Bus Service: 2011 Winter Timetable Confirmation

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A decision made 16 September 2011 regarding:

Decision Reference: MD-T-2011-0088
Decision Summary Title :	2011 Winter Bus Service Confirmation		Date of Decision Summary:	12 September 2011
Decision Summary Author:	Transport Logistics Manager		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title :	Confirmation of 2011 Winter Bus Services		Date of Written Report:	12 September 2011
Written Report Author:	Transport Logistics Manager		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Confirmation of 2011 Winter Bus Services
Decision(s): The Minister approved the following: That the winter 2011 bus timetable will run from Sunday 02 October 2011 for a period of 34 weeks; and The changes to bus routes as detailed in the report.
Reason(s) for Decision: Although eleven comments from members of the public were received following advertising in the Jersey Gazette and at Parish Halls, it is considered that the proposals as planned will provide a sensible overall improvement to services for the public, and represent better targeting of capacity to passenger demand, with the potential to increase revenue through additional usage.
Resource Implications: These proposals represent an additional cost of £354,892, fully covered by savings from rationalising school bus services and funding available in the sustainable transport budget.
Action required: Advise Connex of the decision. Draft a media release advising of the Minister’s decision. Advise the members of the public who submitted comments of the Minister’s decision.
Signature:		Position:
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Bus Service: 2011 Winter Timetable Confirmation

TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

CONFIRMATION OF 2011 WINTER BUS SERVICES

Purpose of the Report

To seek the Minister‘s approval of a revised bus timetable from 02 October 2011 (“the 2011 winter bus services”).

Background

The Minister approved ‘in principle’ the proposals for the revised bus timetable on 11 August 2011 under MD-T-2011-0087. As this represents changes to omnibus licences, 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. The proposals can be summarised as follows:

A. Revisions to routes serving St Catherine, St Clement, Longueville and Grouville

The circular 2C route, which drops to a skeletal service during summer months in favour of regular frequencies on linear routes 1A and 1B, is withdrawn with a new timetable on the linear routes throughout the winter. Service 1A becomes a year-round route, and 1B is renumbered 2 with extra journeys at commuter times benefiting the Rue des Pres Trading Estate. Service 22, currently operating three journeys on weekdays, is also phased out as part of this revision.

Service 1 via the coastal route is retained largely unchanged, with extra morning peak period journeys, some of which were already introduced for summer 2011.

B. Revisions to routes serving Five Oaks, St Martin and Durrell

Service 3 is largely unchanged, save for a number of journeys extended to Cotes du Nord, reflecting changes introduced for summer 2011. The service 3A and 3B timetables are amended in the morning peak with separate journeys continuing as per the summer 2011 season. Service 23 is rationalised with the cessation of journeys at school times, since additional dedicated school buses are being provided for Grainville as part of the school bus network revisions.

C. Revisions to routes serving St Brelade, St Peter and St Ouen

An enhanced timetable on service 15 was launched in October 2010 and is being retained, with adjustments to evening and Sunday services returning all journeys on the service to the St Helier – Airport route and reflecting those made for summer 2011. Additional journeys on service 9 provide evening and Sunday departures to St Peter and St Ouen throughout the winter. Services 12 and 12A are being merged with daytime journeys linking Portelet, St Brelades Bay, Corbiere and L’Etacq, plus an evening service to Red Houses.

D. Revisions to routes elsewhere

Schoolday-only journeys are being removed from service 19, replaced by new journey variants on services 4 and 27 extending to Haute Vallee.

Monday-Saturday evening journeys to St Mary, St Lawrence and St John are being proposed via services 25 and 27.

Extra peak time journeys on service 8 are being provided to enhance services past the La Providence housing development which is now fully occupied.

An existing journey on service 4 is extended to Bouley Bay to provide a departure during the middle of the day.

2. An advertisement was prepared for publication in the Gazette section of the Jersey Evening Post on 25 August 2011. The press release intended to coincide with the advertisement was issued the following day. In addition, all Constables and Parish Halls were contacted with details to display.

3. As of Thursday 08 September the department had received comments from 11 people:

(a) A gentleman who requested departures from the Airport to Gorey and later buses on New Year’s Eve

(b) Two ladies who highlighted the long winter and short summer timetable seasons

(c) Two ladies who had mistakenly interpreted the withdrawal of service 2C as leaving them unable to travel to work by bus

(d) A gentleman who requested that a previous departure time from Gorey be reinstated so as to permit a connection with Airport buses in St Helier

(e) A gentleman suggesting alterations on service 3A

(f) A lady appreciating the winter evening services to central St Lawrence

(g) A lady requesting a slightly later departure time towards Rozel in the evening peak

(h) A gentleman who made a number of observations and suggestions, pointing out a couple of typographical errors in the proposed timetables

(i) An anonymous individual who made some general remarks in relation to buses serving the Grouville Arsenal area

Comments

The cost of the winter 2011 proposals totals £354,892. This is unchanged from the costs quoted in the ‘in principle’ decision, in which it was stated that this sum had already been identified within the 2011 Sustainable Transport Fund.

There have been a relatively small number of comments concerning these proposals. It was felt that most were neither sufficiently numerous nor sufficiently adverse in nature to justify rejection.

It is recommended that the Minister approve the proposals without alteration for implementation on 02 October 2011, with the following exception:

The proposed service 3 at 1720 to be adjusted to 1725.

Connex have confirmed that the above revision can be accommodated and will appear in publicity material.

Connex have been forwarded copies of all comments received by the department.

It is clear that members of the public consider the summer timetable to be too brief at 18 weeks in length, compared to a winter timetable of 34 weeks. Negotiations with Connex will take place in the coming months to determine whether beginning the summer 2012 timetable early is feasible.

Recommendation:-

The Minister is recommended to approve the following:

That the winter 2011 bus timetable will run from Sunday 02 October 2011 for a period of 34 weeks; and

The changes to bus routes as detailed in this report.

Reason(s) for Recommendations

Although eleven comments from members of the public were received following advertising in the Jersey Gazette and at Parish Halls, it is considered that the proposals as planned will provide a sensible overall improvement to services for the public. The proposals represent better targeting of capacity to passenger demand, with the potential to increase revenue through additional usage.

Actions Required

Advise Connex of the decision.
Draft a media release advising of the Minister’s decision.
Advise the members of the public who submitted comments of the Minister’s decision.

Resource Implications

These proposals represent an additional cost of £354,892, fully covered by savings from rationalising school bus services and funding available in the sustainable transport budget.

Written by:	Transport Logistics Manager

Approved by:	Director of Transport