Issue - meetings

(Lead Member: Cllr S. Pandor, Director: Liz Hunter)

Resolved: That the Combined Authority:

a)    approves the publication of the Notice of Intent to ‘make’ an EP Plan and Scheme.

b)    approves the content of the draft EP Plan and Scheme for use in statutory consultation.

c)     delegates the decision to submit the West Yorkshire Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) bid to the Department of Transport to the Managing Director in conjunction with the Mayor.

The Combined Authority considered a report providing an overview of the draft West Yorkshire Bus Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme, and requesting approval to use this draft to begin a formal process of consultation with bus operators and statutory consultees. Approval was also sought to approve publication of the notice of intent to ‘Make’ an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme for West Yorkshire, and to delegate approval of the final Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) bid to the Managing Director in conjunction with the Mayor.

Entering into an Enhanced Partnership with bus operators was noted as a vital step toward bringing buses under public control, as had been promised in the Mayor’s manifesto. The Combined Authority’s BSIP (Bus Service Improvement Plan) had set out strong ambitions for the region’s bus service, but government funding from this could not be accessed without entering into an Enhanced Partnership before the end of March.

The Enhanced Partnership would consist of two components; the Enhanced Partnership Plan, which would apply throughout the region and set out the overall vision and governance, and Enhanced Partnership Schemes, which were more specific and aimed to contractualise specific projects and agreements. After consultation with operators, the final version would be brought to the March 2022 meeting of the Combined Authority for decision. If approved, following a statutory operator objection period of 28 days the Enhanced Partnership would begin in April 2022 and run until April 2027.

Members noted that historically there had been partnership initiatives before, such as Quality Bus Contract/Partnerships, and it was asked what would make the Enhanced Partnership more successful in this regard. It was noted that the more recent West Yorkshire Bus Alliance had been of great use in achieving reduced fares for young people as well as many improvements to crucial infrastructure which would support the necessary work going forward.

As franchising was intended to proceed only if the Enhanced Partnership failed to achieve its objectives, Members questioned whether the Enhanced Partnership’s success was fully supported. It was strongly emphasised that all parties were committed to making the Enhanced Partnership work for the people of West Yorkshire, with ambitious and optimistic plans for the partnership being built between the Combined Authority and bus operators, although it was recognised a lot of work remained to be done. KPIs would be put in place to measure the success of this, though the difficulties currently surrounding this were discussed, particularly in the light of upcoming restrictions due to the pandemic.

It was emphasised that more work needed to be undertaken to grow bus networks and to improve connectivity, such as implementing bus priority corridors, taking innovative approaches in developing links with hospitals and other key destinations, and expanding the use of Demand Responsive Transport. The benefits of achieving better connectivity for the region and moving away from private car usage were significant, particularly in regards to the impact of climate change on both the economy and the health of residents. However, challenges still remained to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60