Bus Service: Summer 2014 Confirmation

Information about the publication of Ministerial Decisions

A formal published “Ministerial Decision” is required as a record of the decision of a Minister (or an Assistant Minister where they have delegated authority) as they exercise their responsibilities and powers.

Ministers are elected by the States Assembly and have legal responsibilities and powers as “corporation sole” under the States of Jersey Law 2005 by virtue of their office and in their areas of responsibility, including entering into agreements, and under any legislation conferring on them powers.

An accurate record of “Ministerial Decisions” is vital to effective governance, including:

demonstrating that good governance, and clear lines of accountability and authority, are in place around decisions-making – including the reasons and basis on which a decision is made, and the action required to implement a decision
providing a record of decisions and actions that will be available for examination by States Members, and Panels and Committees of the States Assembly; the public, organisations, and the media; and as a historical record and point of reference for the conduct of public affairs

Ministers are individually accountable to the States Assembly, including for the actions of the departments and agencies which discharge their responsibilities.

The Freedom of Information Law (Jersey) Law 2011 is used as a guide when determining what information is be published. While there is a presumption toward publication to support of transparency and accountability, detailed information may not be published if, for example, it would constitute a breach of data protection, or disclosure would prejudice commercial interest.

A decision made 16 May 2014:

Decision Reference: MD-T-2014-0049
Decision Summary Title :	Summer 2014 Bus Service Confirmation		Date of Decision Summary:	15 May 2014
Decision Summary Author:	Public Transport Planner		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :	Confirmation of Bus Services from 26 May 2014		Date of Written Report:	15 May 2014
Written Report Author:	Public Transport Planner		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Confirmation of bus services to take effect from Monday 26 May 2014
Decision(s): The Minister approved the following: The revised bus timetable will run from Monday 26 May 2014 until Sunday 28 September 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 on the LibertyBus website. As a result it is considered that the revised timetable will provide an overall improvement in services for the public, representing a further stage in a series of improvements aimed at generating additional public transport patronage which will contribute towards the achievement of Sustainable Transport Policy targets.
Resource Implications: The proposed bus service timetables vary 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: Public Transport Planner to inform LibertyBus of the decision and issue Omnibus Service Licences, where relevant, to take effect from the first day of the summer timetable period. LibertyBus to prepare a media release outlining the service changes that will take effect from 26 May 2014.
Signature:		Position:
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Bus Service: Summer 2014 Confirmation

TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

CONFIRMATION OF BUS SERVICES FROM 26 MAY 2014

Purpose of the Report

To seek the Minister‘s approval of a revised bus timetable from 26 May 2014, 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 29 April 2014 (MD-T-2014-0044 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

LibertyBus proposed the following changes:

Adjustments to bus timetables including frequency changes and route alterations
Withdrawal of certain bus services

Adjustments to bus timetables

The detail of the proposals can be summarised as follows:

Service 1 – Minor changes to some peak hour and evening departure times with an additional Monday - Saturday departure at 2040
Service 1A – Monday - Saturday morning frequency improved to half hourly with an hourly service on Sunday
Service 2 – Monday - Saturday later last journey at 1905
Service 3 – Route revised: inbound services from Durrell operate via Rozel again. Adjustments to morning peak journeys, revised daytime timings and an additional late evening journey at 2328 from St Martin. Hourly Sunday service
Service 4 – Monday - Saturday a later last journey at 1915. Five journeys on Sundays at two-hourly intervals
Service 8 – Summer extension to Plemont reintroduced
Service 9 – Sunday journeys call at Plemont before terminating at Greve de Lecq
Service 12A – reintroduced on Sunday with hourly frequency
Service 13 – replaced at Rozel by Service 3. Extended to call at Gorey Pier in both directions and serves Grands Vaux/Langley Avenue in the outbound direction. Additional Monday - Saturday evening journeys. Operates every two hours on Sundays
Service 14 – seasonal service reintroduced for 2014. Route revised to call at Mont Nicolle prior to terminating at St Brelade’s Bay. Half-hourly frequency from 0945, last departure at 1620
Service 15 – minor timing changes to some morning journeys. An additional evening service at 2135
Service 19 - frequency increased to hourly, extended to Elizabeth Terminal, revised late afternoon/early evening departure times
Service 21 – redesigned route and timetable. Buses follow current route to Grands Vaux then Victoria Village, Maufant, Five Oaks, Langley Avenue. Frequency enhanced with additional early morning journey at 0650
Service 23 – seasonal service reintroduced for 2014: St Helier, St Saviour’s Hill, Five Oaks, Maufant, St Martin, Durrell. Hourly frequency, seven days a week

Service withdrawals

Services 13A, 13B and 20 to be replaced by the above alterations to Services 13 and 21, and the reintroduction of Service 23.

2. An advertisement was published in the Gazette section of the Jersey Evening Post on 06 May 2014, with a deadline for comments of Monday 12 May. A press release was issued, and all Constables contacted with details.

3. A public meeting took place at St Ouen’s Parish Hall prior to the above consultation period. Attendance was low, and as with previous meetings discussions tended to focus more on suggestions for future developments than on the specific proposals.

4. LibertyBus received comments from several individuals, summarised in Appendix 1, although some of the issues raised would already be resolved by the proposed changes and LibertyBus contacted those respondents to explain the provisional timetables.

Comments

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

Further adjustments to the service 3 timetable so that the timings of morning peak inbound buses towards St Helier more closely resemble those operated under the current Spring timetable, with inter-peak journeys 10 minutes earlier than in the provisional timetable and the Monday - Saturday 1705 departure extended to Durrell
Customer feedback indicates that inbound journeys on service 4, which have served Durrell since the start of the Spring timetable, should not call there during the summer in order to minimise passenger inconvenience
The extension of the Monday - Saturday 1600 departure on service 12 from St Ouen’s Village to Greve de Lecq, returning from there as a service 9
The frequency of service 19 between the bus station and Elizabeth Terminal to be approximately every two hours rather than hourly
Additional Monday - Friday morning and evening peak journeys on service 23, with the proposed 1700 journey moved 20 minutes earlier. Sunday timetable modified to call at Langley Park/Grands Vaux on the inbound direction
Some very minor timing adjustments to a small number of journeys on other services, to maximise the punctuality of buses

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 spring 2014 timetable period of operation.

It is recommended that the Minister approve the proposals for implementation with the incorporation of the additional changes at point 1 above. These revisions represent a further 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:

The revised bus timetable will run from Monday 26 May 2014 until Sunday 28 September 2014; 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 on the LibertyBus website. As a result it is considered that the revised timetable will provide an overall improvement in services for the public, representing a further stage in a series of improvements aimed at generating additional public transport patronage which will contribute towards the achievement of Sustainable Transport Policy targets.

Resource Implications

The proposed bus service timetables vary 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.

Actions Required

Public Transport Planner to inform LibertyBus of the decision and issue Omnibus Service Licences, where relevant, to take effect from the first day of the summer timetable period.
LibertyBus to prepare a media release outlining the service changes that will take effect from 26 May 2014.

Written by:	Public Transport Planner

Approved by:	Director of Transport

Attachments	Appendix 1: Summary of consultation responses