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 Eastleigh 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 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 (LTP) 2. There is also a need to maintain the high standard of school transport provision for the County Council.

3. Strategy

3.1 Work on the Eastleigh Quality Bus Partnership (QBP) is continuing. A total of £200,000 has been approved for work to continue upgrading passenger waiting facilities and information provision. Specific works for 2004/05 will include new bus shelters, raised boarding kerbs and accessibility improvements at bus stops, new information provision and bus stop clearway road markings to deter inconsiderate parking. Eastleigh Borough Council is supervising the civil engineering works in consultation with the County Council, Solent Blue Line and First bus companies.

3.2 As part of the QBP, evaluation is being carried out into introducing Selective Vehicle Detection at traffic signals along Leigh Road in Eastleigh. When buses approach the traffic signals, the signals would recognise that a bus is approaching and change to favour the bus. This will help buses to provide more predictable journey times and reliable services during peak traffic periods. Atkins is carrying out traffic surveys and feasibility work to establish if a system would provide worthwhile benefits.

4. Community Transport

4.1 Community Transport schemes play an important role in meeting locally the transport needs of organisations and individuals which cannot be easily met through the existing conventional bus network.

4.2 A report is being considered by the Executive Member for Environment in October which recommends funding to replace four of the existing mini-buses operated by Eastleigh Community Services. The vehicles are being funded through the LTP capital programme and form part of the County Council's overall approach for supporting and developing community transport schemes in Hampshire.

4.3 Mini-buses like the ones operated by Eastleigh Community Services offer older, disabled and even younger people the opportunity to access a range of services and facilities within their local community.

5. Operations

5.1 The County Council's subsidised local bus service contracts are normally retendered every four years. Consultation is undertaken with Eastleigh Borough Council and parish councils as part of each retendering process.

5.2 The total annual cost of local bus subsidy contracts in the Eastleigh* area is £1,147,691. This cost is met from the following sources:

County Council's local bus subsidy budget £931,846

Rural Bus Subsidy Grant from Government £127,375

Eastleigh Borough Council contribution £63,947

County Council's Education Department £24,523

Total £1,147,691

*centred on Eastleigh town and radiating as far as Valley Park, Hursley, Winchester, Petersfield, Botley, Hamble and Southampton.

5.3 The County Council is grateful for both the financial support from Eastleigh Borough Council and additional services which the Borough Council contracts independently. The proportion of the County Council's subsidy costs charged to the Education Department is for specific services providing home-to-school transport for children entitled to free travel. The current contracts in this area were let in May 2003 and run to May 2007. Most of these services are operated by Solent Blue Line.

5.4 This summer Solent Blue Line has undertaken a review of its services in the Eastleigh and Chandler's Ford area, which will result in a number of service changes from 26 September 2004. There will be improved frequency on core routes from Southampton to Winchester and to Eastleigh and Fair Oak. The commercial local service linking Chandler's Ford with Eastleigh town centre benefited from a frequency enhancement and more direct routeing in May 2003 but this has failed to attract sufficient patronage, so the previous service pattern will be reinstated. However, all areas presently served will retain at least an hourly frequency; many bus users will benefit from a more frequent service. Both the County Council and Eastleigh Borough Council have had the opportunity to comment on the proposed alterations, some of which affect subsidised routes.

5.5 An enhancement to a Hedge End bus service has just been agreed with Solent Blue Line, and the funding for this will be drawn from an agreement with the housing developer at Botleigh Lakeside.

5.6 New contracts for bus services centred on Fareham and Gosport are due to be let in April 2005 for a four year period to April 2009. As some of these services pass through Eastleigh Borough, the Borough Council and relevant parishes have been included in the current consultation process.

5.7 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. For the new school year, this has resulted in very little change to transport arrangements in the Eastleigh area.

6. Special Needs Transport

6.1 Since 2000 the Passenger Transport 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 county-wide to date are £1.4 million. The schemes continue to be very popular and successful.

6.2 One school in the Eastleigh area that has been involved in these projects over the period is Lakeside Special School, which has taken delivery of two mini-buses, and this has realised savings on home-to-school transport contracts of £30,000.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

8949/KW