Contact: Andrew Wilson, ext 6389 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report provides details of the latest position on concessionary fares, bus services, bus infrastructure improvements, community transport and rail issues.

2. Concessionary Fares

Free Bus Travel for Senior Citizens and Disabled People from 1 April 2006

2.1 Over 70% of the bus mileage in Hampshire is operated commercially, with routes, timetables and fares determined by the operator concerned. On subsidised services, fares charged are generally in line with those on commercial services. Most bus operators give free travel to children under five, and charge half-fare to children over 5 but under 16. Few discounts are offered commercially to senior citizens or disabled people.

2.2 Currently, legislation requires the district councils in England to offer a half-fare bus pass for travel within their district at all times on Saturday and Sunday, and between 09.30 and 23.00 hours on Monday to Friday, to residents over 60 or who are disabled. Eligibility is determined, and passes are issued, by each district.

2.3 Eastleigh Borough in common with all the Hampshire districts, and Portsmouth City Council, participate in the Hampshire Farepass scheme, administered by consultants MCL, retained by the County Council on behalf of the districts. This offers a more generous concession, with no time restriction and allowing travel as far as the bus goes, provided that the passenger either boards or alights in Hampshire. For example, an Eastleigh resident with a Farepass issued by Eastleigh Borough Council, can travel by bus to Southampton, then from Southampton to Portsmouth, then from Portsmouth to Chichester, and return. Half-fare applies to ordinary single or return tickets.

2.4 Eastleigh currently offers an alternative to the half-fare bus pass in the form of tokens, to an annual value per holder of £32 for the disabled and those aged 70-79 and £45 for those aged 80 and over. These are accepted by taxis and private hire cars, buses (for full adult fares, not half-fares), most community transport and for railcards (Senior Citizens' or Disabled).

2.5 From 1 April 2006, legislation requires that half-fare travel for pass holders is replaced by free travel, within the same limits of time and geography (ie within district) as detailed above. The Government is providing additional funding for districts, on a formula basis. However, the formula does not reflect the varied provision of bus services within districts.

2.6 In an urban area , with a dense network of frequent bus services, far more additional journeys will be made when travel becomes free than in a thinly-populated rural area with infrequent bus services and longer distances to travel to shops, etc.

2.7 Eastleigh Borough will remain in the Farepass scheme. A summary of the new schemes is attached, including the varying provision of tokens; several districts are restricting or withdrawing tokens from 1 April. Eastleigh Borough Council will be renewing its tokens from July as usual.

2.8 Negotiations are now taking place with the bus operators on the level of reimbursement for free travel. Legislation requires that the operators should be no better and no worse off as a result of participating in a concessionary travel scheme.

2.9 Thus there is no automatic recompense for carrying more passengers, unless additional capacity is required. Operators are understandably concerned that pass-holders may fill a bus and deny seats to fare-payers at subsequent stops. Whilst additional costs incurred in providing additional capacity may be claimed from the scheme, it will be difficult to forecast where and when more capacity will be needed. For example, a journey which is only quarter-full on a wet day in winter may be oversubscribed on a fine day in June.

2.10 Summary of Concessionary Fares Schemes in Hampshire from 1 April 2006

District	Bus pass acceptance (for residents)		Alternative concessions
	Times	Geography
Basingstoke and Deane	No restriction	County-wide *	£53 tokens for over 60s; £70 tokens for disabled, or over-60 and on benefit
East Hampshire	No restriction	County-wide *	£24 tokens for 60-69 year olds; £30 tokens for 70 plus; £50/£75 for disabled
Eastleigh	No restriction	County-wide *	EBC Tokens - £32 for disabled and people aged 70-79; £45 for people 80+
Fareham	No restriction	Free within District. Possible half-fare outside (under negotiation)	£35 tokens for £5 charge for over- 75s or disabled, but from 1 April 2006 new applicants will not receive tokens on age grounds.
Gosport	No restriction	County-wide *	£40 tokens for over-60s or disabled
Hart	No restriction	County-wide *	£35 tokens if 60+ AND receiving housing or council tax benefit; £48.50 tokens for disabled.
Havant	Not available 0400 - 0900 on Mon to Fri	County-wide *	(Ceased issuing tokens April 2004)

District	Bus pass acceptance (for residents)		Alternative concessions
	Times	Geography
New Forest	No Restriction	County-wide *	Vouchers for people 60+ AND receiving housing benefit /council tax benefit/pension credit OR disabled.
Rushmoor	No Restriction	County-wide *	£46.50 tokens for people 75+. £51.50 tokens for disabled (any age)
Test Valley	No Restriction	County-wide *	£40 vouchers for disabled people who are on a means-tested benefit
Winchester	Not available Midnight - 0900 on Mon to Fri	County-wide *	Ceasing issuing tokens from 1April 2006
Unitary Authority Portsmouth Southampton	No Restriction Not available midnight to 9 am on Mon to Fri	County-wide * City only, plus Totton, Airport and Moorgreen Hospital

* County-wide includes any journeys which either start or finish in Hampshire

3. Bus Services Update

3.1 First is making changes to routes in Southampton in mid-March. Service 6 (to Portswood, Swaythling, the General Hospital, Shirley and Totton) will no longer serve Butlocks Heath and Ingleside at Netley as it will start at Weston. The loss of this service is regretted, though its hourly frequency limits its usefulness. The principal service from Netley to Southampton was of course enhanced last year to operate every 20 minutes, with new buses, thus providing improved connections in the city centre. For journeys to any of the Southampton hospitals, the shared taxi service provides a convenient alternative, tailor-made to appointment times, from Netley.

3.2 Solent Blue Line revised its services in Hedge End in 2005, with some gains but some losses in convenience. Contributions for bus services are being taken from the Dowds Farm developers and the County Council will seek tenders for a new service between Dowds Farm and Southampton. Its introduction will prompt a further review of the commercial services, to ensure the best possible network for the whole community. The case for the possible Botley Road bus link across the A27 is being re-examined and the outcome will obviously have a major bearing on future bus routeing.

3.3 Eastleigh Borough Council proposes to go out to tender for the Borough Council funded Thursday only shopper Service 56 from 1 July 2006. It is understood that Service 58 will not continue after this date.

3.4 Eastleigh local bus service tenders are due for renewal in May 2007 and it is anticipated that the passenger transport area review of all services, which is designed to inform the process, will commence during summer 2006.

4. Eastleigh Quality Bus Partnership (QBP)

4.1 The latest stage in the £200,000 project to upgrade bus stops on the QBP routes was completed in the autumn. The scheme is funded from the Local Transport Plan (£165,000) and External Funding (£35,000).

4.2 A capital grant of £100,000 from external funding, together with a grant of £50,000 from Eastleigh Borough Council, enabled the introduction of four new low-floor buses on First Service 16/16A between Hamble and Southampton from 2 October 2005. The Monday to Friday daytime frequency was increased to 20 minutes. Passenger numbers rose by 14.9% in the first six weeks.

4.3 In September 2004 Solent Blue Line relaunched the Southampton-Chandler's Ford-Winchester bus service as Bluestar 1. This saw the introduction of a 15 minute daytime frequency, increased evening and Sunday services and new late night buses operated by refurbished, branded vehicles. In July 2005 the Executive Member for Environment: South Hampshire and Resource Management approved a £350,000 scheme, funded from the Local Transport Plan, for information and infrastructure improvements on the route.

4.4 Improvements will include new high quality bus stop poles with integrated information displays which will be solar powered at key stops; raised kerbs to assist boarding; a number of new or replacement bus shelters; and bus stop clearways. Stopping arrangements at Chandler's Ford precinct are being modified to provide better interchange between bus services and trains. Strong patronage growth is anticipated and works are underway.

5. Community Transport

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

5.2 Funding has been provided to replace a number of the existing mini-buses operated by Eastleigh Community Services. The vehicles are being funded through the Local Transport Plan Capital Programme and form part of the County Council's overall approach for supporting and developing community transport schemes in Hampshire.

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

6. Rail Update

Greater Western Franchise

6.1 First Group plc has recently been appointed as franchise holder for the Greater Western Franchise for ten years from 1 April 2006. Hampshire's interest is in the Portsmouth/Brighton to Cardiff, Basingstoke to Reading, and Reading to Gatwick services. The franchise is subject to review after the seventh year.

6.2 The South Western Franchise is the key franchise for Hampshire's rail services. A new ten year franchise starts in February 2007, subject to review after the seventh year. The new franchise combines two existing franchises - South West Trains (SWT) and Island Line.

6.3 Stakeholder consultation has been completed. A copy of the County Council's full response is available from the Passenger Transport Group on 01962 845492 and on the web at:

/decisions/decisions-docs/060118-exmshr-R0112093833.

6.4 An Invitation to Tender will be issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) in March 2006 to the five short-listed companies who have pre-qualified. Bidders then have 90 days in which to submit their bids. The bidders are:

· Arriva Trains South West Limited (Arriva plc);

· First South Western Limited (First Group plc);

· Great South Western Railway Company Limited (a joint venture between GNER holdings and MTR Corporation Limited of Hong Kong);

· Trafalgar Trains Limited (National Express Group plc); and

· Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited (Stagecoach Group plc) - (the incumbent)

6.5 The decision on the successful franchisee by the DfT is expected in autumn 2006.

6.6 In parallel with the franchise process, Network Rail is preparing capacity assessments of the rail network on a route-by-route basis, to determine the optimum utilisation level for the existing infrastructure and to consider where investment to improve capacity could most advantageously be applied. These assessments are known as Route Utilisation Strategies, and that for the South Western Main Line has recently been consulted on. Once input from consultees has been evaluated, a definitive version will be published by the Office for Rail Regulation. A copy of the County Council's response is available from the Passenger Transport Group on 01962 845492.

6.7 The key points which the County Council made in its responses to these two consultations were:

(i) opposition to a proposal to truncate the Romsey-Totton via Chandler's Ford service at Eastleigh;

(ii) desire to retain a Basingstoke to Brighton through service;

(iii) support for increasing clearances on the routes between Southampton Docks and the Midlands to enable taller containers to be carried on standard height wagons;

(iv) support for the examination of radical solutions such as double-deck trains in order to address growth predictions;

(v) need for a half-hourly frequency of stopping services between Portsmouth and Southampton off-peak; and

(vi) support for timetable accelerations, especially on the Alton line.

Basis for the Department for Transport Proposal on the Romsey-Totton Service

6.9 The reason why the DfT, in its South West franchise consultation document, proposed truncating the Chandler's Ford service at Eastleigh was two-fold:

(i) On the one hand the Route Utilisation Strategy prepared by Network Rail for the South West main line showed that the Southampton area is one of the key congestion points on the network outside the London area, which impacts on performance and train punctuality. Therefore DfT was keen to reduce the number of train movements.

(ii) The other reason was one of pure economy - a Romsey-Eastleigh shuttle service requires one two-car train, whereas two two-car trains are needed for the current through service to Totton. Therefore there was a potential saving of over 50% of operating costs - a train and train crew, plus the saving in fuel from not running between Eastleigh and Totton.

The County Council's Response

Congestion and Performance

6.10 In its response to the consultation document, the County Council pointed out that terminating trains at Eastleigh would create several operating problems in itself - finding somewhere for the train to be stabled between services, additional conflicting movements, etc. In short it could cause just as much congestion as running the service through to Totton.

6.11 In order to free-up the pinch-point at Southampton Tunnel proposals were made for certain container trains from the Maritime Freightliner Terminal and Millbrook to be diverted via Redbridge, Romsey and Laverstock to Andover, rejoining their normal route at Worting Junction, west of Basingstoke. (Some trains are already routed this way.) It was also suggested that the west-facing bay platform at Southampton Central could be signalled for passenger train use for Bristol services terminating at Southampton, in order to free up the through lines.

6.12 It is considered that it should not be beyond Network Rail's ability, with modern signalling in place, to manage the conflicting flows through Southampton in a more effective way, rather than for the DfT to seek to reduce passenger train movements in a situation of continuing growth.

The Chandler's Ford Service

6.13 What the DfT proposal did not adequately consider was the effect on passenger numbers and revenue. The County Council's contention is that a service entailing a change of train at Eastleigh in the course of an 8-mile journey will be so unattractive that passengers will defect to their cars, adding to road congestion and completely negating the County Council's investment in the station (41% of passengers used the car for their journeys prior to the station opening). In addition, this would send all the wrong signals about the value and competitiveness of public transport.

6.14 From analysis of SWT statistics over the full year from mid-November 2004 to mid-November 2005, 92 % of passengers travelling to and from Chandler's Ford who currently enjoy a through facility to stations south of Eastleigh (mainly the 79% to/from Southampton Central) would in future be obliged to change at Eastleigh under the DfT proposal.

6.15 The County Council did not put forward any alternative other than retaining the current service, because it was felt that might weaken its case, and in any event, it is apparent that any kind of reasonable service could not be operated by a just one train.

6.16 The County Council response to the consultation has elicited an acknowledgement and thanks from the DfT Franchise Consultation Manager for the Council's contribution, saying that as a result of the additional information supplied, the Chandler's Ford question will be re-examined in an attempt to find an alternative solution to that proposed in the franchise consultation document. Clearly, the battle is not yet won, but judgment has to be reserved pending the result of the DfT's further consideration.

Station Improvements

6.17 It is envisaged the annual match-funded rolling programme agreed between the County Council and train operators will continue whichever company secures the South Western franchise, which encompasses the vast majority of stations in the county.

6.18 New vandal-proof waiting shelters will be provided in 2006/07 at Portchester, Bedhampton and Warblington. The programme of cycle storage provision (hoops and lockers) at stations will be continued where unsatisfied demand is identified.

6.19 `Welcome Boards' branded with the County Council logo and listing the facilities available at each station, together with local maps and Helpline numbers, are being installed at all stations. The programme for SWT stations is now complete. Stations on the future Great Western franchise and on Southern Railway will be thus equipped by the end of 2006. These comprise Dean, Dunbridge, Romsey, Bramley, Farnborough North, Blackwater, Warblington and Emsworth.

Station Car Parks

6.20 In its response to the South West franchise consultation, the County Council expressed the view that the issue of increasing car park capacity on a selective basis must be seriously addressed if there is to be any capacity provided to cater for off-peak travel, and expressed its willingness to work with Network Rail and franchisees to this end. At the same time it considered that franchisees could be required to implement such measures as car-sharing incentives.

Bus/Rail Integration

6.21 In its response to the franchise consultation, the County Council stressed the importance of developing further bus/rail links and suggested that a requirement be placed on bidders to make proposals for dedicated bus/rail links at particular stations which should be funded within the franchise.

Carriage of Cycles

6.22 South West Trains introduced its new Cycle Policy in October 2004 aimed at creating a better balance between the needs of peak hour passengers and cycle users. On the whole, fewer cycle-related problems have been referred to the Rail Officer, as the policy has been implemented and understood by cyclists. The use of a different colour in the timetable to denote trains with cycle restrictions has been useful.

Eurostar beyond 2007

6.23 When Stage Two of the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link, from the Medway area to London St Pancras, is complete in 2007 Eurostar will concentrate all its services on St Pancras and withdraw completely from Waterloo International. There are operational advantages to the company in doing so, as without the need to serve Waterloo the third rail electric equipment on Eurostar trains can be removed.

6.24 This means that passengers from Hampshire and the rest of Waterloo's catchment area will be considerably inconvenienced by having to cross London on already congested Underground services to join Eurostar trains at St Pancras, or else travel from Waterloo East to Ashford International to connect there - a double change is required, compared with walking from one side of Waterloo station to the other.

6.25 The County Council had previously voiced its concern to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) about the threat to Waterloo services posed by the move to St Pancras and asked that a residual service to Waterloo be maintained after 2007. However, Eurostar is not franchised in the same way as other train operators and the SRA was unable to influence the decision in Hampshire's favour.

6.26 A recent study commissioned by the DfT has recommended that the Eurostar platforms be retained for alternative rail use rather than sold off as a commercial development. Further studies will determine the most beneficial solution, which could involve transferring Windsor line services to the former international platforms, thereby freeing up other parts of the station, or using them for main line services (which could directly benefit Hampshire) or by treating them as an overspill to the South Eastern lines towards Kent. There are also thoughts of remodelling Waterloo itself to create additional track capacity, possibly involving longer platforms able to deal with longer trains.

7. Impact Assessments

7.1 This report provides a position statement only, therefore an impact assessment in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has not been undertaken.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

814/AW