Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Kingswood Suite, Town Hall, Wakefield

Contact: Andrew Atack 

Items
No. Item

6.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Usman Ali and Paul Howden.

7.

Minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2017 pdf icon PDF 260 KB

Minutes:

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 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.

 

Members suggested that further investment in mobile ticketing software would make traveling by bus more appealing to young people as they would be able to buy a ticket before traveling.

 

It was also 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.

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 Wakefield.

 

Arriva reported that buses fulfilled 99.5% of the bus mileage in the previous calendar year. Further information regarding bus data will be presented at a future meeting.

 

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.

 

Following comments from members at the previous meeting, Pete Myers reported that Northern are installing toilets at Wakefield Kirkgate station in future. As well as exploring the options for a ticket office to be located at the station.

10.

Information Report pdf icon PDF 274 KB

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee was verbally updated on key information that was relevant to the Wakefield 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:

National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers

 

The committee received a representation from members of the RMT regarding the role of the guard on trains. Concerns were raised that the absence of a guard could compromise the safety of passengers and diminish customer service.

 

Pete Myers informed the committee that he would feedback comments from the RMT and members back to Northern colleagues.

 

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.

 

Wakefield City Bus

 

Members asked why the city centre bus that operates in each district, has been successful in the Wakefield area, but has been withdrawn elsewhere in the region.

 

Members noted that the city bus is partly funded by local authorities and some councils have withdrawn their funding.

 

Bus Shelters

 

It was reported that bus shelters that are frequently vandalised have the glass panels removed and replaced with a clear plastic panels.