Bus Service Improvement Plan Progress (including BSIP+)

[Tetchytyke]

Mind I'm guessing you haven't used a bus through Haddrick's Mill, it's as bad as it's ever been (if anything worse) heading out of Newcastle

I've not had the pleasure for a while. I lived in Seaton Delaval for a while and I could ride my bike into Newcastle in the same time as the bus took in the peak, purely because of Haddricks Mill, but it seems to flow better since they widened the bottom of Salters Lane. It never used to be too bad going out of Newcastle though, so it's interesting how it's changed.

I'm guessing the lights at the Sandy Lane/Killingworth Way roundabout have made things ten times worse? It's often the way, Cowgate was the same when they put the lights in there.

Definitely agree that bus infrastructure is what is really needed in Newcastle though. I don't know what you could do to fix it but the thing that always drove me mad was the traffic jams around Haymarket bus station. It just trashes the service, makes it less attractive to passengers and costs the operators a fortune.

It's another reason why I'm sceptical about the frequency increase on the 21. Even at 6bph there's chronic bunching in peak times, it's all well and good having 8bph but if you still have 20 minute gaps in service it's all for nothing.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I don't think many people have any belief that 'kickstarter' funding has much mileage in it for services to become viable. The number of 'commercial' routes has been declining to the extent, in my area, that these are concentrated on a few broad corridors / main town services covering a small proportion of the county. Even some of these are really propped up with 'back door' help.

There is a problem that many Local Authorities do not have the staff capacity and/or capability to spend such large sums of money so quickly and as wisely as possible. Prior to BSIP, any plans in the bottom draw were probably to cope with armageddon like cuts (due to overspending in School Transport / SEND / Education / Social Care statutory duties). Many of the staff that are employed are not public transport orientated people, always travel by car, and have little empathy and understanding of public transport beyond a classic middle class suburban view of buses being used to transport the elderly to the shops/surgery and children to school. In my local Authority, all of this BSIP+ spend, both the schemes and administration had to be carried out by the already stretched existing very small team. Small wonder that high spending/low effort schemes have prevailed over wise but resource hungry schemes in many instances. (for instance - fare cuts are easier to arrange than complicated route and timetable improvements)

Don't think that the bus companies are much help either, with skeleton staffs and a lack of expertise as well. Of the main operator (90%+ of Stage Carriage mileage) not one suggestion or idea came for service improvement........

I am really unsure who exactly would have formulated tighter strings, and moreover who would have supervised / policed such. You are surely not suggesting that the DfT have any expertise (as opposed to paper qualifications) in this field?

I don't know if there's a complete absence of belief in Kickstart methodology. It can work in certain instances, as we saw in the 2000s, though I appreciate that it is now ancient history. However, it can't be simply a case of "build it and they will come". It has to be part of a concerted effort which is what we're seeing in Norfolk - bus priority, pump priming of routes, investment from operators.

As you say, that requires commitment from local authorities whose resources are already stretched/hollowed out, and operators who've cut their back office staff. Some operators will be more enlightened but then again, that their management teams are less entrepreneurial is a reflection of human nature. Even in the big groups, it is evident that some Opcos are more adventurous whilst others are less so.

Faced with that, you can see why some LAs have done the simple "throw cash at something" approach because they don't have the resources or skills to do anything more structured, which is what the funding really needs.

 

[Snex]

I've not had the pleasure for a while. I lived in Seaton Delaval for a while and I could ride my bike into Newcastle in the same time as the bus took in the peak, purely because of Haddricks Mill, but it seems to flow better since they widened the bottom of Salters Lane. It never used to be too bad going out of Newcastle though, so it's interesting how it's changed.

I'm guessing the lights at the Sandy Lane/Killingworth Way roundabout have made things ten times worse? It's often the way, Cowgate was the same when they put the lights in there.

Definitely agree that bus infrastructure is what is really needed in Newcastle though. I don't know what you could do to fix it but the thing that always drove me mad was the traffic jams around Haymarket bus station. It just trashes the service, makes it less attractive to passengers and costs the operators a fortune.

It's another reason why I'm sceptical about the frequency increase on the 21. Even at 6bph there's chronic bunching in peak times, it's all well and good having 8bph but if you still have 20 minute gaps in service it's all for nothing.

Small world. The X7(X4/363/364) was the route I was talking about. Yeah it's absolutely horrendous nowadays; it backs up all the way back to the Findus Roundabout as the lights up near Murray Hogg backs onto the roundabout, so no-one moves.

Good thing they haven't just approved a new Aldi off the roundabout...

It's absolutely unusable for anyone, especially when there are boards cancelled every day.

It's really frustrating as they could've easily done a bus gate from Peter Barratts which would've solved everything. It's where I'd love the money to be spent personally.

 

[RT4038]

I don't know if there's a complete absence of belief in Kickstart methodology. It can work in certain instances, as we saw in the 2000s, though I appreciate that it is now ancient history. However, it can't be simply a case of "build it and they will come". It has to be part of a concerted effort which is what we're seeing in Norfolk - bus priority, pump priming of routes, investment from operators.

As you say, that requires commitment from local authorities whose resources are already stretched/hollowed out, and operators who've cut their back office staff. Some operators will be more enlightened but then again, that their management teams are less entrepreneurial is a reflection of human nature. Even in the big groups, it is evident that some Opcos are more adventurous whilst others are less so.

Faced with that, you can see why some LAs have done the simple "throw cash at something" approach because they don't have the resources or skills to do anything more structured, which is what the funding really needs.

I don't think there is a complete absence of belief, just that it is very watered down now due to the difficulties of bus companies and Local Authorities to deliver anything. In my local area, since Covid many routes have suffered cut frequencies, and many formerly commercial routes have become supported. Many of the remaining commercial services are propped up by various backdoor methods.

It seems that the bus companies have few admin/managerial staff who have the experience and expertise to do anything, and they are anyway overwhelmed with keeping the lights on. Services are unreliable, caused by staff shortages (both driving and engineering) and traffic congestion , with the problem compounded by the lack of capability and capacity to respond to day to day problems as they occur. This is coupled with poor marketing and an over reliance on digital timetables / journey planners which are flawed in so many ways. Management priority is focused on getting the maximum subsidy, rather than making the product attractive and reliable to gain revenue in that way. Sad reality.

On the Local Authority side, in my local area, bus priority is a political impossibility unless it is invisible (buses talking to traffic lights, but the technology relies on the same unreliable sources as open data etc). There is limited capability and more to the point, capacity, with the constant spectre of the vastly overspent budgets of school transport, Special Education needs and Adult and Child social care - Statutory responsibilities with no financial limits, but no means for the LA to raise additional income to pay for them. So the non-statutory activities are being curtailed and curtailed, often by simply not providing Officers to deal with them. Can't get a tree cut for Double Deck vehicles - no budget and no staff resource to arrange. Can't get a bus stop with hard standing and footpath to adjacent road (on a road where cuts meant a footpath was only built one side) - the funding is there waiting to be spent, but it has been added to a list of 960 projects that Design Services have not been able to progress due to staff shortage. I understand many other LAs are in the same boat.

 

[cactustwirly]

The waste of money bus lane has opened close to my house. Supposedly funded by BSIP. Almost everyone objected but the council went ahead anyway.

It hasn't done anything, it's made everything worse. The increase in congestion has meant there's been an increase in journey times. The bus spends longer in traffic than it did before. Emergency services are held up, the extra lane was used by ambulances to go round traffic, this is no longer possible.

 

[Busaholic]

I don't think there is a complete absence of belief, just that it is very watered down now due to the difficulties of bus companies and Local Authorities to deliver anything. In my local area, since Covid many routes have suffered cut frequencies, and many formerly commercial routes have become supported. Many of the remaining commercial services are propped up by various backdoor methods.

It seems that the bus companies have few admin/managerial staff who have the experience and expertise to do anything, and they are anyway overwhelmed with keeping the lights on. Services are unreliable, caused by staff shortages (both driving and engineering) and traffic congestion , with the problem compounded by the lack of capability and capacity to respond to day to day problems as they occur. This is coupled with poor marketing and an over reliance on digital timetables / journey planners which are flawed in so many ways. Management priority is focused on getting the maximum subsidy, rather than making the product attractive and reliable to gain revenue in that way. Sad reality.

On the Local Authority side, in my local area, bus priority is a political impossibility unless it is invisible (buses talking to traffic lights, but the technology relies on the same unreliable sources as open data etc). There is limited capability and more to the point, capacity, with the constant spectre of the vastly overspent budgets of school transport, Special Education needs and Adult and Child social care - Statutory responsibilities with no financial limits, but no means for the LA to raise additional income to pay for them. So the non-statutory activities are being curtailed and curtailed, often by simply not providing Officers to deal with them. Can't get a tree cut for Double Deck vehicles - no budget and no staff resource to arrange. Can't get a bus stop with hard standing and footpath to adjacent road (on a road where cuts meant a footpath was only built one side) - the funding is there waiting to be spent, but it has been added to a list of 960 projects that Design Services have not been able to progress due to staff shortage. I understand many other LAs are in the same boat.

An excellent appraisal, if I may say so.

 

[820KDV]

Wiltshire has launched a range of service improvements using its BSIP2 funds, according to this Press Release.

Source: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/news/t...roved-bus-services-during-catch-the-bus-month

Try out one of our new or improved bus services during Catch the Bus Month​

Wiltshire Council is inviting people to try out the new or improved bus services that have been introduced in the last year during Catch the Bus Month.
Published 12 September 2024

Wiltshire Council is inviting people to try out the new or improved bus services that have been introduced in the last year during Catch the Bus Month.

Cllr Tamara Reay, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: Buses are an important part of life in Wiltshire and play a key role in delivering our Business Plan commitment to developing vibrant, well-connected communities.

We have worked closely with our partner bus companies to introduce new services throughout Wiltshire, made possible through funding from the UK Government funded Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and we look forward to welcoming people aboard these improved routes.

The new and improved bus services include:
• The new D1x service that operates from Trowbridge - Bradford-on-Avon - Bath added on Mondays - Saturdays to supplement the existing D1
• A new Sunday service introduced on service X34 between Chippenham and Trowbridge which previously only ran Mondays to Saturdays
• More frequent service 231 Chippenham - Corsham - Bath on Sundays, enhanced from every 90 minute to hourly

Improvements being added during September are:
• Activ8 service Salisbury - Tidworth - Andover is enhanced from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes, Monday - Saturday daytimes and there are timetable adjustments to assist in reliability
• Some Devizes - Salisbury service 2 journeys will become X2, offering quicker, more direct, journeys
• Devizes - Swindon service 49 is increased from every hour to every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, with the additional journeys serving Broad Hinton village. There are also extra journeys later in the evenings and the Sunday service increases from every 2 hours to hourly
• Devizes - Trowbridge service 49 gains a daytime Sunday service, running hourly
• Devizes - Melksham - Bath service 273 is enhanced on Sundays from every 2 hours to hourly
• A Sunday day-time service is introduced on service X33 between Chippenham, Rowde, Bromham and Devizes
• Chippenham - Calne - Royal Wootton Bassett - Swindon service 55 is enhanced to run every half an hour all evening Mondays to Saturdays

Cllr Reay added, Together with the extensions to the Wiltshire Connect services in the Pewsey and Marlborough areas, these improvements really show how seriously we take bus travel in Wiltshire. We have opened up many more journey opportunities, encouraging residents and visitors out of their cars - helping reduce congestion and improving air quality.

A journey planner is available online at: https://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/plan-a-journey/

 

[markymark2000]

Wiltshire, in my opinion, has been very good with their BSIP and spent money, seemingly wisely. Boosting services where there is potential for usage, maybe even commercial viability. All operators seem to be benefitting as well, rather than throwing a lot of money at one company.

Really positive outcomes at Wiltshire. I hope they enhancements perform well. Does anyone have any indication on how well the D1x, X34 and 231 are doing, those enhancements started earlier.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Wiltshire, in my opinion, has been very good with their BSIP and spent money, seemingly wisely. Boosting services where there is potential for usage, maybe even commercial viability. All operators seem to be benefitting as well, rather than throwing a lot of money at one company.

Really positive outcomes at Wiltshire. I hope they enhancements perform well. Does anyone have any indication on how well the D1x, X34 and 231 are doing, those enhancements started earlier.

For the recently improved services, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The 231 was getting very busy on a Sunday in any case. Saw one of the Evora's on London Road heading for Chippenham with a very healthy load just a few weeks ago. The X34 is really quite quiet though - appreciate it is early days.

The D1x is different again in that the D1 and predecessors was always half hourly. The threat by First to withdraw it entirely seemed more out of the 2021 post Covid driver shortage than anything else. When it went to an hourly service, you'd often see full Eclipses in peak and on a Saturday afternoon (if Bath were playing). With the rebound (aided by the £2 fare), there was a need for additional capacity but I never see a D1x especially busy and not enough to justify the deckers that you find on there. In a way, that's not surprising as the D1 serves Winsley and Limpley Stoke and gets a surprising number of passengers on the A36 (though not at the moment) whereas the D1x serves nothing between Bradford and Bathford.

Wiltshire Council is one of the best and most supportive councils in the country (and markedly better than Dorset and Somerset next door). Providing enhancements on existing corridors is a much better strategy than simply concocting a load of new links (that I admit are fun to explore) but are ultimately unsustainable. So I'm glad we're not seeing something silly like Trowbridge to Radstock, or major enhancements to services in Mere but focussing on existing strong links. My opinions FWIW

• I recall when the 49 was a two hourly Swindon to Devizes service, and it was a Wilts CC initiative to upgrade and extend to Trowbridge. It seemed like a Cinderella route before, and so the upgrade was a risk but seemed obvious as Devizes to Trowbridge was really badly served. That said, I am a little doubtful about how much latent growth is to be had though. The one curious thing is how slow the 49 is timetabled now - an additional seven minutes from Swindon to Trowbridge Tesco, and definitely could be quicker on a Sunday
• Activ8 increased to 20 mins - that's a bit of a no-brainer in that Tidworth, Amesbury and Durrington have a much enlarged population. However, it does mean that you have a 20 min headway from Amesbury to Salisbury, and a 30 min headway on the X4/X5 so once an hour, you have an 8 following an X4
• The X2 journeys are 5 mins quicker end to end though for people in Shrewton and Tilshead, I guess it shaves 10 mins off to Salisbury - doesn't seem like a great move but we'll see how it goes
• 55 enhancements - I think it was 30 mins at night for a period. Certainly, it is another corridor (like the 49) that is transformed from 20 or 30 years ago and it might stick
• Sunday 273/X33 - I know that Melksham and Calne have grown appreciably but these ones seem a bit optimistic

Perhaps the surprises are the ones that they haven't tackled (yet). The PR3 between Salisbury and Wilton still has a rather tragic half hourly service, and some of the other Salisbury city routes are also a bit sparse. Problem is bus priority in the city....

 

[Citistar]

The D1x is different again in that the D1 and predecessors was always half hourly. The threat by First to withdraw it entirely seemed more out of the 2021 post Covid driver shortage than anything else. When it went to an hourly service, you'd often see full Eclipses in peak and on a Saturday afternoon (if Bath were playing). With the rebound (aided by the £2 fare), there was a need for additional capacity but I never see a D1x especially busy and not enough to justify the deckers that you find on there. In a way, that's not surprising as the D1 serves Winsley and Limpley Stoke and gets a surprising number of passengers on the A36 (though not at the moment) whereas the D1x serves nothing between Bradford and Bathford.

D1X is also being used as a replacement for one journey an hour on the 3 to Bathford, which is a bit of an insult to Wiltshire's spending on it. The observations on loadings seem pretty accurate. I'd argue that the Warminster - Trowbridge section needs to be improved as they can be pretty busy down there at times.

Wiltshire Council is one of the best and most supportive councils in the country (and markedly better than Dorset and Somerset next door). Providing enhancements on existing corridors is a much better strategy than simply concocting a load of new links (that I admit are fun to explore) but are ultimately unsustainable. So I'm glad we're not seeing something silly like Trowbridge to Radstock, or major enhancements to services in Mere but focussing on existing strong links. My opinions FWIW

As somebody who once had 72 passengers on a journey leaving Radstock for Trowbridge, i think you're doing it a gross disservice. Mind you, Trowbridge did have a far better collection of shops back then...

• The X2 journeys are 5 mins quicker end to end though for people in Shrewton and Tilshead, I guess it shaves 10 mins off to Salisbury - doesn't seem like a great move but we'll see how it goes

I understand that the 2/2A/X2 pudding is due to a recent decision by GSC that they don't want to run deckers under Wilton A36 railway arch any longer. Their timetable isn't bad, but it doesn't translate at all well on to BusTimes.

• 55 enhancements - I think it was 30 mins at night for a period. Certainly, it is another corridor (like the 49) that is transformed from 20 or 30 years ago and it might stick

I used to make a lot of comparisons between the 55 and 231/232 corridors out of Chippenham. Whilst Stagecoach were continually investing in the 55 and increasing frequency, First were routinely leaving all their depreciated tat on the 231/2. Whilst Stagecoach fought them off the 55 route, Faresaver have transformed the Bath routes since winning them over.

• Sunday 273/X33 - I know that Melksham and Calne have grown appreciably but these ones seem a bit optimistic

I really like how the Sunday 273 / 3A,3C / X33 circuits work. I agree somewhat that they don't look like they'll become viable, but it's something really interesting to try and also provides Devizes with a proper railway link to see if the demand is as big as the metal road grockles insist it is.

Perhaps the surprises are the ones that they haven't tackled (yet). The PR3 between Salisbury and Wilton still has a rather tragic half hourly service, and some of the other Salisbury city routes are also a bit sparse. Problem is bus priority in the city....

I understand Salisbury also continues to have serious problems with finding drivers. I know it doesn't tend to stop other operators from taking on work they can't hope to cover, but perhaps the extra resources on the 8 are about all they can muster at present.

 

[WibbleWobble]

I understand that the 2/2A/X2 pudding is due to a recent decision by GSC that they don't want to run deckers under Wilton A36 railway arch any longer. Their timetable isn't bad, but it doesn't translate at all well on to BusTimes.

I believe the X2 serves a desire Wiltshire Council has had for several years to provide a link from Devizes to Stonehenge (allowing a link to the 49 to serve Avebury Rings, so people can visit both in one day). The need to divert deckers away from Wilton railway bridges* has allowed that to come to fruition.

* Why there is still such a low bridge on a nationally strategic trunk route beggars belief. It should have been converted into a standard bridge years ago!

 

[RT4038]

* Why there is still such a low bridge on a nationally strategic trunk route beggars belief. It should have been converted into a standard bridge years ago!

Because it would cost lots of money for relatively little advantage.

 

[Edvid]

Another free travel scheme, this time if you're travelling to/from/within the Leicestershire admin area (i.e. not staying within Leicester) for the next seven Saturdays.

Free Fare Super Saturdays < Choose How You Move

The Free Fare Super Saturdays scheme will provide free travel this autumn on many bus services across the county.

www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk

Free Fare Super Saturdays​

The Free Fare Super Saturdays scheme will provide free travel this autumn on many bus services across the county. As the winter months and holiday season approaches, free Saturday bus travel will help people save money, encourage connectivity, and support combating loneliness and isolation.

The scheme is being delivered on behalf of Leicestershire Buses to support Leicestershire County Councils Bus Service Improvement Plan ambitions.

Free Fare Super Saturdays when travelling to or from Leicestershire*: October 19 & 26 and November, 2, 9, 16, 23, 30.

Whether you are shopping, dining, or connecting with friends, choose the bus for a more affordable and greener travel option!

*Participating operators only, full list of included services are in the FAQ section [see link above].

 

[joieman]

Another free travel scheme, this time if you're travelling to/from/within the Leicestershire admin area (i.e. not staying within Leicester) for the next seven Saturdays.

Free Fare Super Saturdays < Choose How You Move

The Free Fare Super Saturdays scheme will provide free travel this autumn on many bus services across the county.

www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk

Personally, I think the funding would be better used on something more permanent like integrated ticketing. And I also seldom travel on Saturdays.

But for all I know, perhaps this scheme is just a teaser for other more significant projects in the pipeline.

 

[markymark2000]

Personally, I think the funding would be better used on something more permanent like integrated ticketing. And I also seldom travel on Saturdays.

But for all I know, perhaps this scheme is just a teaser for other more significant projects in the pipeline.

Free fare days seem to be an easier way to use up BSIP funds and seem to be a lazy way of spending the money. Putting the money into infrastructure, services or integrated ticketing would need costs covering by the councils own budget in a few years and sadly a few too many councils seem to be set on short term gains to use up funding, rather than putting money into things which will have longer term benefits. Mostly because they don't want the uproar when these things can't be supported by the councils own budgets in a few years time.

I do agree with you though, it would be much better to see some integrated ticketing. Maybe given the number of operators and potential for use, a Loughborough Flexi and a FlexiPlus covering both Leicester and Loughborough flexi areas. After all, there are 4 operators running buses between Loughborough and Leicester.

 

[Citistar]

Free fare days seem to be an easier way to use up BSIP funds and seem to be a lazy way of spending the money. Putting the money into infrastructure, services or integrated ticketing would need costs covering by the councils own budget in a few years and sadly a few too many councils seem to be set on short term gains to use up funding, rather than putting money into things which will have longer term benefits. Mostly because they don't want the uproar when these things can't be supported by the councils own budgets in a few years time.

I do agree with you though, it would be much better to see some integrated ticketing. Maybe given the number of operators and potential for use, a Loughborough Flexi and a FlexiPlus covering both Leicester and Loughborough flexi areas. After all, there are 4 operators running buses between Loughborough and Leicester.

100% this. Council staff like free fares because it gets them some press coverage and makes it look like they've achieved something. I'd far rather see longer term strategies than these short term novelty wins. Even producing some good quality printed publicity to promote the network would be more likely to generate regular usage than subsidising an open door.

 

[joieman]

I do agree with you though, it would be much better to see some integrated ticketing. Maybe given the number of operators and potential for use, a Loughborough Flexi and a FlexiPlus covering both Leicester and Loughborough flexi areas. After all, there are 4 operators running buses between Loughborough and Leicester.

Not to mention a diverse array of local services in both places. Loughborough could really do with it.

 

[Edvid]

It won't surprise you guys to hear those points tally with an interim report that was published recently, as mentioned in Route One:

‘Frustration’ over depth of revenue focus for BSIP phase one funds​

Tim Deakin
Published October 16, 2024

A heavy focus of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) phase one money in England to shorter-term revenue schemes is frustrating some bus operators that believe it would be better put to priority measures for long-term benefit, an interim report has noted.

Evaluation of BSIP Phase 1 Interventions was commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) and published in late September. It is based on interviews carried out in spring 2024.

The interim report acts as an early update on that exercise. A final evaluation is likely in 2025. Data has been collated from local transport authorities (LTAs) in receipt of BSIP phase one funding. Nine bus operators have also contributed.

Noted is that while those operators welcomed BSIP phase one allocations, they “expressed a desire for a stronger focus on interventions relating to punctuality and reliability, such as bus priority and signalling upgrades, rather than revenue-based interventions.” All operators consulted highlighted that priority schemes are “transformational” for passengers

However, that engagement highlighted how variable support from politicians is a barrier to driving capital projects, particularly where they are deemed “unpopular and controversial.” Costs that rise after the feasibility study stage is also viewed as a difficulty by operators.

To that, LTAs add how the number of components involved in capital project rollout, and delay to the transfer of funds by the government, can also hamper capital work. A small number of respondents believe that DfT “did not appear to fully appreciate the financial situation of LTAs.”

Such a remark refers to those councils being unable to progress interventions until funding has been received, not notionally allocated. There is also some worry that DfT timescales for BSIP phase one delivery “do not fully appreciate the time needed for internal LTA governance processes.”

Local political challenges were also identified by authorities. Changes to administration and/or priorities “became a more significant time requirement to manage than some LTAs had anticipated,” the report notes. In a more positive tone, it says that progress has nevertheless been made with pilot phases of signalling upgrades and other ‘quick wins’.

“Overall, LTAs remained cautiously optimistic about the ongoing delivery of their capital interventions, although most anticipated them taking longer than planned,” the document says.

Authorities are also generally satisfied with progress on BSIP delivery and how Enhanced Partnerships are working. However, they reported mixed experiences with operators; while many councils are pleased with collaboration, others noted “some challenges around data provision and feedback from operators on planned and implemented interventions.”

As most BSIP phase one interventions are at an early stage or still to become operational, impact evaluation is currently not feasible. Only 5% of planned bus priority schemes have yet been delivered, either partially or fully.

 

[Citistar]

The problem with BSIP1 infrastructure schemes was that there wasn't a usable timeframe in which to deliver projects which required more complex land purchases, so the projects which have been/are being delivered under that scheme are invariably those which are most easily achieved rather than the most transformative.

Locally to me, North Somerset Council through the West of England funding package have built several schemes along the A38 and A370 corridors, but the time savings they represent to bus passengers are negligible at best. They at least have the advantage of being a unitary which can actually get on with a job, whereas their Combined Authority neighbours seem to still be negotating with their constituent unitaries to try and start works.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The problem with BSIP1 infrastructure schemes was that there wasn't a usable timeframe in which to deliver projects which required more complex land purchases, so the projects which have been/are being delivered under that scheme are invariably those which are most easily achieved rather than the most transformative.

Locally to me, North Somerset Council through the West of England funding package have built several schemes along the A38 and A370 corridors, but the time savings they represent to bus passengers are negligible at best. They at least have the advantage of being a unitary which can actually get on with a job, whereas their Combined Authority neighbours seem to still be negotating with their constituent unitaries to try and start works.

This is exactly it. It's not, as @markymark2000 would suggest that local authorities are lazy. It's more fundamental than that, as @RT4038 deftly discussed a few months ago.

You have local authorities that have been systematically hollowed out so they have few staff dedicated to public transport, and those that are there are focussed more on schools or associated transport requirements. Even then, the staff may have very little in the way of commercial skills or aptitude. That is mirrored, though not to the same extent, with operators who have been busy losing staff overhead especially after passenger figures crashed post Covid. It's also noticeable that a number of leading figures took that period to exit the industry such as James Freeman or Alex Carter.

So then you get the Treasury flinging money in a quasi disciplined manner to various local authorities who are then ill equipped to use it wisely, and especially so with some stringent timelines to spend it.

And then you have the political angle. Now we risk being an echo chamber on this forum as we are almost all public transport proponents. Shock horror - not everyone else is. Most people if asked will say that we should drive less and have less pollution but especially if it isn't detrimental to them. You have protest groups and naturally, councillors and employees will have an eye on that so the least contentious measures are selected as they can be delivered more quickly; often they are the ones that have the least impact. Once you deny someone the "right" to park outside their house, or to make the sneaky short cut that they always did, cue the local rag getting involved.

So we have under-resourced local authorities defaulting to the simpler to introduce, and high profile (in a positive political sense), schemes whilst those that are harder to implement are pushed to the back burner, especially as the Treasure clock is ticking.

 

[RT4038]

This is exactly it. It's not, as @markymark2000 would suggest that local authorities are lazy. It's more fundamental than that, as @RT4038 deftly discussed a few months ago.

You have local authorities that have been systematically hollowed out so they have few staff dedicated to public transport, and those that are there are focussed more on schools or associated transport requirements. Even then, the staff may have very little in the way of commercial skills or aptitude. That is mirrored, though not to the same extent, with operators who have been busy losing staff overhead especially after passenger figures crashed post Covid. It's also noticeable that a number of leading figures took that period to exit the industry such as James Freeman or Alex Carter.

So then you get the Treasury flinging money in a quasi disciplined manner to various local authorities who are then ill equipped to use it wisely, and especially so with some stringent timelines to spend it.

And then you have the political angle. Now we risk being an echo chamber on this forum as we are almost all public transport proponents. Shock horror - not everyone else is. Most people if asked will say that we should drive less and have less pollution but especially if it isn't detrimental to them. You have protest groups and naturally, councillors and employees will have an eye on that so the least contentious measures are selected as they can be delivered more quickly; often they are the ones that have the least impact. Once you deny someone the "right" to park outside their house, or to make the sneaky short cut that they always did, cue the local rag getting involved.

So we have under-resourced local authorities defaulting to the simpler to introduce, and high profile (in a positive political sense), schemes whilst those that are harder to implement are pushed to the back burner, especially as the Treasure clock is ticking.

All too true @TheGrandWazoo ! At the Authority of my residence, a Bus Service Improvement Plan was produced in conjunction with consultants, an Enhanced Partnership with Bus Operators drawn up, negotiated and agreed, and submitted to DfT. Precisely zero BSIP money was allocated. Later, a small amount of BSIP+ money came our way, as did the finish of the Bus Company Covid Support Grant. About 40% of the BSIP+ money went on supporting services that the Bus Companies were threatening to withdraw.

No more staff were allocated at the Authority to deal with this. The money was announced and from that moment there was 12 months to spend it: at that point it was not known if there was to be any more for the next year. By far the easiest solution would have been to spend the remaining money on commissioning several consultants to review the network and advise on how to spend the money blah blah ( except there would have been none left to do anything worthwhile). The next easiest (negotiate with four operators a fairly simple process) would have been to fund fare cuts - children's fares to school would have been politically very popular, but that would be such a hot potato and very difficult when the money ran out.

Fortunately an optimistic view was taken and it was decided to improve a selection of services, blended with some s106 money. Understandably, to get political buy-in, the jam had to be spread over the entire Authority area. Don't for a moment under estimate the time consuming difficulties - political buy-in, drawing up service specifications, negotiating with operators to modify commercial services to avoid wasteful duplication. The operators have their problems too - staffing difficulties (drivers and engineering, scheduling, marketing, management) and in all this time that spending clock is ticking. BSIP+ couldn't be spent on capital items, so Priority measures could not considered, even if there were any local political will for such a thing, which there isn't. It took six months to introduce the first improvements and then lots of incremental changes (straining scheduling/marketing/driver recruitment) since then. During this time confirmation was received of a further two years' funding to keep the improvements going, but what will happen after that is anyone's guess. Dismantle them probably! During this time the day job of the Department still has to be done - various Electric Bus bids and dealing with the aftermath of the awards, plus having to deal with the strains of an Authority well overspent in its Statutory provisions (familiar story all over the country).

Then came the announcement of the Network North (HS2) bonanza. But this is for transport projects, not specifically buses, and every road scheme gathering dust is suddenly presented in a bid for funding. Councillors want to get re-elected and there are no votes in bus priority - at least visible stuff anyway. (Intelligent traffic lights, and bus priority on new build road [i.e. not taking away any existing road space] may be got away with). It is not difficult to see why this is in a shire county: (a) people in cars do not want to be wooed away from them - travelling by bus is usually inconvenient, tiresome and implies that one cannot afford the car. If the service remains slow and unreliable then the conscience is clear. (b) bus priority schemes appear wasteful - if 30 well loaded buses and upwards an hour, every hour, are using the particular piece of priority whilst the car capacity is constrained, then it may be seen as worthwhile; but where in a shire county do you get this? Not even at the exit of the busiest bus station, let alone anywhere else. Reserving road space for a quarter loaded bus 6 times an hour just does not cut it.

 

[Dai Corner]

I note the comments about the lack of staff and expertise in local authorities and wonder if BSIP funding would have funded posts for suitably qualified and experienced people?

 

[Tetchytyke]

It won't surprise you guys to hear those points tally with an interim report that was published recently, as mentioned in Route One

None of that is surprising.

Everybody wants a bus priority measure until they put a bus lane on their main road and until they put a bus gate on their housing estate rat run. Build a bus gate and the local paper will be full for months on end with pictures of halfwits gurning at a traffic sign because they're FEWMIN they got a £60 fine for USING A ROAD AH'V ALWAYS USED.

It's always been the way. Liverpool used a load of funding 20 years ago to put bus lanes in to help with bus congestion. The first thing Joe Anderson did was rip them all out, meaning the buses all sat in queues. So now they're using funding to put them back in. At least one mayoral candidate will, no doubt, vow to rip them out again...

It's a shame there hasn't been more development of integrated ticketing. I wonder how the Tyne and Wear ticketing improvements have affected usage, I can only hope positively.

 

[greenline712]

I note the comments about the lack of staff and expertise in local authorities and wonder if BSIP funding would have funded posts for suitably qualified and experienced people?

I'm afraid that it won't be that simple. Many of the folk that have been doing such jobs were ex NBC or LTA guys, who had been around for 30-odd years and have now retired. LTA cuts over the last 10 years mean that they weren't replaced .... in some of the smaller unitary authorities they outsource their responsibilities to consultancies already.
In some cases these consultants prepared BSIP bids by cutting and pasting as appropriate .... these bids generally got no monies allocated in round 1.
Public transport is not "sexy", so people aren't drawn to it, unless they have a prior interest.
"Suitably qualified and experienced" people are few in number, and if in post already won't be let go !! I wish I could be more positive ....

 

[cactustwirly]

None of that is surprising.

Everybody wants a bus priority measure until they put a bus lane on their main road and until they put a bus gate on their housing estate rat run. Build a bus gate and the local paper will be full for months on end with pictures of halfwits gurning at a traffic sign because they're FEWMIN they got a £60 fine for USING A ROAD AH'V ALWAYS USED.

It's always been the way. Liverpool used a load of funding 20 years ago to put bus lanes in to help with bus congestion. The first thing Joe Anderson did was rip them all out, meaning the buses all sat in queues. So now they're using funding to put them back in. At least one mayoral candidate will, no doubt, vow to rip them out again...

It's a shame there hasn't been more development of integrated ticketing. I wonder how the Tyne and Wear ticketing improvements have affected usage, I can only hope positively.

Or do what Reading did, put a bus lane in on one of the major routes into Reading. Said bus lane has doubled journey times because the bus sits in congestion which was never there before the bus lane.

It is genuinely quicker to walk into Reading than take a bus in the morning peak.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'm afraid that it won't be that simple. Many of the folk that have been doing such jobs were ex NBC or LTA guys, who had been around for 30-odd years and have now retired. LTA cuts over the last 10 years mean that they weren't replaced .... in some of the smaller unitary authorities they outsource their responsibilities to consultancies already.
In some cases these consultants prepared BSIP bids by cutting and pasting as appropriate .... these bids generally got no monies allocated in round 1.
Public transport is not "sexy", so people aren't drawn to it, unless they have a prior interest.
"Suitably qualified and experienced" people are few in number, and if in post already won't be let go !! I wish I could be more positive ....

Two of those shire counties are Dorset and Somerset. The same consultants were clearly employed on both BSIP bids (the cut and paste was glaringly obvious when you read them) so a surprise when Somerset did get some funds!

This is something that I think posters don't appreciate. Most bus company managers (and indeed, the few LTA people left) are generally those who are already pre-disposed to working in the industry as kids. Fun fact - you get paid more in working other industries than in the bus industry!

 

[markymark2000]

It's not, as @markymark2000 would suggest that local authorities are lazy.

I think that we both deal with LAs (Local authorities) at very different end of the spectrum and as such perhaps we will never agree on LAs. There are some great local authorities doing amazing things but there are good numbers who aren't. I am hearing more and more reports from different operators around the country that councils don't know what they are paying for or that operators can make cuts to tenders, not tell the LA and get away with subsequent registrations as the LA hasn't checked that the route is being cut. Not all LAs are this bad but some are, and they deserve the criticism. As I am sure people will understand, I am not going to give specifics on this.

With regards to your wider post, you seem to focus mostly on infrastructure and I agree with you, there are many issues with infrastructure projects. Some LAs have found it easier to break down some of these barriers than others.

My local authority however is wasted money by putting evening services on routes which struggle to justify a core service. Even going to the length of numbering the evening trips with an 'E' suffix despite the fact the evening trips have not a single difference to the core trips. Just political gesturing to show off what the council is funding, while also needlessly complicating the bus network with more route numbers. I've had many discussions with drivers of the routes backing up that this is a waste of time, money and effort. It's only the council who can't see it's a waste of money. Meanwhile, big core services are having their service slashed and we have no multi operator ticketing. Yet the money is being wasted on evening trips on irrelevant routes.
Other areas of waste available but this is enough to save the thread getting too long.

Public transport is not "sexy", so people aren't drawn to it, unless they have a prior interest.
"Suitably qualified and experienced" people are few in number, and if in post already won't be let go !! I wish I could be more positive ....

Sadly a lot of those who may be suitably qualified or experienced, or want to get into this line of work, will be put off doing so nowadays because of the workplace politics. Most authorities now run off 'we work this way, you like it or lump it' and sadly as we have seen with the like of First Group (yes, the issue is not just in local authorities), if your face doesn't fit, off you pop, no matter what qualifications or experience you have. Or even what growth has been seen. They all just want 'yes people' who will back up any decision made, irrespective of how good/bad it is.

Fun fact - you get paid more in working other industries than in the bus industry!

There's a good few people I wish would find those roles in other industries rather than being insistent on making a hash of the few bits of public transport we have left (not singling out any specific person or part of the industry)

 

[Citistar]

This is something that I think posters don't appreciate. Most bus company managers (and indeed, the few LTA people left) are generally those who are already pre-disposed to working in the industry as kids. Fun fact - you get paid more in working other industries than in the bus industry!

I'm not convinced this is still as true as it would have been fifteen years ago. I'd suggest that graduate schemes have attracted a lot of people to the larger groups who don't really seem to have any particular passion for the industry.

Being in an area with a relatively new local authority in charge of most transport functions, i also despair at the quality of some of the staff who seem to have risen very quickly through the organisation, or those engaged by the consultancies they employ. There is very little relevant experience or real world knowledge being demonstrated, which leads to some very damaging decisions being made. But if you want homeworkers to visibly roll their eyes at you during Zoom meetings when you criticise them, that is provided in excess.

In my experience, the best management teams are a mixture of folk who have joined with qualifications and those who have worked their way up through the ranks by demonstrating an aptitude for practical leadership. It feels to me as if the bus industry as a whole is neglecting the latter group in favour of cookie cutter formed management with academic qualifications.

 

[Leedsbusman]

I'm not convinced this is still as true as it would have been fifteen years ago. I'd suggest that graduate schemes have attracted a lot of people to the larger groups who don't really seem to have any particular passion for the industry.

Being in an area with a relatively new local authority in charge of most transport functions, i also despair at the quality of some of the staff who seem to have risen very quickly through the organisation, or those engaged by the consultancies they employ. There is very little relevant experience or real world knowledge being demonstrated, which leads to some very damaging decisions being made. But if you want homeworkers to visibly roll their eyes at you during Zoom meetings when you criticise them, that is provided in excess.

In my experience, the best management teams are a mixture of folk who have joined with qualifications and those who have worked their way up through the ranks by demonstrating an aptitude for practical leadership. It feels to me as if the bus industry as a whole is neglecting the latter group in favour of cookie cutter formed management with academic qualifications.

This seems the case in some areas but not others. First seems to have systematically got rid of bus people and is making daft decisions as a result. Go Ahead seems more grounded with more career bus folk in place.