Memorandum from UNISON (TPT 39)
UNISON members work for a wide range of transport
organisations, particularly Passenger Transport Executives, bus
companies, British Waterways and regional airports. Their jobs
include professional, managerial, administrative, clerical, manual
and engineering roles. In addition to negotiating pay, terms and
conditions, UNISON works on different priority issues for each
group of members, and contributes to relevant policy debates and
consultations.
We welcome the opportunity to submit this short
response to the Transport Select Committee enquiry into ticketing.
In terms of our overall position, we should state at the outset
that we do strongly support smart card technology. However, we
do believe that the benefits of such schemes can be diminished
as a consequence of:
— insufficient funding of such schemes.
Our members report that equipment can be prohibitively expensive
and that planned projects appear to suffer from what seem like
"permanent" delays; and
— inadequate ticketing information,
which we believe to be almost inevitable in the context of
our fragmented public transport system.
We also wish to state at the outset that we
do welcome the government's commitment to concessionary travel,
and believe that this should be expanded across modes of transport,
adequately funded from central government and administered at
a local level.
RESPONSES TO
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
1. Is ticketing sufficiently integrated across
different models of transport and between different geographical
areas?
We do not believe that ticketing is sufficiently
integrated between modes of transport and or geographical areas.
There are some good schemes provided for travel
within certain local authorities and PTEs, eg Derbyshire, Nottingham,
West Midlands and Greater Manchester. However, even where there
is a degree of integration, as with the above, we find that some
schemes are only available as day tickets and some are only available
after the morning peak. Many local authorities do not offer any
multi-operator/modal tickets, eg Staffordshire, Leicestershire
and Nottinghamshire. Bus operators tend to offer day tickets for
unlimited travel, but they are only valid on their networks and
not accepted by other operators. Rail operators offer network
tickets, but these tend not to be well promoted. In certain areas
PlusBus tickets are available, but only as add-ons to rail tickets.
Integrated bus/train ticketing will not succeed
until there are more services in the early morning and during
the evening to enable passengers to get to and from the rail station.
We believe that if we are to meet the challenges
set out in the Eddington Report, or address the Stern agenda,
the Government needs to do more to support integrated ticketing.
We note that Putting Passengers First concluded that one
of the key reasons leading to the decline in bus services has
been lack of seamless journeys caused by network deficiencies
and lack of through ticketing.
The planning process, particularly where this
relates to new housing growth areas, should ensure that integrated
transport is a fundamental part of planning gain supplement funded
infrastructure in order to support sustainable communities.
2. Does the Government have an adequate strategy
for developing the integration of ticketing systems?
A lot depends on the definition of integration.
Is it expecting fares to be available from anywhere to everywhere?
This would be difficult to implement because of the amount of
memory required by the ticket machines. Also, who would set the
fares? While rail fares are controlled centrally (with some controlled
by the operators), bus fares are controlled by the bus operators,
with local authorities responsible for tendered routes (which
can lead to different fares for the same journey). How would operators
be reimbursed, bearing in mind the complex variety of fares available?
If it means the extension of the Oyster card,
which would be easier for passengers to use, the passenger could
have no idea how much the journey costs. Again, can it cope with
complex fare structures?
Overall we do not get a sense that the government
has a strategy for developing integrated ticket systems and addressing
the questions set out above. We note that this issue was not covered
at all in Putting Passengers First.
3. Is the industry taking up modern smartcard
technologies adequately and appropriately?
Our members get a sense that the industry is
taking up smartcard systems in an ad-hoc way, largely as a consequence
of the costs involved.
Where operators are embracing the technology,
they are developing systems tailored to their individual needs,
rather than with a view to developing an integrated system.
4. Do operators of public transport take
adequate measures to protect fares revenue?
In the provinces, yes. Electronic ticket machines
mean that passengers pay the correct fare for the journey undertaken.
Problems arise with smartcards, which rely on the passenger's
honesty to swipe their cards. Problems also exist on articulated
buses, where there is more than one entrance.
There are problems on trains, where tickets
are not checked. Train operators find installing ticket barriers
at stations cheaper than employing guards, which is unfortunate,
given the important role that guards play in ensuring safety and
security on board the trains.
5. Is the government's concessionary fares
strategy, including the proposed scheme for concessionary bus
travel, adequate?
As stated in the introduction, we do welcome
the government's commitment to concessionary travel, but should
be free to the over 60s at all times, integrated with other modes
and available throughout the nations of the UK. This should be
fully funded by the Government and administered at a local level.
Our members report that some authorities are being forced to cut
bus services to pay for concessionary fares, which is clearly
self-defeating.
6. Are concessionary fares schemes sufficiently
integrated across different modes of transport and different geographical
areas?
Concessionary fares should be free across all
modes of transport at all times. There is still a postcode lottery,
where neighbouring local authorities offer different schemes.
The majority of shire counties offer one scheme, but in some,
like Leicestershire, the district councils have different schemes.
Problems can arise in unitary authorities eg between Nottingham
and Nottinghamshire.
It would be more efficient and reduce bureaucracy
if the funding for concessionary fares was paid direct to county
councils and PTEs.
Free concessionary travel should also be available
where taxi operators take over the provision of public transport
in rural areas.
March 2007
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