Bus Service: Winter Timetable 2013: Confirmation

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A decision made on 30 September 2013:

Decision Reference: MD-T-2013-0086
Decision Summary Title :	Winter 2013 Bus Service Confirmation		Date of Decision Summary:	04 September 2013
Decision Summary Author:	Public Transport Planner		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title :	Confirmation of Bus Services from 30 September 2013		Date of Written Report:	04 September 2013
Written Report Author:	Public Transport Planner		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Confirmation of bus services to take effect from Monday 30 September 2013
Decision(s): The Minister approved the following: That the revised bus timetable will run from Monday 30 September 2013 until Saturday 29 March 2014; and The changes to bus routes as detailed in the report.
Reason(s) for Decision: Several comments from members of the public were received following advertising in the Jersey Gazette and at Parish Halls. As a result it is considered that the revised timetable will provide an overall improvement in services for the public. Additional bus frequency and the continuation of Sunday services into the winter period are prominent in these proposals, representing a further stage in a series of improvements aimed at generating additional public transport patronage which will assist in achieving Sustainable Transport Policy targets.
Resource Implications: The proposed bus service timetables differ from the provisional timetable included within the HCT Group’s final tender submission, approved by the Minister on 06 July 2012 (MD-T-2012-0052 refers). However there are no additional costs relative to the agreed contract price.
Action required: Advise LibertyBus of the decision and issue Omnibus Service Licences, where relevant, to take effect from the start of the autumn / winter timetable period. Jointly with LibertyBus, prepare a media release outlining the service changes that will take effect from 30 September 2013.
Signature:		Position:
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Bus Service: Winter Timetable 2013: Confirmation

TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

Confirmation of Bus Services from 30 September 2013

Purpose of the Report

To seek the Minister‘s approval of a revised bus timetable from 30 September 2013, to be operated by LibertyBus (the trading name of CT Plus Jersey Ltd).

Background

The Minister approved ‘in principle’ the proposals for the revised bus timetable on 07 August 2013 (MD-T-2013-0071 refers). Under Article 24 of the Motor Traffic (Jersey) Law 1935, the Minister had to consult on the proposals prior to a final decision being made.

Discussion

1. LibertyBus proposed the following changes.

Adjustments to bus timetables
Cessation of seasonal summer routes
Alteration to inbound route of bus services from the east in late afternoon

A. Adjustments to bus timetables

The detail of the proposals can be summarised as follows:

Service 1 – 20min daytime frequency, 30min Sunday frequency
Service 1A – extended daytime to Gorey Pier with 60min frequency, plus new winter Sunday service (120min frequency)
Service 2 – 60min frequency with some journeys terminating at Gorey Pier instead of St Catherine, plus new winter Sunday service (120min frequency)
Service 3 – altered to serve Rozel and Durrell in an anticlockwise loop, revised peak period timetable, different departure times from Durrell
Service 4 – earlier last journey, new service 4A on Sundays to Bouley Bay and Durrell
Service 8 – terminating at Portinfer rather than Plemont
Service 9 – revised early morning journeys part-replacing an existing 12A departure
Service 12 – revised timetable with extra trips compared to winter 2012
Service 12A – to omit Portelet Mon-Sat, plus new winter Sunday service which will call at Portelet (60min frequency until 3 November, then 120min frequency)
Service 13 – altered to serve St Saviour’s Hill instead of Mont Millais, plus routed between Durrell and Rozel in a clockwise loop. Revised departure times from Durrell (and also on Sunday 13B)
Service 14, 22, 23, 29 – Seasonal services withdrawn for the winter
Service 20 – the western section re-numbered to 19, but otherwise unchanged
Service 25/27 – journeys serving Les Fontaines truncated to St John’s Church; additional departures on Sundays
Service 28 – five return journeys, until 3 November

B. Cessation of summer seasonal services

Services 14, 22, 23, 29 – Seasonal routes withdrawn for the winter as in 2012 and earlier years (22 and 23 were operated as Blue and Green Explorer respectively by the previous contractor)

C. Inbound services from the east

LibertyBus proposed to use the Tunnel and Underpass roundabout as a quicker route for buses coming in from the east between 4pm and 6pm, due to traffic delays affecting incoming buses at Snow Hill/Mulcaster St with disruption to the subsequent departure of evening peak journeys. By doing so arrival times are expected to be more reliable.

There would be minimal impact on passengers because few are alighting at the Grenville St/Snow Hill stops at this time of day. Services 1, 1A, 2 from Gorey/Grouville/St Clement, 3/13 from Five Oaks/St Martin Rozel/Durrell, and 21 from Victoria Village would follow this revised route, but service 16 from Le Marais would continue to serve Snow Hill throughout this period.

2. An advertisement was published in the Gazette section of the Jersey Evening Post on 17 August 2013, with a deadline for comments of Friday 30 August. A press release was issued to coincide with the advertisement, and all Constables and Parish Halls were contacted with details.

3. A public meeting took place on Friday 30 August at the St Helier Town Hall. Attendance was relatively low at around 25 members of the public, and as with previous meetings discussions focused less on the specific proposals or suggestions for future developments, and more on past instances of delay or overcrowding though with recognition of good service and recent improvements in driver attitude.

4. LibertyBus received comments by e-mail or post from around 30 respondents. Appendix 1 summarises the issues raised. Although some of these themes would already be resolved by the proposed changes, or will be by adopting the recommended modifications outlined in the Comments section below, the most common subjects prompting a representation were:

(a) Too few peak hour journeys on service 3 and 13 to/from Maufant and St Martin

(b) Service levels now need to be enhanced on service 25 especially evening and Sunday

(d) The lack of both evening services on routes serving more sparsely-populated areas and late night (after midnight) buses needs to be reviewed

Other than in relation to point (c), there were few comments formally received that concerned the specific proposals.

Comments

Further to the consultation, and following the opportunity to review current/past passenger demand, LibertyBus recommend that some small modifications to the proposed timetables be made as follows:

Service 13A in the evening peak should continue back to St Helier as service 3, allowing outbound passengers to stay on and alight at St Martin’s Public Hall
Service 2 to operate a temporary daytime timetable (to be finalised – following a diversion and less frequent than that consulted upon) for the duration of the lengthy roadworks scheduled to sever Rue a Don in Grouville from mid-September 2013
Service 12A on Sunday to be numbered 12 and operate only to Corbiere four times a day from 10 November 2013 (eight times a day to L’Etacq prior to that date)
A journey operating ‘dead’ from the bus depot to take up service at Corbiere in the AM peak to operate in service on the way out
Service 15 Monday-Saturday daytime frequency, proposed at the same 15 minute intervals as operated during Summer 2013, reverts back to the 20 minute intervals operated during the period January to May 2013

There is no additional cost to TTS associated with the proposals. The level of service to be provided is equal to the resource levels allowed for within the bus operating contract during the autumn/winter 2013-2014 timetable period of operation.

In common with consultations for previous timetable alterations taking effect in 2013, the number of comments received concerning bus service change proposals remains at a higher level than in previous years. As the public transport network evolves, it will be desirable to review and where necessary revise the consultation process to employ innovative methods of engaging with customers.

While not heavily-attended, the public meeting held at the Town Hall, initiated by LibertyBus, did provide some benefits and this is likely to continue to be a useful means of informing the process in advance of future bus timetable change dates.

It is recommended that the Minister approve the proposals for implementation on 30 September 2013, with the incorporation of the additional changes at point 1 above. These revisions represent a considerable overall improvement to the public transport network. LibertyBus officers are currently working to accommodate these revisions and they will be included within the publicity material that will appear in due course.

Recommendation:-

The Minister is recommended to approve the following:

That the revised bus timetable will run from Monday 30 September 2013 until Saturday 29 March 2013; and
The changes to bus routes as detailed in this report.

Reason(s) for Recommendations

Several comments from members of the public were received following advertising in the Jersey Gazette and at Parish Halls. As a result it is considered that the revised timetable will provide an overall improvement in services for the public. Additional bus frequency and the continuation of Sunday services into the winter period are prominent in these proposals, representing a further stage in a series of improvements aimed at generating additional public transport patronage which will assist in achieving Sustainable Transport Policy targets.

Actions Required

Advise LibertyBus of the decision and issue Omnibus Service Licences, where relevant, to take effect from the first day of the summer timetable period.
Jointly with LibertyBus, prepare a media release outlining the service changes that will take effect from 30 September 2013.

Resource Implications

The proposed bus service timetables differ from the provisional timetable included within the HCT Group’s final tender submission, approved by the Minister on 6 July 2012 (MD-T-2012-0052 refers). However there are no additional costs relative to the agreed contract price.

Written by:	Public Transport Planner

Approved by:

Appendix 1: Summary of consultation responses