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.

We’ve had further correspondence with First regarding the reliability of the number 4 service. They say that the service achieved over 90% reliability between May and July. We are unclear how the reliability of a service which is supposed to run at “frequent intervals”, according to the timetable, is assessed.

First are expecting to make timetable changes in October to co-include with the arrival of additional students at York University. They will be “delivering a frequency and resource increase which should drive up performance”.

The delays and “bunching” on the route, over the last week or so, are blamed on road works in Heslington Road. These were due to be completed on 24th August, so we will be checking whether things have improved.

We are less convinced that the “bunching” on the inward leg (from Acomb to the city centre) can be attributed to road works (there haven’t been any on that section of the route, yet tandem working is frequent).

One resident reported to us that no less than 4 buses were heading into the City on 22nd August – all within sight of each other.

There are a range of issues that need to be addressed. These include the use of GPS systems to regulate the separation of individual services, bus design (to allow for easier access and egress for buses) and ways to reduce the time taken for fare collection.

The issue has attracted media attention with some correspondents pointing to similar historic problems. Convoy working wasn’t nearly as big an issue with the ftr in our view …but there you go.

They claim also that there are similar issues on other services in the City.

The Council has run a “Quality Bus Partnership” for a number of years. It holds quarterly meetings. These meetings (which are held in private) bring together passenger representatives, bus operators and the Council. The minutes of the last meeting can be found here http://tinyurl.com/York-QBP-18th-June-2012.

This is one forum at which issues can be raised. The next meeting is being held on 17th September.