Environment Audit CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Unite the Union

1. Introduction

1.1 This response is submitted by Unite the Union, the UK’s largest trade union with 1.5 million members across the private and public sectors. The union’s members work in a range of industries including manufacturing, financial services, print, media, construction, energy generation, chemicals, transport, local government, education, health and not for profit sectors. In the arena of transport Unite represents over a quarter of a million members in all transport modes, making it the largest transport union in the UK.

1.2 Unite believes that one of the growing hurdles to services is the public’s access to safe and affordable transport options. These barriers include spiralling fare rises, withdrawal of services and cuts to public facing jobs.

2. Private Vehicles

2.1 Access to employment often relies on ownership of a clean driving licence and vehicle over those who rely on public transport. The reason behind this is related to the perception of public transport as unreliable amongst employers.

2.2 A major hurdle to vehicle ownership is one of cost especially among younger drivers in terms of insurance and fuel costs. Population expansion has also resulted in more vehicles on our roads leading to congestion and a lack of parking facilities.

2.3 Environmental initiatives have also pushed for drivers to leave their cars at home and encouraged car sharing and cycling as alternatives. Given the number of accidents and deaths on the roads involving cyclists the fear of an incident remains a major hurdle.

3. Buses

Quality Contracts

3.1 Since privatisation bus services have focused on making profits and dividends for the operators’ shareholders. When their costs increase, operators have to generate more passengers and/or pass on increased costs to passengers by increasing fares making their operations more “efficient”—usually through cutting out less profitable routes.

3.2 In recent years Unite has repeatedly seen this cycle with fares rising above inflation, services being cut and the number of fare-paying passengers falling. Operators’ can change or withdraw services at two months’ notice, without fully taking account of the wishes of local communities.

3.3 As well as bus fares rising significantly in recent years, each operator has its own fares and tickets making things confusing for passengers. These tickets can only be used on each company’s own services, which can make it difficult for passengers to change between different buses or between bus and other types of transport.

3.4 Unite believes the way forward is to introduce Quality Contracts made possible by the Transport Act 2008. Quality Bus Contracts allow operators to specify what the local bus network should be and how it should be operated.

3.5 A Quality Bus Contract Scheme would mean that the local authority would be responsible for deciding where buses run, how often they run, what fares and tickets are available, what quality standards buses run to and what happens if things go wrong. The local authority would make these decisions based on local needs and priorities and affordability. Bus operators would then have to bid to run bus services on the authority’s behalf. This is similar to the public transport system that operates in London and most European cities and makes bus operations more publicly accountable.

Safer Way Campaign

3.6 British bus drivers are presently driving longer periods than their European counterparts. This is wrong on grounds of safety because the deepening congestion on Britain’s roads makes their job increasingly stressful and hazardous. The British Driving Hours Regulations currently provide for bus drivers to work for up to five and a half hours without any breaks, and up to 16 hours in a whole day. To conform to the spirit of EU regulations, Unite believes it is time for:

a maximum single piece of driving duty not to exceed four and a half hours; and

a maximum of ten hours total working time in any one day.

3.7 The issue of excessive driving hours and the poor quality of UK regulations ought to be a matter of serious public concern and we urge the Government, MPs and MEPs, passengers, local authorities, employers, the police, and medical experts to support our campaign calling for steps to be taken to tighten the current drivers hours regulations. This is of interest not only to our hard-pressed bus drivers but also in the real interests of public safety on our roads.

50+ km bus routes

3.8 Unite has been encountering more and more examples of bus routes that Unite believe are in excess of 50 kilometres, creating safety concerns among drivers over fatigue and passenger safety.

3.9 Routes in excess of 50 kilometres have no enforcement recourse because VOSA are following the DfT guidelines, which Unite believe contravenes the EU Regulation.

3.10 Unite has become very concerned at the increasing abuse of EU Driving Hours Regulations in the UK by private stage carriage bus operators when operating long distance passenger services over 50K in length.

3.11 Unite is currently compiling a full list of services where such abuse have taken place.

4. Taxis

No to deregulation of taxi Industry

4.1 The deregulation of taxi services leads to a reduction in the quality of drivers and less stringent background checks. Whist this would appear to be a way of increasing competition and availability of taxis, it also drives down the safety of journeys as drivers stay out longer to make the money they need to survive or face the reality of going out of business.

4.2 The Coalition Government tasked the Law Commission with a wholesale review of the taxi and private hire trades and the proposals they have come up which will obliterate the industry. National private hire licensing with no cross border controls will see chaos across the country as minicabs crisscross the UK picking up fares, relying on satellite navigation as opposed to local knowledge to determine the best routes.

4.3 Law Commission proposals may introduce peak time licences which could result in an uncontrolled flood of taxis as well as private hire on the streets at busy times. That is set alongside the threat of “no limits on taxi and private hire numbers”. Without such limits taxi ranks overflow, creating traffic disruption for other road users.

Free entry and open access to all transports hubs for Hackney Carriage taxis

4.4 Unite’s attempts to gain free entry and open access to airports, railway and bus stations, retail parks and supermarkets for Hackney Carriage Licensed Taxis would clearly help improve access for the public.

4.5 The Government would have to step in to make private companies allow Hackney Carriage licensed taxis access in these areas. This might not be that easy to achieve because it is highly likely private companies would want some compensation.

4.6 Unite does not believe that private hire vehicles should be extended the same “free and open access” as Hackney Carriage licensed taxis. This would create tension with Hackney Carriage licensed taxis, which would not be acceptable.

5. Rail

5.1 Rail fares have risen far faster than the rate of inflation as private companies have reaped the rewards in high profit margins and payments to directors and executives. The joint union sponsored Rebuilding Rail Report by Transport for Quality of Life1 highlights the shocking fare differences between the UK and fares on continental Europe and the background as to why this trend needs to be reversed. The proposals contained in this report could result in an 18% reduction in all ticket prices.

5.2 The Government’s Rail Command Paper is pressing ahead with cuts in government subsidy of the rail network promoting Sir Roy McNulty’s Value For Money Study as the way in which the train operating companies (TOCs) could make savings to make up the difference. These proposals include shutting ticket offices, removing staff from stations and guards from trains. Such moves will make access to train services far more difficult especially for less able bodied members of society.

5.3 Justification for ticket office closures often cites the availability of ticket machines at stations and via the internet. For those who are not on the internet a turn up and go ticket will then be the only option which is often far more expensive. Equally, the provision of discounted fares is often not easily available. Consequently, passengers will tend to be charged more than is absolutely necessary for journeys.

5.4 Removing staff from stations and on trains increases the risk to the public of criminal activity and injuries. Whilst it is true that most stations and carriages are covered by CCTV today, this does not stop criminal behaviour, it only assists police in catching those responsible. The presence of a staff member can also alert drivers to people who may have fallen between the train and the tracks, suffered from a heart attack or other medical emergency onboard etc. especially on driver only operations where the driver’s focus is on signals and track obstructions. Consequently, removing these staff will deter passengers from using rail services over safety concerns.

5.5 Most worryingly, the McNulty review highlighted track and signal maintenance staffing levels as areas that could be reduced. Given the train capacity problems particularly at peak times, trains are today increasing their speed to provide space for preceding services. Such a move has the benefit of reducing travel time but significantly increases the wear rates of track and line side equipment and increases the carbon footprint. As a result there needs to be an increased level of track maintenance and inspection, not a reduction.

6. Conclusion

6.1 Unite believes in a unified intermodal transport policy utilising all transport modes to not only reduce our carbon footprint but also provide greater public transport access. Without such access the public at large will not be able to utilise services provided by government and other bodies.

7 September 2012