Agenda item

Resolved:    

(i)        That the Committee endorsed the establishment of the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance as a voluntary partnership and the signature of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement by the Chair of Transport Committee.

(ii)       That the Committee endorsed the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance Delivery Plans as set out in the report.

The Committee considered a report which took the commitments from the Bus Alliance partnership and presented a proposed Delivery Plan. It was noted that the April 2019 Combined Authority meeting had approved this approach.

The Chair invited Dwayne Wells from Arriva and Paul Matthews from First to sit at the table to provide further information on the potential sales / restructuring of their respective companies. Members wanted to safeguard services and to drive up bus usage via the Bus Alliance but were concerned as to the impact of a change in ownership. Concern was also raised as to the ownership of new buses in the advent of a take-over.

First Bus confirmed that they were in the early stages of separating out the bus operation which could lead to a sale but there was no confirmation as yet. It was appreciated that this could lead to uncertainty amongst the Combined Authority, customers and staff.

The commitment to low emissions had already been made and would be honoured as a sale would take a number of years to complete. It was confirmed that the First Group PLC Chief Executive was meeting Councillor Groves and Councillor Blake shortly to address concerns.

Members commented that to increase bus patronage by the 25% target, groups needed to be engaged, specifically women and the use of social media. The operators acknowledged that this was a challenge and that the top concern for women was safety, hence the promotion of CCTV on vehicles. They welcomed any further suggestions.

The Chair noted that although bus usage figures were declining, the region is still strong in comparison with other areas of the country despite a £1 million per annum reduction in the Transport Levy available to help fund bus provision.

Both operators present agreed that the growth target was achievable but there are still reliability issues. The Bus Alliance would strengthen this. However, Arriva informed members that due to congestion issues they had to add extra vehicles into the fleet this year and that with further infrastructure investment they would be able to re-deploy these extra vehicles.

The Combined Authority confirmed that they had launched a Bus Information Strategy consultation this week, with the primary focus on pricing, product and promotion.

Members discussed the following issues and areas of concern:

·                The lack of services from Mirfield to Leeds – every 2 hours

·                The need for regular services

·                The requirement to serve rural communities, colleges and an ageing population (social isolation)

·                The public want reliable and affordable services

·                The success of the Young Persons M-Card

·                Congestion needs to be addressed in Leeds City centre

·                Areas around arterial routes need investment

·                The option of mini-bus operators, perhaps on a demand response

·                Arriva ‘Click’ service – demand responsive being tested in Leicester and Liverpool

·                The impact of Uber on increasing congestion

·                Need better public transport to support the clean air zones

·                Access to employment  is key

Resolved:    

(i)        That the establishment of the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance as a voluntary partnership and the signature of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement by the Chair of Transport Committee be endorsed.

(ii)       That the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance Delivery Plans, as set out in the submitted report, be endorsed.