Agenda item

The Committee received an update from the Director of Transport & Property Services regarding the current impacts of COVID-19 on transport and on the actions set out in the Transport Recovery Plan.

A small increase had been recorded in passenger numbers on bus and rail. Current data suggested that capacity may soon become a limiting factor, particularly considering the social distancing measures in place. This was expected to become more pressing when the non-essential retail and hospitality sectors opened in April and May. Some work had already been done to help address this, including displaying capacity information on the side of buses and bus occupancy indicators on real-time information screens and apps. The Combined Authority would continue to work with transport operators to manage the increased demand. Members were also advised of the expected roadmap for the return of bus and rail services to full levels of provision.

Uncertainty over the future of bus and rail funding was highlighted, and it was noted that the Chair and West Yorkshire leaders had written to the Secretary of State in January expressing their concerns in this regard. The Combined Authority was in the process of using the Bus Alliance to manage preparations for funding to transition into the recovery period, but a great deal of uncertainty still remained and many people in the region could be left lacking access to transport if bus provision was not funded, which made it a matter of urgency.

The National Bus Strategy was expected to be published soon, and the Combined Authority had provided feedback to Government. The Chair had written to the Secretary of State requesting further information on when the strategy would be published and on what it would contain, and would continue to push for meetings with the Government to get reassurance about funding.

Members questioned what support had been provided to the bus service to this point. It was explained that three main forms of support were received:

·       A roughly £15 million per year Bus Services Operators Grant that was distributed directly to bus operators. This was still being maintained in full.

·       A Covid-19 Bus Subsidy Grant claimed directly from the government by bus operators. Figures of what had been claimed by operators had not been shared by the government. Local Transport Authorities had also received a payment under this grant; the Combined Authority had received roughly £2.5 million since last year, which had been used to support the tendered network, to make up the gap between fares revenue and actual revenue, and support additional costs including cleaning.

·       The Combined Authority continued to fund the free bus pass scheme at the full rates for the previous year, despite the significant drop in journeys undertaken. This amounted to effectively £30 million of support for the bus services in 2020/21.

The expected increase in demand as lockdown ended was discussed, particularly in regard to leisure activities such as holidays within the country and journeys into towns and cities for shopping. Members hoped that this pent-up demand would be a strong driver for the economic recovery.

The potential impact of this demand on the above-mentioned capacity issues was noted, but discussions had taken place with transport operators regarding which routes were expected to have the highest usage in upcoming months and the intention was to be well-prepared for any surge.

Resolved: That the report be noted.