Passenger views by area click to enlarge

As reported yesterday, the Council’s long awaited – and very expensive – Bus Improvement Study says the City should rely on existing structures to improve bus service arrangements in York.
So the “Bus Partnership” will continue. No recommendations are made for its meetings to be held in public. Nor are any proposals made for independent monitoring of service reliability (one of the main criticisms of passengers in a public opinion survey undertaken to support the study).

How York's buses compare clck to enlarge

So transparency is still not on Labour’s agenda for York.

The report was considered by a single Labour Councillor (Cllr Merrett) in a behind closed doors decision session yesterday morning.

The secrecy has been condemned by Liberal Democrat Councillors who are calling for the full report to be published on the Council’s web site.

The results of a survey of passengers, revealed a higher level of satisfaction with bus services in the City than might have been expected. This, and stable passenger numbers, proved to be the death knell for those hoping to introduce a “franchise” system into the City. To do so they would have had to prove that existing arrangements were “failing”.

The study concluded that there are no insurmountable barriers to providing consistently good bus services in the City, that performance was about average when compared to other similar City’s as were fare levels.

Bus fare comparisons clcick to enlarge

Recommendations included the introduction of a smart (go anywhere) payment card (which has been planned for the last 5 years), reducing the number of buses on the City Centre to York University route (which is regarded as being “over bussed” with 12 buses an hour) and that “Park and Ride “services should be integrated into the rest of the bus network (likely to be highly controversial with commuters who depend on a fast link into the City Centre).

The report also makes the usual genuflection towards the provision of a “bus station” naming the long stay car park next to the station as the preferred site (when the Queens Street Bridge has been demolished). The report however fails to avoid the usual pitfalls of such a plan; not least the costs of provision and maintenance of such a facility and the impact that routing all buses via the station would have on highways congestion.

Alternatives to using buses click to enlarge

The report has many weaknesses. It fails to address problems with sub-urban bus stops where “next bus due” screens are thin on the ground. It doesn’t mention the need to use GPS monitoring systems to avoid “bunching” and, of course, fails to recognise the need for public “real time” reliability information. No priority is given to the need for investment in modern buses. The last major investment in fleet modernisation in York, other than for Park and Ride services, was the ill fated ftr in 2006.

The Council will have to work very hard to get the support of passengers and the government for investment in a plan which seems to rely too much on further increases to City centre car parking charges as a way of forcing people onto the bus service.

Public views on bus facilities clcik to enlarge

Labour have today abandoned their plans to introduce a “Quality Contract” system of bus franchising into the City. They have finally accepted that such a scheme is neither practical nor affordable.

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Instead bus services will continue to be provided by the existing bus companies although some attempt is going to be made to improve coordination arrangements.

They are hoping that the Government will provide funding for a “Better Bus Area Fund” but it seems unlikely that such funding would be made available unless the Council and bus companies both agree in future to make performance information available to passengers.

It was only last week that the Council refused to release usage information about their flagship “all York” bus ticket.

More on this story to come later.

We understand that a Council report on the future of bus services in the City is to be considered on Monday at a “behind closed doors” meeting. This seems to be an unusual approach as the Councillor, with responsibility for transport issues in the City, is also holding a public “decision session” on the same day.

There are few topics which engage public interest more than bus services. Passengers are likely to be angry if they think that decisions are being taken behind their backs.

The report – titled a “bus improvement study” in the Council’s forward plan – has already been delayed for 3 months. It was to have been published in the summer.

Labour has budgeted over £200,000 for studies which they hope could lead to the introduction of a “statutory bus contract” arrangement in the City. Effectively this would mean the Council setting standards (frequencies, routes, fare levels etc) for bus routes in the City with operators tendering to provide the service.

The need for (and practicality of) such an arrangement has been called into question given that – unlike other parts of the country – bus use in the City is stable. The Councils weak financial position means that it is unlikely to be able to subsidise any new arrangements.

Regrettably the delay in publishing the report has also been used as an excuse by the Authority to avoid publishing the data that it holds on bus service reliability. These at least should become public on Monday.

The Council is still refusing to say how many of the “All York” tickets, that they launched in the summer, have been sold. There is a growing concern that, despite £20,000 of taxpayers money being used to subsidise the launch of the ticket, sales have been very poor.

With thousands of residents and tourists expected to visit York next week for the annual Illuminating York festival, extra Park & Rides services are being provided to allow easier access in and out of the city centre.

The internationally renowned digital arts and lighting festival takes places between Wednesday 31 October and Saturday 3 November.

During the festival, the Rawcliffe Barr number 2 Park & Ride Service (Green Line) will be operating extra late evening journeys between Museum Street and Rawcliffe Bar.

Buses will depart at half-hourly intervals from Museum Street between 8pm and 10.30pm.

For more information about the festival, please visit the illuminatingyork.org.uk/ or www.itravelyork.info/events/illuminating-york

Council promises, that a long awaited report on bus services in the City would shed some light on reliability issues, have once again been broken.

The report was originally to have been considered at a meeting in September.

The impending report was used in August as an excuse for not publishing the information gathered by the Councils “Mystery Travellers”. They check on the reliability of local bus services.

We were told that this information would be included in the report.

The report will compare buses in York with those elsewhere in the world

Eventually the report was put back to a meeting which the Councils forward plan said would be considered between “01/10/12 and 31/10/12”.

Although this date is still shown in the current Council forward plan, with only 2 days left to go in the month, that now seems highly unlikely. http://tinyurl.com/Bus-Imp-York

No explanation for the delay has been forthcoming.

The next meeting on transport policy is not scheduled to take place until 19th November.

We think that the York Council Cabinet members responsible should show more respect for bus service passengers in the City!

Details of the answers given by a Cabinet member to questions about bus service reliability in York have been released by the Council.

Independent checks – undertaken by “mystery travellers” – have been a valuable source of information over the years as they reflect the actual experience of passengers in the city. Suspicion is growing that the Labour Cabinet may have discontinued the checks when they took office – this seems to be the only explanation for their reluctance to publish the results.

The Council was told though that, in future, reliability statistics on “contracted services” (those subsidised by Council taxpayers) might in future be published. No timescale has been given for the release of this information.

Clearly the Council is also embarrassed by the low take up of their much vaunted “all York” ticket which allows travel on any bus in the City irrespective of operator. Information on ticket sales is not forthcoming although a Freedom of Information request is outstanding.

The Council had expected 5% of passengers to take up this option but it now seems that the actual use is much lower.

Hence the Council is thinking up all sorts of reasons for not releasing the information. The ticket enjoys a £20,000 subsidy from taxpayers and was a stop gap pending the introduction of a cashless “smartcard” payment option.

The secrecy is in marked contrast to the call for openness supported by the Coalition governments Transport Minister Norman Baker (see http://tinyurl.com/York-secrecy-criticised)

The answers to questions tabled at the council meeting on 6th October published by the Council include the following.

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City of York Council is to carry out resurfacing work on Askham Lane from the Foxwood Lane roundabout to Cornlands Road. The works will start at 9:15am on Monday 22nd October and be substantially completed by 4pm on Friday 26th October; weather permitting.

Length of day time closure of Askham Lane

The works will take place under a full road closure between 9:15am and 4pm. A signed diversion route, suitable for all vehicles, will operate during working hours. Outside of the working hours, the road will be open as usual.

The road closure will be supervised at each end to prevent unauthorised access. Access for pedestrians and emergency services will be maintained at all times. Cyclists will be instructed to dismount and use adjacent footways.

Bus services are affected as follows:

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Survey results. Click to enlarge

On the day when most passengers will be getting their first taste of the new number 4 and 12 bus service timetables, the results of a survey of passenger views on the old services are published.

They reveal disenchantment with a service that only 12 months ago was one of the most widely praised in the region.

90% say that the buses were unreliable.

82% criticised the lack of space for buggies and wheelchairs, while 2/3 also felt that there was inadequate room for passengers.

The fares were not considered to be reasonable for a service which was erratic.

Only 30% said that the bus got them to their destination quickly.

We will be keeping a close eye on the new number 4 service which is being run more frequently but using single deck vehicles. We fear that there may be capacity issues at peak times.

The York Council has been asked to invest in real time “next bus” information displays at busy sub-urban stops.

Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker has backed calls for the York Council and local bus operators to publish details of the reliability being achieved on bus services.

In a letter to Steve Galloway the Minister says, “Surveys have shown that punctuality and reliability are the primary concerns of actual and potential bus users. … It is essential for passengers that the bus turns up, is reasonably on time and arrives at its destination when expected…..We expect Local Authorities to be accountable locally in part through publishing data sets which can be benchmarked”

Letter page 1 clcik to enlarge

Letter page 2 click to enlarge

The response comes following concerns that the York Council is so far refusing to publish the details that it holds on local bus service reliability.

Nor do most local bus operators publish service punctuality data on their web sites as a matter of routine.

We are absolutely clear that passengers should be given the information that the council holds on its contracted services and that it should release, each month, the “mystery traveller” information that it gathers on reliability.

Bus operators also should release the information which they gather from their GPS monitoring systems.

Bus service reliability in York click to enlarge

Bus service waiting time in York click to enlarge

The data already collected by the DfT (see left) actually suggests that – up to March 2012 – bus reliability in York was gradually improving. What has happened since then is a mystery to passengers.

Exceptional circumstances such as the recent floods will, of course, affect services; but that is no reason for secrecy.

Meanwhile a report which was to have included a bus improvement study for the City was quietly removed from the agenda of a Council “decision” meeting which was scheduled for 27th September.

With expenditure of over £200,000 of taxpayers money already committed to introducing a quality bus contract system into the City, passengers will now be wondering when they will see any improvements in return for their investment?

The issue of bus reliability is likely to be raised at the York Council meeting next Thursday by LibDem transport spokesperson Ann Reid.

In the meantime we understand that some passengers are hoping to set up a new bus service watchdog group in the City. More details will be provided when we get them.

NB. First are introducing new bus timetables from Sunday. See http://tinyurl.com/Bus-changes-York-7th-Oct-12

The weather in context. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulhudson/2012/09/all-eyes-on-york-after-worst-s.shtml

The Environment Agency expects river levels in York to peak this afternoon but levels will remain high until tomorrow morning. They are likely to be the highest seen over the last 5 or so years but they are unlikely to reach an historic high for the Ouse.

Some riverside properties are subject to flood risk. http://tinyurl.com/Skelton-river-levels

The retail, tourism and business sectors of the City are still functioning with minimal disruption

The Foss is at record high levels with some localised flooding. http://tinyurl.com/New-Earswick-river-level

A list of local flood warnings can be found here http://tinyurl.com/York-flooding-26th-Sept-2012

Upstream, all tributaries are now showing declining river levels. http://tinyurl.com/Ouse-catchment

NB. The A1 southbound near Sedgefield remains closed but is expected to reopen at about 5:00pm. The A1 northbound is closed at Dishforth.
See traffic information tab (left) for updates.

A list of roads closed in York can be found here: http://www.york.gov.uk/advice/emergencies/weather/01update/

Train services are still disrupted. Details can be found here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.html#

Changes to First bus services (Poppleton, Skeldergate etc) can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/First-bus-service-updates