Archived decisions

Contact: Colin Wright, tel 01962 846923 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report:

(i) sets out the Test Valley area review process;

(ii) details the outcome of tenders for local bus services in the Romsey tendering area (Romsey town services plus rural and inter-urban services in Southern Test Valley); and

(iii) proposes a plan of action to ensure value for money, and seeks to enable transport services which give access to employment, education, health, retail and leisure facilities for the widest section of the community, so enhancing well-being.

2. Recommendations

2.1 That approval be given to:

(i) award tenders for new four year bus subsidy contracts for the Romsey area at a cost of £338,080 per annum which will result in the current bus network remaining largely unchanged; and

(ii) reduce the frequency of Service 30 between Romsey and Halterworth from six to four journeys a day to achieve an economy of £9,070 per annum to reduce the budgetary pressures arising from the retendering exercise.

3. Approach

3.1 The approach has been to undertake an area passenger transport review - one of a series throughout the county, based on district council boundaries - in advance of area tendering. These Area Reviews represent a new approach to reviewing and planning passenger transport services in Hampshire.

3.2 The approach being adopted for these reviews embraces a combination of a practical desk-top exercise which uses Accession and census data as a basis, overlaying this with local technical knowledge and expertise together with survey information.

3.3 Options developed using this approach are scored on how well they enable people to access retail, health, leisure, work and education locations in the area being reviewed. This scoring assesses the options on how well they provide people with the opportunity to travel to these destinations, their frequency and flexibility, together with their ability to offer a friendly and easy-to-use option for people with a range of disabilities, including wheelchair users.

3.4 A critical aspect of the review is the engagement of stakeholders in the process. In Test Valley this has included bus operators, the Borough Council, Parish/Town Councils, the Community Transport sector and other key players. The cooperation of the major bus operators is critical to ensure that, where possible, the review considers both those services that are financially supported by the County Council and those that are operated on a wholly commercial basis. Stakeholder engagement has a key role to play both in developing the options and validating the final choice of options.

3.5 This approach is central to the County Council's Bus Strategy which advocates the importance of identifying those services most likely to achieve greater bus use, as well as areas where social inclusion objectives may best be achieved.

3.6 These elements will form the foundation for any options coming out of the area reviews. They demonstrate a more visionary and flexible approach to providing passenger transport services in Hampshire in the future by:

(i) working in partnership with commercial bus operators to try and maintain the viability and attractiveness of bus services through improved journey times, simpler timetabling, targeted marketing and promotional activities, improved access and better coordination between operators, in order to reverse long term passenger loss; and

(ii) greater and more effective use of `unconventional' transport, such as taxis, community transport, shared cars and demand-responsive services, where conventional services are no longer appropriate.

4. Test Valley Review - Context

4.1 The Romsey tendering area is one of two linked to the Test Valley Area Review. Tenders for supported bus services in the Andover tendering area are due for renewal in 2010.

4.2 The current subsidy contracts for the Romsey area group of services expire on 31 August 2008, and the new contracts being tendered will commence on 1 September 2008. These services have a combined value of £285,753 per annum, of which Wiltshire County Council contributes £116,821 per annum (June 2008 figures). Prior to April 2008 Southampton City Council also contributed £14,699 per annum, but has now ceased to do so owing to budget economies.

4.3 Wilts & Dorset is the sole operator of contracted routes and also provides a number of journeys commercially. Stagecoach and Bluestar (formerly Solent Blue Line) operate two frontline commercial services.

4.4 The Romsey tendering area comprises the town itself, the rural hinterland and the urban approaches to Southampton, Eastleigh, Salisbury and other towns. Every effort is made to complement the commercial network, which operates with a mixture of low floor accessible buses and high floor vehicles. In the rural areas bus services are less frequent, are fully subsidised and often use step entry vehicles.

4.5 Quality Bus Partnership (QBP) investment in the area focuses on the Bluestar 4 service between Romsey, North Baddesley and Southampton. The other frontline commercial service is X66 between Romsey and Winchester, operated by Stagecoach, on which there has been investment by the County Council in bus stop infrastructure and publicity.

4.6 The Test Valley Area Review covered only the Borough Council area to facilitate clearer consultation, and incorporated both conventional bus services and unconventional (community transport). Some services cross into Eastleigh Borough Council, New Forest District Council, Southampton City Council, Winchester City Council and Wiltshire County Council areas.

4.7 Department for Transport accessibility software (Accession) shows that accessibility to employment, education, health, shopping and leisure is generally very good, with unconventional transport catering for small numbers of individuals who would otherwise be isolated.

4.8 A number of factors have affected public transport in the Romsey tendering area since tenders were last sought in 2004:

(i) Solent Blue Line has branded all its services under the Bluestar banner, and the company now trades alongside Wilts & Dorset as part of the Go Ahead group.

(ii) South West Trains has withdrawn its Rail Link bus service between Romsey and Winchester, although several journeys at key commuter times have been retained on a trial basis as part of Stagecoach X66.

(iii) The Solent Travelcard allowing multi-operator travel has been introduced.

4.9 The County Council spends £41,000 per year on Community Transport services across the whole of the Test Valley area, such as Dial-a-Ride. Officers work in partnership with the Borough Council for funding and delivery.

5. Consultations

5.1 The Area Review process was introduced to stakeholders at the Test Valley Transport Forum in September 2006. The objectives were set out, ideas invited and suggestions discussed from which a series of options were developed.

5.2 One specific option for Southern Test Valley was taken forward for evaluation and costing as part of the Area Review process, namely a simplified bus service between Romsey and Salisbury with additional community transport provision (possibly car share). The requirement was to evaluate the several route options and devise a simplified service that would be easier to understand and promote, as well as opening up new links such as Romsey to Totton.

5.3 The Test Valley Area Review culminated with a report-back session on 1 December 2006, at which the various options were discussed. It was agreed that these options would be developed further and considered either for early implementation or for inclusion at the time of re-tendering.

5.4 Further consultation took place with stakeholders in the second half of 2007 ahead of the re-tendering exercise. This took place in written form and through presentations at the September 2007 meeting of the Romsey Forum and the October Test Valley Transport Forum. Preliminary feedback was provided to stakeholders at the May 2008 Transport Forum.

6. The Romsey Area Tendering Process and Outcome

6.1 A total of 28 bus or coach operators were invited to bid for tenders; six requested and were sent details of the contracts.

6.2 Tenders were invited for the existing pattern of services and for alternative service patterns as identified in the Area Review. Some of the tender documents invited price options to incorporate housekeeping measures where particular journeys were found to be poorly used and/or to accommodate potential budgetary pressures from the re-tendering exercise.

6.3 Of the operators invited to bid, three operators actually submitted tenders. These are the incumbent contract holders Wilts & Dorset, plus Stagecoach and Black Velvet Travel. Tenders were received on 22 April 2008.

6.4 The tender prices for alternative service patterns identified in the Area Review are substantially more expensive than to retain the existing network and are not recommended for acceptance.

6.5 The outcome of the tendering exercise to retain the existing network is as follows:

Existing New

Contracts Tenders

£ £

Total value of contracts 285,753 347,150

Less contribution from Southampton 14,699 -

Less contribution from Wiltshire 116,821 160,489

Cost to Hampshire 154,233 186,661

Increase to Hampshire (budget pressure) £32,428

Increase to Hampshire as a percentage 21%

6.6 Wiltshire County Council is willing to increase its contribution pro-rata to the increases on the individual services concerned with one proviso. Wiltshire has confirmed that it regards the continuation of Service 36 as high priority in respect of its funding, but as significant co-funders it requires that a review of this service be carried out within the first year to identify whether further cost savings can be achieved. Southampton City Council withdrew its contribution from April 2008; this has been split equally with Wiltshire County Council in the above figures for the new tenders.

6.7 A competitive tender from Stagecoach for Romsey Town Services 32/33 via Woodley and Cupernham has offered a substantial reduction on the prices submitted by the incumbent operator Wilts & Dorset, enabling economies on other services to be kept to a minimum.

6.8 However it is proposed that Service 30 between Romsey and Halterworth be reduced from six to four journeys a day, for a reduction of £9,070 per annum and affecting an average of 3 passengers per trip weekdays, 5.5 passengers per trip on Saturdays at a subsidy per journey of £4.31. This would reduce:

(i) the total value of contracts to £338,080 per annum;

(ii) the total cost to Hampshire to £177,591 per annum; and

(iii) the increase to Hampshire to £23,358 (15%), which can be accommodated within the existing budget.

6.9 Service 30 provides six off peak journeys a day, Monday to Saturday, between 0855 and 1435. It is proposed to withdraw the less well used 1335 and 1435 journeys. It is anticipated that this will affect 41 of the 340 journeys made each week. The cost per trip of retaining the extra journeys is £4.31 per passenger journey. Test Valley Borough Council and Romsey Town Council were invited to provide funding for the existing timetable to be retained. Both authorities responded that they valued the service but had no funds available for its support.

7. Other Options Considered

7.1 Services 32/33 are the Romsey town services which operate 25 journeys between 0855 and 1705, Monday to Saturday. Consideration was given to discontinuing journeys at 1555, 1615, 1635 and 1705 at a saving of £5,110 per annum. This would have affected an average of 9 passengers per trip Monday to Friday, 10 passengers per trip Saturdays at a value per journey of £1.87. Of the 1,965 passengers carried each week, 211 would have been affected. In view of the subsidy per journey, numbers affected and potential savings this action is not proposed.

7.2 On Saturdays, service 34 provides the service between Romsey and Eastleigh. Journeys in the middle of the day operate commercially, but four journeys from Romsey and five journeys from Eastleigh receive support at a cost of £7,875 per annum. In view of the train service between Romsey and Eastleigh, which was introduced at the time tenders were last issued, the service was reviewed. An average of 12 passengers per trip are carried at a value per passenger of £1.32. In view of the subsidy per journey, it is not proposed to discontinue support.

8. Romsey-Winchester Rail Link Bus X66

8.1 This service, sponsored by South West Trains, was introduced when that company won the local rail franchise in 1996. The Rail-Link was not a Government franchise requirement, so following the award of a new franchise in 2007 which saw extra trains run to Romsey, South West Trains announced its intention to withdraw the service from October 2007. In the face of public protest, the company agreed to fund three early morning and two evening journeys until July 2008. The morning journeys operate Monday to Friday and the evening journeys run Monday to Saturday. (The daytime X66 is operated commercially by Stagecoach and runs hourly or more frequently.) South West Trains has now decided to withdraw its support and that four of the five journeys will no longer operate. These are:

(i) the 0615 from Romsey which carries an average of 7 passengers and would cost £5,000 per annum to retain at a subsidy per passenger journey of £2.79;

(ii) the 0645 from Romsey which carries an average of 12 passengers and would cost £5,000 per annum to retain at a subsidy per passenger journey of £1.65;

(iii) the 2010 from Winchester which carries an average of 9 passengers and would cost £10,000 per annum to retain at a subsidy per passenger journey of £4.34; and

(iv) the 2110 from Winchester which carries an average of 8 passengers and would cost £10,000 per annum to retain at a subsidy per passenger journey of £4.88.

8.2 The daytime service on X66, which is operated commercially by Stagecoach, runs between approximately 0700 and 1900 and is categorised as part of the `Frontline Network' within the Bus Strategy which forms part of the Local Transport Plan. The additional early morning and evening journeys introduced with the Rail Link service have operated commercially without funding from the County Council and are in addition to the core network identified in the Bus Strategy. Support for these journeys could only be achieved by making economies elsewhere.

9. Local Members' Views

9.1 The local Members, Councillors Broadhurst, Cooper, Mrs Dickens, Dowden and Mrs Peskett have been consulted.

9.2 Councillor Broadhurst is content with the proposal that Service 65 between Romsey and Eastleigh via Chandler's Ford be retained at its present level.

9.3 Councillor Cooper has concerns about the reduction in Service 30 to Halterworth.

9.4 Councillor Mrs Dickens is disappointed at the South West Trains reductions to the Romsey to Winchester Rail Link Bus/X66.

9.5 Councillor Perry is disappointed at the decision by South West Trains to withdraw its funding from the Romsey-Winchester Rail Link Bus and that the Department for Transport did not make this a condition of the franchise. He is pleased that the 0807 Romsey-Winchester journey is to be retained but asked for consideration to be given to the 0645 Romsey-Winchester being retained or that the 0655 may be made direct, avoiding Hiltingbury to give a quicker journey. Councillor Perry has been advised that this is a commercial journey and to alter it, as proposed, would mean the loss of service for residents to Hiltingbury.

9.6 Councillor Mrs Peskett was disappointed at the reduction by South West Trains to the Romsey-Winchester Rail Link Bus and that passenger numbers had not increased since the original threat of withdrawal last year.

9.7 Councillors, Mrs Bailey, Davies-Dear and Woodhall have not yet commented.

10. Impact Assessments

10.1 It is considered that the actions outlined above should not have any detrimental impact on equalities or race discrimination. The area reviews in particular seek to provide journey opportunities to locations for all members of the community.

11. Conclusion

11.1 Overall, the effect of the tendering process will result in maintaining the current level of service provision on most services in the Romsey tendering area at a modest cost increase. All areas currently served will continue to be served.

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