Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Michael Lyons, Linda Bishop, Charlotte Davenport and Hazel Lee.

This will be a presentation provided by a representative from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The committee was presented with feedback from young people who use public transport and was asked what operators could do to make travelling by bus and rail more appealing.

Following the comments from the young people that were surveyed, the bus operators have agreed that from 1 January 2018, young people that are in a school uniform will automatically qualify for a half fare tickets without having to show a concessionary pass.

It was reported that work is ongoing to make the range of tickets available to young people less complex. It is anticipated that a discounted ‘go anywhere ticket’ will be launched in late 2018, which will allow a young person to travel with multiple bus operators in West Yorkshire on one ticket.

The committee advised that contacting the youth councils in West Yorkshire could be a way to increase the number of young people using buses. Erica Ward confirmed that the Combined Authority is currently in contact with the youth parliaments and discussions are ongoing to develop initiatives.

It was suggested that and offering bus tickets at a discounted price for large groups of young people, such as school outings, would encourage the young people to travel by bus outside of school hours.

This will be a presentation provided by a representative from Leeds City Council.

The committee was presented with proposals for the Clean Air Zone in Leeds City Centre. The presentation included a number of options for the zone outline and the risk and benefits of the project.

Members raised concerns that bus operators may raise bus fares to compensate for the cost of entering the clean air zone. It was noted that operators have made a pledge that all buses that will operate in the zone will be Euro 6 standard, which excludes them for the charge.

This will be presented by representatives from the bus and rail operators.

Arriva

Arriva reported that there are no major service changes due in the current service change window. Minor changes to standardise timetables and improve reliability will take place on selected services in Leeds.

First

First reported that revised timetable and amended routes will be operational from the 18 February 2018.

It was noted that passengers are now able to purchase tickets on First buses using a contactless bank card, Apple Pay or Android Pay.

The committee was advised that First have launched a direct feedback survey on their website which can be accessed on any internet enabled device.

Northern

Northern reported that new trains are currently in the testing phase and are expected to be in operation by December 2018.

It was noted that the remaining fleet will be fully refurbished by 2020 and include realtime passenger information screens, improved plugs and USB ports and free Wi-Fi.

TransPennine

TransPennine reported that refurbishment of the current fleet is underway, with upgraded carriages expected to be in operation by December 2018.

Copy attached.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 October 2017 be approved.

This will provide the opportunity for questions to be raised from the floor with a focus on matters of wider interest.

The committee was verbally updated on key information that was relevant to the Leeds district in the report.

This will provide the opportunity for questions to be raised from the floor with a focus on matters of wider interest.

First Bus Storage

Members asked whether there are any plans to increase the amount of luggage space on the new buses that are being introduced to the network over the coming years.

Members also asked if the newspaper stand, that is current located in the luggage space, could be relocated to a more suitable location.

First informed the committee that the comments will be sent to their commercial team and the outcome will be presented at a future meeting.

Advertising on Buses

Members advised the committee that a number of posters on buses are out of date and asked if they could be updated as they could cause confusion to passengers. The operators confirmed that they are currently doing an audit of all materials that are currently in circulation and are confident the out of date posters will be rectified in the future.

Bus Flags in Pudsey

Members reported that the information on bus flags is often outdated and could cause confusion for passengers wanting to use the stop. The committee was informed that a review of information that is published is currently taking place and comments from the committee will be taken into consideration.