The York Council is resisting a Freedom of information request which would have forced them to share with residents the statistics that they hold on bus service reliability in the City.

The Council was asked to produce figures showing the reliability on each service in York each month for the last year. Figures from the GPS systems used by bus operators to monitor each route were requested together with the similar (but independent) information that the Council routinely gathers through “mystery traveller” type checks.

The Council claims that, although the GPS information is available to it, they cannot reveal it because “publishing it may affect the commercial interests” of the bus companies. While we can understand that the information may affect the reputation of individual companies, it is more difficult to see this as a “commercial interest”. After all similar information is published routinely for train operating companies who themselves are (mainly) private sector organisations.

We accept that the council cannot routinely publish such information without the agreement of bus operators. We are writing to senior managers in the larger local bus companies asking them to cooperate in the publication of this information.

There are a few routes in York (and only a few) where different bus operators compete directly with each other. It seems to us that if on, say, the Tadcaster Road service, Coastliner had a 90% punctuality record and First a 92% performance then that is information that the potential passenger should have available to them to aid them in their choice of provider?

If the bus operators won’t produce this information voluntarily, then we will be asking the Transport Minister to order its publication.

Separately the Council has been independently checking bus reliability for a number of years. “Mystery travellers” compare actual to timetable performance. The reports are paid for by Council Taxpayers and should be in the public domain.

The Councils excuse for not providing this information is that it is planning to do so in September when a “bus improvement study” is published. The report will be considered by the Cabinet member for Transport at one of his “decision” meetings.

These are the type of meeting which have recently been held behind closed doors, without the publication of an agenda or the opportunity for other Councillors and members of the public to make representations. Recent practice has been to publish the “decision” about a week after the meeting has taken place.

It is increasingly difficult not to conclude that the Council once again has something to hide.