Passenger Transport Update – June 2017
1. Local Public Transport Review
The small number of services not yet dealt with running mainly to the north of Gloucester will be surveyed by on-bus surveyors with a view to tackling the current cost per head for a return journey of nearly £11 on the 351 Gloucester- Tewkesbury service via Hartpury College and villages, and the 353 and 11 Gloucester local services.
Meanwhile we are devising a publicity drive to get the revised bus services better used so they can be more financially sustainable, with a particular focus on services in the Cotswolds and Cheltenham. The theme of "use it or lose it" is being considered, as there remain a small number of services where this is the case given current patronage levels.
2. Changes to Commercially provided bus services. There will be a range of changes to commercial networks provided by Stagecoach across the county in August and September in response to some poor performance figures which have stubbornly not improved. More detail will be provided in July’s update as we have only been provided with headline changes, but the impact will be felt both in Cheltenham and in the Forest of Dean.
Saturday journeys on the 201 between Wotton and Gloucester will be stopped in late June as the provider has decided they aren’t carrying enough passengers. Communities affected are also able to use the Stagecoach 60 and 62 services. However the 201 will now serve communities between Whitminster and Gloucester and running via Severnside Shopping Centre in Quedgeley on Wednesdays following requests from local parishes for this connection to be re-established following changes to commercial networks.
3. Total Transport Fund The joint work with Somerset Council to find a provider for a Transport Web portal is currently out to tender. Somerset are expecting to award the contract in July.
4. Community Transport review and Forum
We are currently undertaking an audit of Community Transport provision across the county with a view to ensuring the sustainability and resilience of operations going forward. If significant changes are required LCM will be consulted further. We are also planning a county wide Forum for users and operators in the autumn.
5. NHS Hospitals service
We have assisted the NHS by helping them to procure a replacement for their current 99 hospital service that runs between Gloucester Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital. The new service will be provided by Pulhams Coaches (rather than Stagecoach) and will take in the Arle Court Park and Ride site en route but will no longer serve the Racecourse P&R. The service will be launched in August.
6. "GlosTalk" App launch
We are anticipating the launch of our GlosTalk app later this month. This has been developed for us by Trapeze Group with a group of people with disabilities from Inclusion Gloucestershire called the "Better Transport Links group". The App can be used by anyone but is designed to help those with sight impairment to identify where their stop is when using a bus in the county. It is currently being tested by selected users prior to launch. However it is also a valuable tool for those not familiar with the local area of bus route when seeking out a bus stop, bus timetable information, or finding out where to alight from a bus,
7. Smartcards tender project The timetable for re-procuring the Smartcard provider which supplies smartcards to around 120,000 elderly and disabled people along with scholars has slipped with the departure of Dan Rees. We are now hoping to go out to tender later this month and have extended the direct award to ACT until 31/12/17.
Alan Bently
Integrated Transport Manager