Is participation in PlusBus entirely optional?

[miklcct]

Last weekend I checked the ticketing options for the local buses in Guildford as part of a connecting rail journey. In particular, the place I wanted to visit in Guildford is Elgin Gardens, which is within the PlusBus area of Guildford.

There are 3 routes between there and the rail station on a Sunday, operated by 3 different operators: 6 by Stagecoach South, 715 by Falcon Buses, 462 by White Bus Services. When I checked the fares for each of these, the PDF fare chart of the 715 specified that PlusBus is not accepted on the route.

Then I checked the PlusBus information site, and it lists only Stagecoach South for the Guildford zone. Therefore the ticket is not useful because there are multiple bus operators in Guildford, apart from Stagecoach South, there are also Carlone Buses, Safeguard Buses, Compass Travel, Falcon Buses, Reptons Coaches and White Bus Services, some of them serving overlapping corridors, and if I want to travel on these buses, I have to pay single fares for each of them.

In other places I used PlusBus, all bus operators in the covered area are listed. For example, both the dominant operator morebus / Damory, and the smaller operator First Bus which only runs a single interurban route into the area, participate in the Bournemouth & Poole PlusBus scheme.

PlusBus is supposed to offer an integrated ticketing solution, but if bus companies are at whim to participate or not, it undermines the usefulness of the scheme and it has put me off in taking buses in the area if I have to pay for a new single every time I board a bus when a connecting local train doesn't cost extra, and I use another train service and walked from London Road train station instead of taking a bus from town straight to the place I wanted to go.

What is the reason that a PlusBus scheme is offered even if only a small number of bus operators in the town are participating? Is it entirely optional for any bus operators to join or not, and is there a certain requirement for coverage in a town before a PlusBus scheme is offered to passengers?

 

[Man of Kent]

Short answer to the question in the title: yes.

The scheme manager - which is usually either a bus operator or the local transport authority - must offer each operator running in the area the opportunity to participate (a basic requirement to meet the PlusBus block exemption from anti-competitive ticketing rules). But the decision to do so depends on the operator, although the LTA will sometimes specify that tendered routes must accept PlusBus tickets.

Whether an operator chooses to participate depends mainly on whether they perceive it is revenue positive or revenue negative, or the effect on cash flow. In particular, if you are a small operator who agrees to participate, you may still not receive any PlusBus revenue, as the scheme manager is allowed to charge administrative costs to all participants, which can (and do) wipe out the amount which would be due.

Accordingly, while large operator participation is almost always guaranteed, it is indeed a hodge podge for everyone else.

 

[Adam Williams]

the scheme manager is allowed to charge administrative costs to all participants, which can (and do) wipe out the amount which would be due

Are they split equally then, rather than according to the size of the participating operators?

 

[Deerfold]

Also, if a bus company is a participant in area multi-operator ticket schemes, many specify that you must also participate in Plusbus.

 

[Man of Kent]

Are they split equally then, rather than according to the size of the participating operators?

In the schemes I am familiar with, there was a flat rate annual charge included in the rules. This could be higher than the revenue due to a small operator, particularly if it was only one or two routes in a scheme area with limited sales.