Minutes:
First Group
First Group informed the Sub-Committee of the measures they had implemented to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
It was highlighted that First Group had committed to operate as a zero-emissions bus company nationally by 2035 and did not plan to purchase any new diesel buses after 2022.
The Sub-Committee was advised that First Group
had held discussions with Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw regarding the
Bradford-Shipley corridor, with the aim of pushing traffic onto
Canal Road and improving the reliability of the bus service on
Manningham Lane. First Group was now waiting for evidence regarding
the service’s ability to handle these traffic volumes and the
staging of required work.
Some punctuality issues had been observed on Wakefield Road, and
First Group would continue to monitor this.
First Group discussed their support for the Bradford bid to be the
2025 Capital of Culture bid, and noted they were available to
assist with this in any way possible.
Discussions were ongoing with National Power Grid regarding future
roadworks in Bradford. A recent unexpected road closure would mean
that no bus services would be running in Wilsden for a period of five weeks. First Group had
only become aware of this on 6 October and had been working with
the Combined Authority to implement an emergency bus service into
Bingley. Some customer complaints were expected, but little could
be done due to the short notice received. There was some concern
raised regarding the possibility of future problems further along
the route of the proposed works.
Transdev
Transdev informed the Sub-Committee of the
measures they had implemented to prevent the spread of
Covid-19.
It was reported that an electric vehicle would be trialled on the
shuttle service between Keighley and Bradford, with the hope of
this service becoming all-electric if the trial went well.
The Sub-Committee was informed that Phil Jolly had left Transdev to work for the Combined Authority. The Sub-Committee noted its thanks to Phil Jolly for all his work in his previous role, as well as their thanks to bus drivers throughout the district for the care and courtesy they had shown over the course of the pandemic. The Chair welcomed David Umpleby Service Delivery Manager at Transdev, who would be attending future Sub-Committee meetings.
Arriva
Arriva noted that despite a drop in peak-time
demand, particularly for services travelling into Bradford City
Centre, demand had returned to normal for some services. Due to the
need for social distancing, extra journeys had been added to the
timetables of the three busiest bus services.
The Sub-Committee was advised that as part of the West Yorkshire
Bus Alliance, Arriva was currently in the process of retrofitting
exhausts to a Euro 6 emissions standard, and that this programme
had been made possible by the Combined Authority’s successful
bid to the Clean Bus Technology fund.
Northern
Northern advised that many changes had been made to services in a short period of time, with six timetables introduced since the start of the pandemic as services were gradually reinstated. They had also introduced a new flexible season ticket which would allow people only working for part of the week to take the advantage of a season ticket discount. This was in operation throughout West Yorkshire and proving popular.
It was noted that during the summer months there had been an upsurge in patronage on leisure services to tourist and retail areas, but this had now dropped following the reopening of schools and colleges in September. Northern thanked the Combined Authority for their help in providing standby buses during the first week of the reopening of schools, particularly on the Wharfedale line, before the new timetable had come into place. A full timetable had now resumed on these lines.
It was reported that compliance with mask guidance had been
improving, with well over 90% compliance, particularly since masks
had become compulsory in retail premises.
In respect of local lockdowns, Northern advised that
they were liaising closely with local authorities to ensure that
their communications and messaging were in harmony.
Resolved: That the operators were thanked for their updates.