Call for bus fares to be reduced

Liberal Democrats are calling for public transport users to enjoy the benefits of lower fuels prices.

Bus fares have risen steadily over the last 4 years with park and ride charges which were increased by 5% in January.

The No 12 bus to Foxwood Lane, York - one of a number of bus routes which could be cut

First buses last increased their single fares in September 2013. Some other fares were restructured in the light of falling customer numbers at the same time.

Since then fuel prices have dropped by 21%.

Taxi fares were last reviewed in April 2014. Another review is due next month. The Council has been asked under Freedom of Information legislation to release details of the cost assumptions made when approving fare increases.

Fuel costs have reduced by 17% since last April.

Public transport providers do, of course, face other costs. These include labour and depreciation costs while maintenance and licensing charges also take a toll. But most of these costs have been stable recently so passengers will be expecting to benefit.

Lower fares may mean a “win win” for operators with increased passenger numbers making up any reduction in income.

“Free station bus service is aimed at visitors”

Yesterday’s announcement that car parking charges would increase in order to fund a fares free bus service form the station to the hospital is attracting a growing level of criticism.

Bus users have pointed out that they will have already purchased a “through” ticket when boarding the bus on the first leg of their journeys. The majority of bus journeys are made by elderly concessionary pass holders anyway, who get “free” travel anyway (the bill is picked up by the government).

It seems that the only real beneficiaries of the new service will be visitors/tourists arriving by rail at the station.

Bus User Group seeking new recruits

Bus users are being invited to have their say on how bus services in York are planned and delivered.

Old Pullman bus

City of York Council and local bus operators are encouraging commuters, residents and visitors to join the Bus User Group (BUSUG) on a voluntary basis to be involved in helping to improve bus travel in York.

The group has already helped to make influential decisions shaping a number of changes to the network, including:
• the design of the new all-operator bus timetables, now in use at all bus stops in York
• and, the installation of real time information screens
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New threat to Woodthorpe bus service?

Now First start consultation on “low usage” services

Just a few weeks after the York Council withdrew its threat to withdraw subsidies from services like the number 12, it seems that First themselves are now planning cuts.

Their web site says

“We’re undertaking some face-to-face consultation events and running an online survey to seek your views on services operating in the South West of York covering Acomb to Copmanthorpe as well as Haxby in the North.

Some services operating in these areas are experiencing low levels of usage which we’d like to address, to ensure that our buses go to the right places and that the levels of service meets the demand.

Our survey asks for feedback on your travel choices made within your area as well as ways to improve or amend our existing services.

It’s hoped that this feedback will assist in the development of the network to improve usage and long term viability of these services.

Come and meet us face-to-face at these events:

  • Thursday 12 February 1000-1300 Explore Acomb Library Learning Centre
  • Thursday 12 February1400-1600 Copmanthorpe Youth Club, School Lane
  • Friday 13 February 1430-1730 Snow Room G035, City of York Council Offices
  • Tuesday 24 February 1230-1530 Haxby & Wigginton Methodist Church Hall

If you’re not able to see us at one of these events, we still want your views – please let us know what you think by completing our online survey which is open until Saturday 28 February”.

The main concerns relate to possible reductions in the frequency of the  number 12 service which provides a link between the City centre and Woodthorpe. The future of the popular number 4 service is also understood to be under review.

 

York Council refuses to publish bus reliability information

On the busesIn the latest in a long running saga the Councillor responsible for transport systems in the City (Levene) again, at the last Council meeting, refused to publish bus service reliability figures.

Cllr Levene was asked by LibDem Councillor Ann Reid “In view of the fact that successive Cabinet Members for Transport have told previous Council meetings that they were trying to get more information about bus service reliability in York, could the current Cabinet Member now say – for each of the last 6 months – what reliability was achieved on stage carriage services (quoting commercial and subsidised separately) operating in the City?”

He responded that agreements with local bus company’s pre vented the publication of such information. He would only confirm the statistics that are available on the national DoT website

  • For 2013/14, 84% of non-frequent buses (fewer than 6 per hour on a given route) ran on time (between 1 minute early and 5 minutes 59 seconds late).
  • The average excess wait time for frequent buses (6 or more buses per hour on a given route) was 0.6 minutes. Bus punctuality

Neither figure is particularly helpful as passengers know that reliability varies form route to route.

It is little short of disgraceful that quality of service information is not made available at least on those services which enjoy a £800,000 a year subsidy from taxpayers.

Nationally the government promoted the introduction of “bus punctuality” partnerships, but the transparency underpinning this initiative never found its way to York

Although most passengers will feel that their most immediate need is to know when the next bus will arrive at a particular stop they are also aware that the “real time” information reverts on many occasions to basic timetable data.

This indicates when the next bus is timetabled to arrive not when it actually will.

It would be so much more honest if the industry – like the train operating companies – published reliability information on the regular basis.

Proposed cuts to Dringhouses bus services

Westfield, Foxwood, Woodthorpe and Dringhouses areas affected

The evening and Sunday number 14 service from Foxwood Lane via Woodthorpe will be discontinued. The 13A service serving Hamilton Drive is retained subject to retendering. The Middlethorpe loop off Tadcaster Road is in jeopardy

The full changes – proposed due to “low passenger levels” – can be found here. (click for route map)

Proposed bus service cuts

Proposed bus service cuts

Services withdrawn fully: Routes

Partial reductions: Routes

Subject to further discussions with neighbouring authorities: Route

The proposals to change bus services, which are currently subsidised by City of York Council will go to a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 6 January.

The Council is aiming to reduce bus subsidies by around £200,000. This compares to the £700,000 abortive expenditure that it incurred during the Lendal Bridge closure. The aim of the latter had been to increase bus usage.

There has been no consultation with passengers over the plan and the report makes no attempt to offer alternatives for those who do not have private transport.

In the past the Council has promoted dial a ride and similar services to provide a basic link on low use bus routes.

Unfortunately use of taxis may also prove to be expensive for older people since Labour withdrew of the tokens/taxi card alternative to having a bus pass

If approved, the service changes could be implemented from April 2015.
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Cheap bus travel offer for teenagers in York over Christmas

York is making it easier for young people to travel around the city this Christmas with a holiday special offer lowering the price of an All York ticket to just £1.30 for the day.YOzone_11-16

From Saturday 20 December until Sunday 4 January children aged 11-16 who are travelling with a YOZone card will be able to purchase the reduced price ticket, which will enable them to travel all day on any York bus.

Alongside this new Smart YOZone cards are being sent to young people across the city who are already signed up to the scheme.

The new system will allow for quicker boarding and cut down on the occasional misuse of the cards. People will be able to use the cards as soon as they receive them and all buses will be able to accept them in Smart mode by early 2015.

For more information on travelling in and around York visit http://www.itravelyork.info/

Bus services face new threat

Some park and ride sites to operate free service on Boxing Day

Labour Councillors have announced that they will be considering reducing subsidised bus services in the City at a meeting which will be held on 11th December.

Labour were criticised during the recent Westfield by election for keeping secret their plans to reduce services like the number 13A which serves the Hamilton Drive area.

There has so far been no consultation on the proposals which will seek to reduce the annual £800,000 spend by the Council on sustaining off peak bus services and those to remoter parts of the City.

The latest crisis reflects problems which started to develop when Labour took control of the Council in 2011.

Bus service usage figures at Nov 2014 2

 

They concentrated their efforts on scrapping the popular (with passengers) ftr service but failed to put anything in its place. Routes were chopped and changed with stability only achieved during the last 12 moths.

Now even that seems to be under threat.

Bus service usage peaked at 12 million passenger journeys with the introduction of the ftr in 2006 before declining last year to 10.4 million.

Overall bus usage has held up with a gradual increase in the numbers using Park and Ride services which themselves peaked last year at 4.4 million.

Further increases are expected this year with the opening of the larger Askham Bar site and the new service from Poppleton Bar.

NB. The Council has announced it’s Christmas Park and Ride services.

A late night shopping service on all six Park&Ride routes will operate every Thursday, with the last bus leaving the city centre on all routes at around 9.30pm (for exact timings visit http://www.itravelyork.info/).

The first extended service will run from the 20 November ahead of the biggest Christmas market in York’s calendar – St Nicholas Fair starting on 27 November.

In addition to this, passengers will also be able to take advantage again of the, now traditional, FREE travel on Boxing Day on the three key P&R routes which will be operating.

Three Park & Ride services will operate on Boxing Day:

  • Askham Bar (white line – route 3) – First bus at 7am from the site, last bus back from Tower Street at 6.42pm
  • Designer Outlet (red line – route 7) – First bus at 7am from the site, last bus back from Rougier Street at 6.40pm
  • Monks Cross (silver line – route 9) – First bus at 7am from the site, last bus back from Rougier Street at 6.43pm

All three services will operate at a 15 minute frequency throughout the day and will be FREE for all passengers (and will stop at all usual stops along the route).

To find out more about the offer or to find the best bus route through York, try out the council’s new i-Travel York online Journey Planner at http://www.itravelyork.info/

Changes to traffic lanes on Clarence Street

Clarence Street proposals - click to access

Clarence Street proposals – click to access

Following consultation with residents and businesses a new scheme to improve one of York’s key city centre bus routes is set to go to a Cabinet Member meeting for final approval.

The proposals include introducing a longer lane for vehicles turning left into Lord Mayor’s Walk from Clarence Street, so that straight-through/ right-turning traffic is not held up by queuing vehicles.

Traffic signals will be changed so that the left turn from Clarence Street into Lord Mayor’s Walk gets additional ‘green time’.

The scheme is supported through part of the £3.5 million Better Bus Area Fund (BBAF) awarded to the council from the Government’s Department for Transport in 2012.

The five-week consultation took place in September and October and asked for views on the proposed measures on Clarence Street to help improve the reliability of bus services on the approach to York city centre.

The findings of the consultation will now go before the Cabinet Member for Transport’s public Decision Session on Friday 21 November for final approval.

The improvements will help three of York’s five most frequent bus services, specifically routes 1, 5 and 6 which can experience some delays on Clarence Street, Gillygate and St Leonards Place.

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