Further written evidence the Dales &
Bowland Community Interest Company (DBCIC) (BUS 21a)
INTRODUCTION
DBCIC welcomed the original opportunity to submit
evidence to the Transport Committee's Inquiry into "Bus Services
after the Spending Review" in January. Noting that in its
Press Notice of 2 March 2011 the Committee has specifically requested
evidence from stakeholders on a number of matters relating to
how recent changes to funding for bus provision are affectingor
are likely to affectlocal bus service, including consultation
DBCIC has prepared this Supplementary Memorandum.
We cover the following topics:
1. Backgroundthe
DalesBus Story
2. Implementation
of Bus Subsidy Cuts in North Yorkshire
3. The
Consultation Process and Results
4. The
"Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon" White Paper, Community
Transport Funding and Local Sustainable Transport in rural areas
5. The
Dales Integrated Transport Alliance proposition
6. Conclusions
and Proposals
1. BACKGROUNDTHE
DALESBUS
STORY
DBCIC is a social enterprise company founded in 2007
by the Yorkshire Dales Society and the Yorkshire Dales Public
Transport Users Group to replace the Sunday bus service between
Ilkley and Skipton withdrawn in 2006. It has since taken on management
of much of the Sunday and Bank Holiday DalesBus network of bus
services within and into the Yorkshire Dales National Park with
striking success, introducing additional services, trebling passenger
numbers and attracting revenue grants from other stakeholders
in both public and private sectors as summarised below. Additionally
some seasonal weekday journeys have been operated in 2009 and
2010.
Unfortunately, DBCIC will not receive any revenue
funding from North Yorkshire County Council in 2011-12 and the
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has made clear that it
will not be able to afford any funding beyond the current year.
There is further uncertainty about the ability of some other funders
to support DalesBus in 2011-12 and beyond. Paradoxically, despite
the cuts in public funding DBCIC has successfully negotiated with
commercial operators to provide additional services and is using
its accumulated reserves to operate an even better DalesBus network
in 2011-12. After that, the future is grim unless other initiatives
promoted by DBCIC and its partners are successful.
The tables on the following page summarise DalesBus
funding and performance over the life of the company. Key features
are:
Doing
more with lessthe service network has increased each year
despite tight control over costs and reductions in funding;
"Harvesting"
of stakeholder contributions so that the network does not depend
solely on service subsidy from the local transport authority.
The consequences of the CSR have had a major impact on DBCIC's
business plan as discussed further below:
DALESBUS FUNDING PARTNERS
Funding Partners
| 2009-10 | 2010-11
| 2011-12 |
Local Transport Authority Stakeholders |
2 | 2 | 1 |
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Natural England
| 3 | 3 | 1 |
Parish Councils | - | 1
| ? |
Transport Operators (Northern Rail) | 1
| 1 | ? |
Environment and Heritage Supporters Groups |
3 | 1 | ? |
Transport Supporters Groups | 3
| 2 | ? |
Number of Funding Partners | 12
| 10 | 2+ |
Total Funding (including reserves 2011-12)
| £85,250 | £77,800 |
£62,500+* |
reductions | - | -8.8%
| -19.7% |
*2011-12 funding includes reserves accumulated by the Dales &
Bowland Community Interest Company which together with commercial
service extensions negotiated with public transport operators
have secured an extended network of services in 2011-12.
PATRONAGE COMPARISONS
Period | Total
Passengers
| Change from:
|
| | Previous Year
| 2008-09 |
Actual 2008-09 | 13,064
| | |
Actual 2009-10 | 20,362
| +56% | +56% |
Actual 2010-11 | 26,678
| +32% | +105% |
Patronage
more than doubled resulting from detailed service planning and
co-ordination with other bus and train services at gateways to
the Dales as well as taking account of needs expressed through
user and operator stakeholders;
Well-targeted
marketing and information including interchange and round trip
itineraries has increased visitors use of services;
Surveys
by the VisTrav network based at the University of Central Lancashire
suggest that the economic benefits of visitor traffic using the
DalesBus network are now worth over £350,000 per year;
NET COST PER PASSENGER
Period | Net Cost per
Passenger
(£.p)
| Compared to:
|
| | Previous Year (%)
| "Inherited" (%) |
"Inherited" 2007-08
(all paid by North Yorkshire County Council)
| 6.63 | |
|
Actual 2008-09 (shared by partners) | 3.29
| -50% | -50% |
Actual 2009-10 (shared by partners) | 3.53
| +7% | -47% |
Forecast 2010-11 (shared by partners)*
| 2.46 | -30%
| -63% |
Forecast 2010-11 updated April 2011.
Support
costs per passenger dropped by almost two thirds to £2.46,
still a higher figure than desirable but comparing well with other
rural bus services;
Support
costs are now shared between stakeholders rather than borne by
a single transport authority. Importantly those stakeholders include
businesses, a local community and user groups that are beneficiaries
of the services.
2. IMPLEMENTATION
OF BUS
SUBSIDY CUTS
IN NORTH
YORKSHIRE
In September 2010, it was announced that North Yorkshire
County Council (NYCC) would consult on proposals to withdraw subsidy
from all evening, Sunday and Bank Holiday services in the county
from April 2011. The use of concessionary bus passes would then
be restricted to after 0930 (in line with the English National
Concessionary Travel Scheme) rather than 0900 under the then current
local scheme. Subsidy for the weekday 767 Harrogate to Leeds Bradford
l Airport service was also withdrawn.
The rationale for this actionapart from the
urgent need to save moneywas apparently a belief that the
primary use of evening and Sunday servicers is for social and
leisure purposes. This is misguided as many work trips, particularly
by low paid shift workers, take place in the evenings and on Sundays.
As pointed out in DBCIC's previous evidence:
"
cutting subsidised services will also
have an adverse impact on commercial and indeed other supported
services in the area.
..many return journeys will be made
in one direction in the daytime when services may be commercial
or supported on the basis that daytime services are busier and
therefore of greater 'value' than evening or weekend services.
If the evening or weekend service is no longer available both
legs of the return journey are lost."
Typically in the Dales (and many other rural areas)
low paid shift workers are predominantly employed in the caring
or hospitality sectors. They may well find difficulty in meeting
the running costs of cars but the cars they can afford are often
older, less efficient, more polluting and less reliable than modern
vehicles. The social costs of cutting evening and Sunday services
are likely to be high. Continuing them may not be the best solution
but community car schemes, lift sharing or subsidised taxis could
be alternatives.
There is no indication that NYCC have examined the
costs of the retained daytime subsidised services apart from the
767 Airport service although DBCIC is aware of several cases where
costs per passenger are high and usage appears low.
DBCIC believe that:
1. NYCC
should have undertaken a more rigorous analysis considering all
subsidised services before determining which services to cut;
2. Alternatives
should have been explored and the consultation should have allowed
the consultees to express their preferences. For example options
might have included cutting all services (regardless of period
of operation) costing more than a benchmark determined by NYCC
in the light of its available budget, or use of cars and taxis
at times of low demand;
3. The
assumed valuation of evening and weekend services is wrong, certainly
socially, probably economically (a number of the services cut
brought in useful visitor spending which is likely to be lost
to the area) and possibly environmentally.
3. THE CONSULTATION
PROCESS AND
RESULTS
The NYCC intention to cut all evening and Sunday
services was announced concurrently with a consultation survey
across the county. This raised expectations, particularly in remote
and fragile rural communities, that the cuts might be open to
review. DBCIC has had access to the published consultation responses
and papers for decision on NYCC's web-site. Together with comments
on process these are analysed below with particular reference
to DalesBus services.
Procedure
Although North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) claim
to have consulted all directly-affected Parish Councils, they
appear only to have consulted Parish Councils through which the
routes proposed for cuts passed (presumably this applies to services
in other areas too). Some of the omitted Parish Councils in the
Dales were however alerted by the Yorkshire Dales Public Transport
Users Group (YDPTUG) and have responded.
Results
Category of
Respondent
| Total
responses | Objections to
DalesBus cuts
| Objections
to Other
Specific cuts
| Objections
to general
cuts policy
| Support
for cuts
policy
|
Public | 270 | 84
| 31% | 169 | 63%
| 59 | 22% | 3 |
1% |
Councils | 61 | 14
| 23% | 50 | 82%
| 34 | 56% | 4 |
7% |
Councillors/MPS | 8 | 0
| 0% | 4 | 50% |
3 | 38% | 1 | 13%
|
TOTALS | 339 | 98
| 29% | 223 | 66%
| 96 | 28% | 8 |
2% |
N.B. Some objectors cite several areas or services so totals are
more than 100%
29% of the comments recorded specifically opposed DalesBus cuts,
whilst a further 28% raise general objections to the cuts. 66%
commented adversely on the proposals affecting other parts of
North Yorkshire. Only 2% express even partial support for the
County Council's proposals.
There are a further four responses that recognise that cuts needs
to be made, but this does not necessarily imply support for the
proposals.
120 (35%) of comments specifically identified problems with work
journeys and 40 (12%) with health related travel as a result of
the cuts.
Geographical distribution of comments
Looking at the geographical distribution of specific comments,
the majority are, as expected, in the most rural and most economically
deprived areasthe Dales (including Richmondshire) with
98; the Coast and Moors (Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale) with
118; Selby and Goole (more urban but with low economic activity)
61; Hambleton (principally rural hinterland north of York) 15
and Harrogate (all relating to a single service to Leeds Bradford
International Airport seen as necessary for economic development)
6. In other parts of the county the principal services are inter-urban
and mainly commercial.
Follow up
A few respondents including the Dales & Bowland Community
Interest Company (D&B CIC) offered alternative proposals to
achieve the necessary savings. It might have been expected that
with only 2% of respondents supporting the policy, 28% objecting
to the policy in general and a large number of specific criticisms
by respondents there would have been some further consideration
and discussion by the County Council. As far as DBCIC is concerned
NYCC has made no response to its proposals.
Use of survey results
According to a story in the Darlington and Stockton
Times on 14 January 2011, contracts were signed on 8 October
2010, three weeks before the consultation ended on 31 October
2010 for subsidised services in the Richmond Area to commence
on 1 April 2011. This perhaps explains the lack of engagement
with respondents offering alternatives for consideration. It is
unfortunate that having been led to believe that the consultation
was an essential part of the decision process representatives
of bus users find that they have participated in what can at best
be described as a costly but redundant exercise.
Oral evidence
When the Assistant Director of the Integrated Passenger Transport
Unit at North Yorkshire County Council was examined by your Committee
he appeared to say that because different areas of the county
have different characteristics and needs all would opt for the
status quo or for cuts elsewhere. In his view it was not possible
to produce detailed options for consultation that would enable
meaningful comparisons to be made between areasa sort of
"turkeys voting for Christmas" argument. As the Council
must make such comparisons itself (or should do so) in determining
priorities for its subsidy budget, it is rather patronising that
NYCC do not trust the representative organisations and residents
that they consult to consider rationally the difficult choices
to be made.
4. THE "CREATING
GROWTH, CUTTING
CARBON" WHITE
PAPER, COMMUNITY
TRANSPORT FUNDING
AND LOCAL
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT
IN RURAL
AREAS
The White Paper (subtitled "Making Sustainable Local Transport
Happen") was published on 19 January 2011 supported by details
of the application process for the Local Sustainable Transport
Fund. The White Paper contains surprisingly little that is new
on bus services, although it does reiterate commitments to smart
and integrated ticketing. The Executive Summary states "
it is simply not possible for public transport, walking or cycling
to represent a viable alternative to the private car
.particularly
in rural areas
.." and goes on to espouse development
of the electric and hybrid vehicle markets which will take time
to have maximum impact as the replacement of existing vehicles
will take more than a decade, longer in a depressed economic climate.
The Local Sustainable Transport Fund is a welcome stimulus to
development of new thinking but it is disappointing that it is
a one-off fund expiring in 2015 rather than rolled into the Department's
rationalised annual grant streams. This would stimulate transport
networks delivering better social and economic performance for
the communities served whilst also reducing carbon emissions and
other environmental damage.
Apparently as a palliative seeking to overcome some of the damage
of the cuts in bus service funding, the Government has made available
a substantial injection of funds for Community Transport in 2011-12.
Whilst this is welcome it is not entirely clear why the funding
should be restricted to community transport rather than available
for passenger transport more generally. In some areas Community
Transport is well established and the required voluntary input
is available. In other parts of the country there is less enthusiasm
for volunteering to provide transport services. It is often the
case that scheduled bus services can be delivered more cheaply
and reliably than dial a ride which has to bear extra costs of
dynamic scheduling and control.
There are problems for holders of the English National Concessionary
Travel Pass in areas with few bus or eligible community transport
services and the Government must address the severe inequalities
that arise between users of this benefit in different areas. In
many cases the restriction on starting time may save reimbursement
costs according to the reimbursement formulae used but in practice
the resource costs of permitting travel before 09:30 are nil.
Such anomalies need to be addressed in a review challenging whether
the "no better, no worse" principle remains fit for
purpose, particularly as smart ticketing becomes widely available.
DBCIC believes that a defeatist attitude still pervades both Government
and much industry thinking about public transport and that far
more needs to be done both in policy and in delivery to develop
public transport networks that use the different modes in combination.
Integrated solutions are about more than co-ordination of timetables
and should be concerned with building partnerships and using the
technologies and techniques now available for use smarter travel
planning to seek out the best solutions to the complex web of
problems facing rural areas. This means trains, buses, community
transport, taxis, car clubs and lift sharing all working together
to produce the best combination of services with the resources
collectively available. For example a worker starting a late shift
might travel to work on the daytime bus service but return late
at night in a shared taxi. Successful solutions can be seen in
Switzerland, or slightly closer to home in the taxi-buses of the
Netherlands and Germany.
5. THE DALES
INTEGRATED TRANSPORT
ALLIANCE PROPOSITION
The Dales Integrated Transport Alliance (DITA) is a grouping established
by DBCIC and the Little Red Bus Company (a social enterprise company
providing community transport and contracted local bus services
established by Harrogate Community transport with an affiliated
network across North Yorkshire), local bus and train operators,
community and business associations and local authorities. DITA
currently has over 50 supporters and plans to become a Co-operative
consortium to develop and manage a community-based sustainable
integrated passenger transport network for the Dales area. An
application has been made for Sustainable Local Transport funding
for development and pump priming but in the longer term from 2015
there is a binding target that the network should require no more
support in real terms than in 2011-12. DITA believes that in fact
greater economies should be possible by drawing into the network
vehicles used for education, local authority and health services
in both public and private sectors.
The DITA proposition can be summarised as:
Pooling
of resources from the few providers of commercial bus services
in the area, public bodies and beneficiaries of transport services.
Development
of a core network of mainline bus services, with demand responsive
feeder services, replacing the current mix of tendered bus services
and separately procured transport services. The network will include
scheduled local buses, demand responsive minibuses, shared taxis,
car clubs, cycle hire, combined passenger and (in due course)
parcel/light goods carriage etc. Co-ordinated service scheduling,
procurement and management will enhance service provision whilst
reducing costs. Subsidised services will be procured through the
transport authorities.
Establishment
of key transport hubs and gateways that are currently, or can
be, served by good quality, relatively fast bus services or rail
services to and from key market town/service centres. Potential
hubs include Settle, Grassington, Pateley Bridge, Ripon, Leyburn,
Hawes and Reeth. Gateways at Skipton, Ilkley, Harrogate and Northallerton
and stations on the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle and Leeds-Lancaster/Morecambe
railways are important.
Walking
and Cycling development, particularly for recreational use as
the distances between settlements, road network and climate of
the Dales are not conducive to significant expansion of use of
the "active modes" by residents. Commercial opportunities
exist for businesses such as cycle hire.
Building
Local Sustainable Transport Partnerships based on the hubs comprising
representatives from local communities, local businesses (especially
those with tourism interests), parish councils, GP practices,
social services, local schools and regular bus users. These would
help ensure that solutions meet local needs, giving local communities
a powerful voice and real ownership of their transport provision.
Each local transport partnership would also undertake local marketing
activity.
This approach would utilise unique local third-sector
capabilities, including:
The
Little Red Bus' computerised scheduling system and call-centre
facilities in Harrogate, to be built on to provide a comprehensive
brokerage service including the provision of demand-responsive
transport (whether Community Buses, taxis or other car based services),
lift sharing and community car club bookings as well as providing
personalised journey planning advice.
Dales
& Bowland Community Interest Company's expertise in planning
and marketing bus services to appeal to both local residents and
visitors to the area.
6. CONCLUSIONS
AND PROPOSALS
Based on the less than satisfactory experience with
the withdrawal of subsidies from all evening and Sunday bus services
in North Yorkshire, DBCIC suggests the following:
1. Transparent
criteria for the support of "socially necessary" bus
services should be drawn up and published by all local transport
authorities. Some authorities already have these.
2. The
Department for Transport should investigate existing practices
for support of subsidised bus services and publish its findings
in a good practice guide.
3. Where
consultation is undertaken it should genuinely be used to inform
decision making and avoid raising expectations in an already fragile
market.
On
more general points relating to public transport and sustainability:
4. Community
transport and other shared modes including taxis, car clubs and
lift giving are complements to, not direct substitutes for, bus
services. Integrated networks should be promoted.
5. The
principles of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund are good and
should be rolled into the rationalised funding streams of the
Department for Transport.
6. An
independent review of the types of service on which English National
Concessionary Travel passes can be used and of the basis of reimbursement
under the scheme to remove inequalities between different types
of area should be commissioned by the Government.
The DITA proposition is a new approach to community
based development and management of local passenger transport
services. DBCIC hope that it will receive Sustainable Local Transport
Fund grant to enable its opportunities and practicality to be
tested as a potential model for wider application.
June 2011
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