To interview relevant Officers from Worcestershire County Council about bus services in Redditch.
(Oral report).
Minutes:
The Committee welcomed Officers from Worcestershire County Council who had been invited to the Committee to discuss the proposed Bus Provision Scrutiny Exercise. Officers explained that they had prepared a response to the comments made within the proposed review’s scoping document.
In response to comments made in the document regarding the withdrawal of the service to the Alexandra Hospital, Officers explained that the County Council had negotiated with the bus companies to ensure that a service was provided to the hospital from both the east and west sides of the town, with Diamond Bus operating a 40 minute service to the Hospital on the 57 and 58 route.
Members commented that they had received complaints that this new service to the hospital was unreliable, with some residents experiencing delays of up to an hour. Officers explained that, if members of the public were experiencing problems, they should report the issue to the relevant bus operator.
Members commented on the terms of reference for the proposed scrutiny exercise. They felt that as this was a complex topic, careful consideration should be given to the focus of the scrutiny. Several outcomes could be achieved through a review of the subject: including achieving better coverage of routes; and better dialogue between the Council and its partners. In addition to examining the coverage of bus routes, the Smartcard initiative was also cited as a possible area for scrutiny.
Officers explained that Worcestershire County Council had been working closely with Diamond Bus to roll out a Smartcard project in the Redditch area by using Urban Bus Challenge funding. In response to the issue raised within the scrutiny document regarding evening bus services, Officers explained that the company operating the evening Taxibus service, on the 55 and 56 bus route, had introduced a similar service on the 57 and 58 route. The funding for these services was in place until December 2008. However, the County Council was committed to working with the service provider to extend this for a further six months with a view to tendering out the service in the future.
Officers explained
that the main vehicle that Members from the Council could use to
influence public transport in the town should be the County Council
run Joint Officers and Members Transportation Forum. The Committee was informed that, while Officers
had been attending this Forum, the Council had not yet been
represented by an elected Member.
Representatives from Diamond Bus Company were invited by the Chair to address the Committee. The Committee was informed that in addition to operating services to the hospital, the company had been working to extend its service coverage to other key routes in the town such as the 51 and 64 routes. They also explained that £1.2 million had been spent on introducing new buses in the town. The Committee was also informed that the company had been focussing on marketing the bus services in the town and gathering the views of users to help improve its services.
Members commented that one of the public transport issues in the town was the lack of bus routes and bus stops at key locations in the town. The Arrow Valley Park was an example of where there were no direct routes and stops. Officers and the Diamond Bus agreed that this was something that could be reviewed. Members also questioned the feasibility of operating an evening bus service on Friday and Saturday nights from the centre of town. Representatives from Diamond Bus explained that this type of service could be operated if funding could be found to support it. Borough Environmental Services Officers explained that proposals had been submitted to secure Section 106 funds for a white light scheme on Unicorn Hill. It was suggested that representatives from the County Council should be involved in the Partnership Tasking Group to look at the possible linkages between these two proposals.
Officers from Worcestershire County Council explained that they had undertaken a comprehensive review of all passenger transport within Redditch, looking at: census figures; ticket sales; and public transport usage across the town Borough. Officers offered to attend the following meeting of the Committee to present this information to Members. This suggestion was approved. Officers requested that the bus timetables provided to Members at the meeting by Diamond Bus be copied and made available in the One Stop Shop areas.
RESOLVED that
1) Diamond Bus’s service timetables be displayed in the Council’s One Stop Shop areas;
2) representatives from Worcestershire County Council attend the next meeting of the Committee to present a report on public transport in Redditch; and
3) the report be noted.