The Convenience Bus
How to Reinvigorate Local Bus Services (Page 4)
Contents:
Fares:
Part of a prospective micro franchising tender should include the ability of the franchisee to operate services set by the tenderer, be it the local council, passenger transport executive, or regional assembly. These single fares should be subject to passenger consultation, prior to the initiation of the franchising process.
Service levels
Again, these should be determined by the franchising body, in a similar fashion to PSR (Passenger Service Requirement) recommendations required of railway franchises. Companies could run a better service than the minimum stipulated, if desired. Service reviews could be subject to public consultation with sufficient notice, with revisions restricted to set times within each year. Ideally, these revisions should be synchronised with the service revisions of other forms of inland public transport, such as heavy rail, trams and express coach services.
Barriers to potential improvements
Post 1980 Housing Estates
Due to changes in social patterns and planning, communities and nearby facilities on newer housing estate are more scattered rather than organised in a clear hierarchial form. This discriminates against the potential for sustainable short distance frequent bus services. Another problem is high levels of car ownership with houses boasting two, or even three vehicles on their abode.
The design of some modern housing developments tend to sprawl, with a fair number of cul-de-sac and meandering routes - which conspires against the creation and nurturing car biased alternatives, including foot, bicycle and bus. Some housing developments also suffer from being too crowded with roads unsuitable for most buses - which has long term implications, should a minibus service see increased patronage, resulting in the use of standard single decker vehicles.
One common headache with such developments are the scarcity of pavements - again favouring the car - and providing another barrier for potential service development.
Road Humps
Though road humps have been a proven success in traffic calming, such measures have had negative implications for the passenger comfort of bus users. They have also been accused of the ruination of bus suspension units. One marked example was First Hampshire's experience in running bendibuses around Southampton, using such roads. The results were two year old bendibuses having similar problems to the twenty year old Leyland Atlanteans they dumped, in the tenth year of their operational life.
This could be one factor which deters car users in such areas from switching to the bus. Unlike the ride quality in a standard hatchback, the vibration of the hump is more marked on the bus, especially older double decker vehicles.
Cost
For many people, the cost of public transport defers most potential users. Bus fares have risen by 16% (allowing for inflation) since 1996.
In such cost comparison studies, the figures of car ownership seem to concentrate on road tax, when journeys are calculated. Within this figure, the cost of parking and regional variations in car insurance prices are overlooked. For example, a typical parking space in central Manchester (2006 prices) is £4.00 for an hour. Multiply this by six, that is £24.00 per week - £10.00 more than an all operators System One weekly bus ticket in 2006 prices.
The cost of car mileage per head is reduced further if the full four of five seats are used. On these grounds, a logical idea would be a single family fare, which allows for a discount, if four or five persons travel together on one ticket. In 2002, this was tried by First Manchester, with an evening only group single ticket, the First 4. At present, family tickets are legion on day rover tickets, such as the Peak Wayfarer (which has had a group option since its launch in 1982). Stagecoach in Manchester not only have family day saver tickets, but also parent and child day rovers for single parents.
Extending this scheme, to single fares rather than rover tickets would be ideal for shorter distance journeys. For example, one ticket could cover four passengers (two adults and two children, or one adult and three children), which could comprise of one adult fare and two half fares.
Conclusion
Compared with more glamorous long to medium distance services, shorter distance circular and radial services do not get the credit they deserve. Most exist to provide a vital link with local housing estates to their nearest main shopping centres and community facilities within their town.
The most radical impact on such services occurred in the mid-1980s, when National Bus Company introduced minibuses in Exeter and Hereford, with the emphasis on regular minibuses on local routes rather than infrequent double deckers. This was consolidated in Manchester when the Bee Line Buzz Company competed against GM Buses, with fast frequent yellow and red minibuses, converted from vans. The joy was short lived when Stagecoach took over the The Bee Line Buzz Company in the latter part of 1987 - who sold the business to Drawlane, which later became British Bus, then Cowie Bus and now Arriva. Drawlane ceased operations with the innovative minibus services, by using workaday double deckers, cascaded from London Country. By 1998, the Bee Line name was no more, when Arriva took over from Cowie Bus.
A similar approach to the Bee Line Buzz Company of January 1987 would be effective on today's shorter distance routes, though with Optare Solo minibuses rather than the converted bread vans, which had narrow step entrances.
The 'Co-op on Wheels' plan for boosting scheduled short distance bus services should be seen as part of an integrated transport framework, involving integration with longer distance services, and demand responsive transport. The reason for this tripatriate approach are that: a substantial number of modern housing estates are built with poor pedestrian provision and roads far from ideal for modern bus operation, with sharp curves and cul-de-sacs. The best mode for reducing car dependency on such estates is demand responsive transport. In some cases, subject to infrastructure, local buses could operate on a hail and ride basis, with the main road of the estate accommodating service buses. Effective examples of this operation exists on the 419 service from Stalybridge and Ashton to Middleton, via Chadderton and Mills Hill. Alternatively, some stops could be placed at the junction of the main road and cul-de-sac.
Ideally, all circular and short distance radial routes should be operated using low floor vehicles, to maximise accessibility for pushchairs and similar mobility equipment. The availability of transport information should also be extended to community facilities, such as post offices and community centres. As well as timetables, these should include publicity material concerning fares and service revisions.
