Meeting Title

The York Enhanced Partnership for Buses Forum

Date / Time

Wednesday 11th October 2023, 10am

Location

Online via Teams

Attendees

Andrew McGuinness (AMG)

Cllr Pete Kilbane (PK)

Cllr Stephen Fenton (SF)

Cllr Martin Rowley (MR)

Cllr Dave Merrett (DM

Louise Collins (LC)

Doreen Magill (DM)

Martin Higginson (MH)

Mike Longhurst (ML)

Andrew Mortimer (AM)

Flick Williams (FW)

Michael Moore (MM)

Michael Howard (MH)

Sam Fryers (SFR)

Lara Thornton (LT)

Joanne Waddington (JW)

George Wood (GW)

Cllr Rachel Melly (RM)

Richard Hampton (RH)

Andy D’Agorne (ADA)

Dwane Wells (DW)

Nico Bosetti (NB)

Niamh Sutherland

Confederation Passenger Transport (Forum Chair)

CYC (Labour Group)

CYC (Lib Dem Group)

CYC (Conservative Group)

District Trades Union Council AGM

Transport Focus

York Bus Forum

York Civic Trust

Dodsworth Area Residents Association

Badger Hill Residents Community Group

York Disability Forum

First Bus

City of York Council (CYC)

City of York Council (CYC)

City of York Council (CYC)

City of York Council (CYC)

York Older Peoples Assembly

CYC (Labour Group)

City of York Council (CYC)

York Green Party

Arriva

Momentum

Momentum

Apologies

Dean Morrish (DRM)

Julian Ridge (JR)

Cllr Michael Nicholls (MN)

Kayleigh Ingham

City of York Council (CYC)

City of York Council (CYC)

CYC (Conservative Group)

First Bus

Circulation

Attendees & Apologies

Minutes By

Lara Thornton and Joanne Waddington

Item

Discussion

 

1.0

Introductions and Apologies

 

1.1

AMG introduced the meeting and mentioned the apologies. There was also a note from ADA that he would be joining via phone for now.

 

1.2

AMG mentioned that there had been no minutes from the last Forum, or agenda sent out. JW apologised on behalf of CYC as the secretariat and said that these issues would be addressed via the appointment of a new EP Support Assistant, expected to be in place by the end of October.

JW

2

Matters arising

 

2.1

FW sought clarification over how many wheelchair spaces the new electric bus fleet would have. She said that previously it had been reported there would be two spaces available that complied with PSVAR regulations, but this is not the case, as demonstrated at the recent Bus Accessibility Day. JW responded that she has sought written clarification from First about carriage of a second wheelchair user on the new electric buses.  MM responded that just one wheelchair user can be carried on the new First electric buses and that they complied with ZEBRA funding requirements. JW to liaise with First and report back at the next EP Forum.

JW

2.2

LC asked when will CYC share the results of Your Bus Journey with the Operational Delivery Group. AMG asked CYC to answer; SFR said that this would be put on the agenda for Friday (Post meeting note: This will now be an agenda item for January’s EP ODG meeting)

SFR

3

AMG asked the group to review the agenda for the upcoming main board agenda:

 

Bus Network Review

·         JW reported that consultants Momentum will deliver a short presentation to the Board about the scope and purpose of the Review and the types of outputs expected.

BSIP programme delivery update

·          JW will provide a progress update work for corridors and bus priority; and update on fare initiatives; general progress and workstream for early 2024.

·         AM asked a question if the frequency of the P&R is being reviewed and any update on returning to pre-Covid levels especially at Grimston Bar. AMG noted this for the Board. SF said it is an issue he’s raising with First.

ZEBRA delivery update

·         JW reported that First will give an update into the first round of funding and CYC will update on the recently announced second round.

 

Group Updates and Actions

o   EP Forum: AMG will update on Forum activities

o   Performance Group: SF will update on the issues raised around major schemes and impact on bus punctuality, and how to minimise the impact going forwards

o   Ticketing Group: PT will update on BSIP ticketing initiatives.

o   Marketing Group: LT ran through the three key elements: the main marketing tender; schools outreach work/further accessibility events; ongoing work for young people’s fares

o   Infrastructure Group: RH ran through work being progressed into bus shelter improvements; real time screen installations/data improvements and an update on tap-on-tap-off. AM asked a question regarding the real time displays and whether the new ones have the rolling banner like the old ones; RH replied that this can be implemented. FW asked how many will have audio; RH reported that all of them will.

o   Passenger Liaison Group: DM to update AMG

 

Major Schemes update

·         MH updated the group on Tadcaster Road; York Station Gateway’s drop in  session happening this week, and work going on to minimise disruption for operators

BSIP funding requests

·         MH: Approve £45k from BSIP network support revenue to extend support of early morning and evening journeys on services 1, 4, 6 and 10 for a further 4 months until 30/4/24 to enable findings of upcoming Network Review to be presented to CYC Executive and EP.

·          

·         Approve £55k from BSIP network support revenue to support service 19 until 30/4/24 pending Network Review.

 

Annual review of EP Plan and Scheme

·         Documents are subject to annual review ahead of 31st March 2024. EP members can propose amendments. Proposed amendments are to be voted upon at the next ODG meeting, if accepted, any substantive changes will require consultation. A report will be returned to the January ODG meeting if any substantive changes are proposed.

AMG asked for any other issues to raise at the Board

·         A member of the group felt the activities of the Board were not transparent; that the last minutes found on the website were from January 2023, and the documents are hard to find via various links/routes. JW replied that CYC are recruiting a new EP Officer to address recent resourcing issues and ensure documents are published in a timely manner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.1

The group then moved back to the agenda for the Forum itself.

 

Comms update:

LT from CYC updated on three main aspects:

1.       The tender for marketing support for the remaining BSIP projects currently sits with CYC legal and procurement teams, with the aim of issuing asap

2.       Accessibility Day held on 23 September went very well with a diverse range of disabled people and their carers. There is clear demand for more events, and to expand the outreach into schools, especially SEND providers where pupils would gain a lot from being able to practice hailing, getting on and off etc.

3.       Park & Rides; CYC comms team continues to work with First Bus and have asked for more promotion of Poppleton Park & Ride to local people and those travelling along A59 corridor.

GW asked if work had begun to publicise the P&Rs as hubs; LT answered not yet. JW added that consultants have been briefed on infrastructure and it’s hoped that designs can go to Exec in spring 2024. Beyond that, we can publicise the changes and JW would welcome the group’s thoughts and ideas on what might work well. In some cases the changes may require planning permission and these would therefore be consulted on with the public.  GW asked if overnight parking was one option. JW said yes, it’s being looked at and also will involve hoteliers and the BID in discussions. AMG emphasised how much overnight parking would help local businesses. AMG also recommended that he could put LT in touch with Transport North East’s engagement team and LT welcomed this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMG

3.2

Review of Accessibility Day:

 

AMG reported that the original idea had come from FW and that the Group was pleased to be able to work together with operators and CYC to deliver it.

 

FW said she was delighted with the turnout and range of impairments and ages, and also that three Councillors attended the event too. FW is keen to roll out the engagement days to other areas of the city and to schools.  Overall the day was a huge success and echoed the issues that have been raised for some time, for example a husband and wife who cannot travel together as they are both in wheelchairs. FW reported that Harrogate’s new buses will have room for two wheelchair spaces and that Coastliner will soon have two. FW expressed her lack of confidence in First bus who currently only provide one space.

 

DM from YBF queried the publicity for the day and said she would like to have seen posters at bus stops. AMG & LT ran through the work that had been done. GW said the bus operator reps present on the day were very good and engaging.

 

AMG agreed with FW that the day had gone very well, with a good location, lots of space, and the shuttle bus worked well. The constant stream of people who attended raised some very important point; that the single wheelchair space was the main issue, and the colour contrast of the grab poles raised by several people.

 

FW raised that while the event had been planned to not clash with a football match day, it was a race day so taxis (and especially wheelchair accessible ones) were not available – in future please plan days around both matches and race meets.

 

3.3

Reliability update:

AMG reported that there has been a lot of concern around reliability recently, especially from operators with routes along the current road works.  While these schemes will deliver improvements, the impact on bus passengers has been substandard and the issue has been raised with the Traffic Commissioners.

 

3.4

First bus update

MM of First reported:

·         Electric fleet is being brought on-line and the plan to have fully operational by March 2024

·         Electricity supply to the depot is still an issue but being addressed

·         First is in discussion with the universities around adapting services

·         First is engaging with CYC on the wider network plan to retain the same level of service

·         First have begun planning around St Nick’s Fair and the Christmas period

·         Roadworks continue to be a significant issue especially Tadcaster Road

·         MM raised that for longer term, significant schemes (longer than 6 weeks) they may seek to re-register the services but most disruption can be dealt with day to day.

 

3.5

Arriva update:
 DW from Arriva reported:

·         A positive updated in the 42 service which has been an overwhelming success due to the service to Naburn Lock Caravan Park, delivered with support from NYC and CYC. The service is often full and standing.

·         The 415 between Selby and York has recovered to over 100% of pre-Covid levels with many more passengers in the AM peak, which is not a trend being seen elsewhere. Due to the success, since July the frequency has been upgraded to every 15 minutes from every 20 minutes. Arriva are also looking to enhance the route in other ways.

 

 

4.0

MR asked about road closures, which are understandable but could alternative routes be put in place to ease congestion?

 

SF reported that there had been a temporary diversion around Askham Bar/St Helen’s Road  and that in the longer term, diversions would be sensible. Operators need to be made aware of how long disruption is going to go on for; communications between transport team and operators are improving but need to be better here.

 

 

4.1

Doreen from YBF raised the issue of Transdev reliability and how late some services have become. She gave the example of the Leeds-Whitby route and how the £2 fare has meant that so many people travel, locals trying to use the route for shorter journeys find it full.

 

AMG said he will take the discussion around reliability to the Board next week

 

4.2

ADA raised the issue reported on the 42 route Facebook page about reliability and school students being impacted; DW responded that on the morning in question, the bus allocated from the depot was subject to vandalism and a replacement (due to the weight restriction on Cawood Bridge) was not available.  ADA said more public engagement and reassurance for that route would help. DW said he would raise with the Selby depot.

 

ADA also raised the issue of the 415 and how it used to go via York train station in the evening, but doesn’t any longer. DW replied that Arriva is in discussion with CYC about traffic issues, which if they improve, could mean that element is reinstated.

 

5

Performance Group

 

SFr gave a summary of the group:

 

·         Tadcaster Road has been raised as the single biggest issue and is the most challenging piece of work, with constantly changing traffic management which is very hard to plan around. This shows how close to capacity Tad Road is.

·         Over £300m worth of funding has been secured for seven or eight major schemes and during their construction, the teams will work together to mitigate unpredictable delays. MM responded that a six-month, overall picture would help with planning resources and allow operators to suggest service alterations. SFr responded that engagement does happen via the weekly circulation list but that individual phasing has been an issue. MM asked to be added to the distribution list and reiterated a desire to build a constructive discussion.

 

6

JW then introduced the group to Nico Bosetti and Niamh Sutherland from Momentum, who ran through the on-going Bus Network Review work they have produced. Four themes are being addressed in the work; accessibility; reliability; frequency and usage. The research is still ongoing and will offer an opportunity to address challenges in the network and provide evidence for funding applications.

 

Momentum ran through their mapping of York attractions & amenities, alongside service frequencies across daytime and evening. Momentum are still checking data reliability.

 

ADA asked about the 400m radius from bus stops and whether e-scooters and bike docking stations could be added to the mapping.

 

NS ran through the work on multi modal hubs and AM asked about the data differentiating between bus stops serving P&R, and which are lower frequency. Nico replied that further mapping is being done to assess how each bus stop is served.

 

MM asked about the geographical boundaries being used in the mapping for walking routes, as the road and footpath network portrayed needs to reflect real life experiences. NB replied that their mapping has been done not ‘as the crow flies’ but on real life walking routes; for example, it excludes roads with no pavements. This point will be made clear in the final study.

 

MM then raised the issue of looking outside the CYC boundary and appealing to different demographics, up to 15 or 20 miles out; some sides of York may require a different ‘offer’ of the bus network. NB replied they do look at this in the data but additional boarding point data would be useful, if available from CYC.

 

Doreen from YBF asked about putting notices on bus stops affected by the roadworks in Bishopthorpe at Prices Lane; there are no notices on bus stops and some timetable info is very out of date.

 

 

 

7

Date of next meeting: TBC following the meeting

Agreed that a forward plan was needed

CYC

8

Any other business

 

ADA asked for an update on expanding the diversity of groups of attendees on the Forum; LT replied invites had been sent out and some interest from the FSB but so far no one committed. ADA suggested the Youth Council and University should be chased up; LT offered to speak to the Youth Council [but that meeting was postponed].

 

AMG rounded up the meeting by thanking those present for their work and comments, and said that while the administration needs tightening up, the group is working well.

 

The meeting was closed.