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 Havant area.

2. Background

2.1 The Passenger Transport Group (PTG) has seventy 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 (HTST) provision is undertaken by PTG 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 over arching 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;

(viii) provide an efficient and innovative HTST 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

Havant Bus Station

3.1 The design of the new bus station building is well under way. The next stage includes finalising legal agreements between the County Council, Havant Borough Council and Stagecoach regarding the future ownership, maintenance and operation of the bus station. A number of factors have lead to the delayed implementation of this project including diesel contamination under the bus station, a high voltage cable under the bus station needing to be relocated, and special arrangements being required for the foundations due to the proximity to the river Lavant. Subject to these items being concluded and the relevant approvals being obtained, construction could start in spring 2005.

3.2 The project to implement bus stop improvements as part of the Service 21 Quality Bus Partnership is at detailed design stage and is being undertaken by Havant Borough Council on behalf of the County Council. £200,000 is allocated to this project for 2004/05. Works will include raised easy-access boarding kerbs, new bus stops containing high quality customer information, new bus shelters and small amendments to the carriageway to enable buses to reach the raised kerbs and bus stop clearway markings to deter inconsiderate parking. Stagecoach has already invested heavily in this route, providing new vehicles and a ten-minute frequency earlier in 2004.

4. Community Transport

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

4.2 As part of the County Council's overall approach to supporting community transport schemes in Hampshire through funding made available from the LTP Capital Programme, one of the existing vehicles operated by the Havant Council of Community Service is being replaced. Minibuses like the ones operated by the Council offer older, disabled and younger people the opportunity to access a range of services and facilities within their local community.

4.3 One of the vehicles which was previously used to operate the Leigh Park Cango service, has been reassigned since June to supplement the existing one vehicle dial-a-ride operation in Havant. The redesigned two vehicle service is now being operated under the `Call and Go' branding which forms part of the Cango family of branding. Similar services operate elsewhere in the county under this branding.

4.4 The revised service continues to operate in Havant Borough and in the East Hampshire District Council parishes of Clanfield and Hordean. People can use this service if they:

(i) have a disability which means that they are unable to use existing public transport services in the area (this is the normal criteria for dial-a-ride); or

(ii) need to travel to hospital/health centres and could not make this journey by existing public transport even if they do not have a disability (this continues to provide one of key opportunities previously offered by the Leigh Links service).

4.5 The service is being operated by the Portsmouth Council of Community Service under a service agreement with the funders. The operation of one vehicle continues to be funded by Hampshire County Council, Havant Borough Council and East Hampshire District Council. The introduction of the second vehicle is being funded for the remainder of this year using an underspend in the Leigh Links Urban Bus Challenge Fund.

5. Operations

5.1 The County Council's subsidised local bus service contracts are normally retendered every four years. Contracts for subsidised bus services in Havant were awarded in June 2002 and are of four years duration. Proposals for services are discussed with Havant District Council as part of the tendering process.

5.2 The approximate annual cost of these contracts is £606,744 covering approximately 19 different bus services and two taxi shares. The County Council's total budgets are £5.2 million for local bus subsidy and £1 million for the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant.

5.3 A major development in the delivery of bus services in recent months has been the signing of Quality Bus Partnerships (QBPs) with the principal bus operators. One of the most significant QBPs signed to date has been that which seeks to upgrade public transport in the A3 corridor .

5.4 In Havant the conversion of Service 21 to low floor vehicle operation has produced a very encouraging response. In May 2003, the frequency of the service improved from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes. In May 2004, the low floor conversion was accompanied by a further frequency improvement to every 10 minutes. Passenger growth is coming predominantly from the Hampshire end rather than the Portsmouth end of the route. The `InfoMotion' campaign in Havant may have contributed towards the improvement. It remains to be seen whether the improvement to Service 21 has impacted adversely on Service 22.

5.5 In Lovedean and Northney two innovative schemes, taking passengers by taxi, operate to meet passenger needs which can be served more simply and more cost-effectively by taxis than by conventional buses. Performance, value for money and number of passengers for these schemes are still being monitored. The key feature of these services is that they are "demand responsive" and operate only when they are booked by passengers.

5.6 The Passenger Transport Group reviews its mainstream home to school transport arrangements for each new academic year, in response to changing numbers and locations of pupils entitled to free transport. The volume of transport provided to a school is determined by the number of entitled pupils on the roll. Contracts for September 2004 have now been finalised and parents informed of their children's transport details for the new term. In addition to local schools, many bus journeys are generated by students attending local colleges and further education establishments in Portsmouth. The majority of this transport is provided by the commercial sector.

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.

6.2 Schools that have participated in these schemes are:

(i) In 2000 Glenwood Special School took delivery of a minibus realising savings of £6,931 per annum.

(ii) The Sundridge School has two minibuses which have realised savings of £5,887 per annum.

(iii) Rachel Madocks Special School has one wheelchair accessible bus which has realised savings of £9,200 per annum.

iv) Riverside Special School took part in a total school transport reorganisation which achieved savings of £31,456.

Total savings for the Havant area are £53,474 per annum. The schemes continue to be very popular and successful.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

9018/KW