Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1, City Hall, Bradford, BD1 1HY

Contact: Andrew Atack 

Items
No. Item

6.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Peter Ketley, Nazreen Khan, Colin Booth and Mohammed Raja.

7.

Minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2017 pdf icon PDF 264 KB

Minutes:

Matters Arising

 

Bradford Interchange - Access

 

It was reported that the funding is in place for the access improvements at Bradford Interchange. Work is scheduled to begin onsite in April 2018 with an anticipated completion date in June 2018.

 

In regards to the main pathway outside Bradford Interchange, it was reported that work is ongoing to establish who owns the land. Further updates regarding the ownership of the land will be presented at a future meeting.

 

Bradford Interchange - Road Surface

 

The issues with the road surface at Bradford Interchange that was reported at the last meeting have now been resolved. It was noted that more extensive improvements to the road surface will be included in the Bradford Interchange Masterplan.

 

It was reported that the Combined Authority are waiting for the outcome of a conditioning report that will highlight the underlining issues with the surface at the interchange. Further updates regarding the road surface will be presented at a future meeting.

 

Realtime System

 

Following comments from the committee, it was reported that the last line of the realtime information screens will now scroll between the next three departures from the bus stop.

 

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2017 be approved.

8.

Encouraging Young People to use buses

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

Minutes:

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 focusing on young people that are due to make the transition from primary school into secondary school would increase the uptake of bus and rail travel in West Yorkshire.

 

It was suggested that an increased engagement campaign around the time that young people are allocated their primary and secondary schools would be beneficial as that is when most parents and children make their decisions regarding transport.

 

Members also suggested that taking groups of young people on visits to bus and rails stations could help uptake in travel as the experience will be less daunting once they understand the process of buying a ticket and boarding the bus or train.

 

Councillor Salam acknowledged the budget constraints of bus and rail operators for activities of this nature and suggested approaching bus drivers that are recently retired who would be willing to pass on their knowledge and experience to young people.

 

It was agreed that the integration of bus and rail timetables would be beneficial for young people that are commuting to and from school. However, this would be difficult as the rail timetable is decided on a national level, rather than regional.

9.

Operator Updates

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

Minutes:

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 Bradford.

 

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.

 

Northern

 

Northern reported that new trains are currently in the testing phase and are expected to be in operation by December 2017.

 

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.

 

Transdev

 

Transdev reported that no major service changes are due in the coming months, with the exception of services that operate along Old Road in Ilkley.

 

It was noted that the Transdev services that operate in and around the Denholme area was subject to major delays at peak times due to the recent bad weather conditions.

 

It was suggested by operators that the reduction of gritting services by local authorities was causing issues on key commuting corridors in West Yorkshire as a whole.

 

It was reported that bus drivers that were operating on the school services was praised by parents and teachers for keeping the services running and reassuring the young people on board, despite the delays and bad weather.

 

The committee acknowledged that the operators did everything in their power to ensure the smooth running of bus services in the bad weather conditions. It was noted that the Combined Authority had a meeting with operators to discuss what improvements could be made in similar circumstances in the future.

10.

Information Report pdf icon PDF 273 KB

This will provide the opportunity for questions to be raised from the floor with a

focus on matters of wider interest.

Minutes:

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

11.

Open Forum

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

Minutes:

Apperley Bridge Rail Station

 

Lindsey McManus attended the meeting on behalf of Woodhouse Grove School to ask Northern for an improved service at Apperley Bridge Station.

 

Lindsey reported that the vast majority of students use the direct train that operates on the Airedale Line from Keighley and Skipton on a morning, however there is no direct train on the return journey in the afternoon when school time ends and as a result are required to change trains at Shipley, which poses a safety risk at Shipley Station due to the footfall at the station at peak times.

 

Lindsey asked for consideration to be given for a direct train from Apperley Bridge that operates along the Airedale Line.

 

Pete Myers informed the committee that the matter would be looked into and the outcome will be reported at a future meeting.

 

Boxing Day Services

 

Members asked if any plans were in the pipeline to extend the range of bus services and operating hours that currently operate on Boxing Day in the future. It was noted that due to budget constraints, unless there is a public need for a service, the current service will be maintained in the future.

 

Rail Station Gritting

 

Members reported issues with the gritting regime at rail stations in the icy weather. The committee was informed that the issue is with the material that is used to grit the area and not with the frequency of the gritting.

 

Penalty Fares

 

Members asked that consideration for penalty fares not to be enforced at stations that do not have a ticket machine on each side of the platform, as it would does not give passengers an appropriate opportunity to buy a ticket if they are traveling from the platform without a ticket machine. It was noted that most stations with a ticket machine on one platform, will have a second installed prior to the penalty fares being enforced.

 

Queensbury Tunnel

 

It was reported that a joint meeting will take place with Bradford Council and Calderdale Council to discuss the creation of a local cycle path network through the Queensbury tunnel, which would connect Bradford and Keighley to Holmfield, Ovenden and Halifax. The outcome of the meeting will be reported at a future meeting.

 

Rail Ticket Price Increase

 

Following a question from the public gallery, Pete Myers confirmed that the average increase in Yorkshire was 3.4% and the average increase nationally was 4.7%.

 

Bus Information

 

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.

 

Future Agenda Items

 

The committee asked for further information regarding the Northern Powerhouse Rail at a future meeting.