in June 2008.

5.6 Owing to low levels of usage and high tender prices, the previous Solent Blue Line Services 12 for Chilworth and 15A for Upton Crescent, Nursling were largely withdrawn. To partially compensate for this, certain journeys on Stagecoach Service 46 were re-routed to maintain links between these communities and Southampton.

5.7 Elsewhere in the area tender prices were similar to the previous contracts; consequently the rest of the network was retained with few changes. However, budgetary pressures continue to preclude the County Council from exploring enhancements to bus services in response to requests received through local consultation.

5.8 Work will shortly commence on the planning of the Romsey area Cango demand-responsive minibus service, scheduled for introduction in spring 2005.

5.9 The Passenger Transport Group reviews its mainstream home-to-school transport arrangements for each new academic year, in response to changing numbers of pupils entitled to free transport at the various schools. Arrangements from September 2004 were finalised over the summer and parents informed of their children's transport details. Staff are now responding to any late applications and alterations that have been received since the start of term.

6. Special Needs Transport

6.1 Since 2000 the Group has been managing a special project known as `Spend to Save'. This project looks at innovative transport solutions for school transport with a view to improving quality whilst reducing costs. There are two key areas within this project, firstly the `school transport minibus scheme' and secondly `complete transport reorganisations by school'. Total savings to date are £1.4 million.

6.2 Schools in the Test Valley area that have been involved in these projects over the period are:

(i) In 2000 Icknield School in Andover took delivery of one of the project minibuses which realised savings of £13,100 per annum.

(ii) In 2001, Wolverdene School in Andover took part in a review of transport which achieved savings of £76,260.

(iii) In 2001 Icknield took delivery of a second bus which achieved savings of £7,600.

(iv) In autumn 2004 Mountbatten School in Romsey will be taking delivery of a new bus which will realise savings of £3,400.

The total savings made on home-to-school transport for the Test Valley area over this period are £100,360. Each of these schemes continues to be very popular and successful.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

8967/KW