New plan to integrate train and bus services across west of Scotland

[och aye]

Annoyingly this is something that probably could have (should have) been done years ago had SPT not had it's rail concession taken away from them when Transport Scotland took over their rail operations.

While he article mentions a "Strathclyde Buses" brand coming back, it doesn't mention anything anything about the Trains other than the proposed Clyde Metro. So perhaps no return of the Strathclyde red livery before anyone gets excited.

New plan to integrate train and bus services across west of Scotland

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport says its blueprint will ensure all services "join up seamlessly".

www.bbc.co.uk

Trains and buses in the west of Scotland could be integrated under a new blueprint.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has set out a plan to ensure all services, including the Glasgow subway, "join up seamlessly".
It includes an app providing information for all forms of public transport.
Transport Scotland welcomed SPT's plans and said they were aligned with the Scottish government's vision.
SPT said the strategy would involve co-ordinated timetables and a new single bus brand, Strathclyde Buses.
And it has pledged to provide customers with an "end-to-end journey experience".

SPT chairman Dr Martin Bartos said: "We all know public transport needs to change and, by improving public transport, we can transform the quality of life for those in our communities as well as tackling the climate, social and economic challenges we all face.
"While many things may divide us, I am very keen that all councils in the SPT area have the opportunity to express their views on our next steps, so that we might unite and swiftly progress the work necessary to deliver better transport for all the people of Strathclyde."
Dr Bartos urged local authority leaders in the region to support the plan.

Smart ticketing​

Transport Scotland said the proposal would contribute to the ongoing debate as to how best deliver a "smart, integrated and efficient public transport network".
A spokesman said: "SPT's ambitions for a fully integrated public transport system across the west of Scotland are very much aligned with Scottish government's own vision for transport as set out in the National Transport Strategy.
"We will continue to discuss these proposals through our routine cycle of meetings with SPT."
A Strategic Transport Projects Review, published last month, includes 45 draft recommendations for future transport infrastructure investment, including plans for a Clyde Metro and a fully integrated smart ticketing and payment services across all public transport modes.

 

[Flying Snail]

Here's a basic idea for promoting integration: Don't remove already existing integrated ticketing options.

 

[JonathanH]

Until the operators can be confident they can get a fair share of revenue and not lose money as a result of this sort of integration, it is going to be difficult to reach agreement.

 

[Wynd]

Em, why cant we do this on the east?

 

[ld0595]

Long long overdue but very welcome nonetheless. I'll wait until something is actually implemented though, since this has been talked about for years with seemingly little to no progress.

 

[JonathanH]

Em, why cant we do this on the east?

Isn't that what this is? https://www.one-ticket.co.uk/

A little bit of history about One-Ticket...

The SEStran Partnership (South East of Scotland Transport Partnership) comprising eight local authorities in South East Scotland (population 1.5m) agreed with the major public transport operators in its area in 1998 to attempt to establish a Travelticket scheme as a major step towards public transport integration.

It was agreed that the Travelticket scheme be managed as a partnership between the public and private sectors under the aegis of a company structure. One-Ticket Limited (formerly SEStran Traveltickets Ltd) was formed as a “partnership” between the member Councils of SEStran and the transport operators who operate within the SEStran area.The scheme was established in May 2001 and was developed with financial support from the Scottish Executive.

The business is commercially self-sufficient.The main objective of ONE-TICKET is to increase the use of public transport and achieve modal transfer from car use to public transport within the SEStran area. It is not the intention of the scheme to transfer current public transport users to ONE-TICKET but rather to use the customer benefits of the integrated ticket (value for money and convenience) to encourage new public transport use, unless users are already using more than one operator’s services for their journey.

 

[scotrail158713]

Isn't that what this is? https://www.one-ticket.co.uk/

That could do with some more promotion I feel. It's not something I'm all that aware of - I've definitely heard the name One Ticket, but I've never used it or really looked into it to be honest. Nor do I know of anyone who has either. It seems a good idea though that could do well if it was more well known.
I've also noticed @Wynd is based in Aberdeenshire so it's not very useful for them.

 

[Lytham Local]

While he article mentions a "Strathclyde Buses" brand coming back, it doesn't mention anything anything about the Trains other than the proposed Clyde Metro. So perhaps no return of the Strathclyde red livery before anyone gets excited.

lol, lets get the old Corpie bus back. I'll be interested in reading the proposals and more interested to see how they propose to get them funded.

 

[Starmill]

Isn't that what this is? https://www.one-ticket.co.uk/

The products including rail are available to buy in person at a staffed ticket office only, so fit for the 19th century perhaps, but not really today. Also, available for a minimum of 7 consecutive days travel. Not exactly an enormous amount of use to many people in Scotland in 2022?

 

[Wynd]

Its amazing to think I can buy a return ticket to New York from my phone far easier than I can take a bus to my nearest Station (Insch) and take the train.

Its actually shambolic that this isn't even a realistic travel option.

And we wonder why people drive...

 

[och aye]

lol, lets get the old Corpie bus back. I'll be interested in reading the proposals and more interested to see how they propose to get them funded.

View attachment 110140

Perhaps they might be looking at a similar model to TfL with the buses being run as a concession by various operators, but it's essential "the same company" to the passenger i.e. London Buses.

 

[Bill57p9]

Here's a basic idea for promoting integration: Don't remove already existing integrated ticketing options.

I take it you're thinking of Day Tripper and integrated tickets to Glasgow Airport via Paisley. Both something I used to use reasonably often and lament the loss of.

The lack of ScotRail advance fares isn't making the train very attractive either but not an integrated public transport issue.

Are there any others that have disappeared?

 

[oldman]

They announced something very similar last March. Is this any different?

 

[numtot12345]

SPT I believe are refreshing their Regional Transport Strategy at the moment, so I'm guessing these various kind of announcements are all related in some way to that overall Refresh. Would love it to be all fully integrated for seamless travel however will believe it when I see it.

 

[scotraildriver]

They announced something very similar last March. Is this any different?

No different to "trans-clyde" in 1980. Promises of integrated bus,train and subway. It actually worked reasonably well until bus deregulation.

 

[johncrossley]

Scotland has its own devolved transport. They don't need to stick to deregulation just because England has it. Why can't they just get on with it?

 

[Lytham Local]

Scotland has its own devolved transport. They don't need to stick to deregulation just because England has it. Why can't they just get on with it?

Probably because the Scottish government couldn't then blame Westminster if it went belly up.

 

[Ex-controller]

Probably because the Scottish government couldn't then blame Westminster if it went belly up.

Close. They’re actually a bunch of neo liberals just like successive Westminster governments and so have no interest in regulating privately owned bus transport in any way for ideological reasons.

The blaming of Westminster is a big act for the masses.

 

[Wynd]

When it comes to transport Holyrood really does need to get a firm grip on the situation.

When it comes to Westminster, there really is a lot that they are rightly apportioned blame for. Transport however is outside of that sphere, largely.

 

[D6975]

Curious that it specifically mentions the subway. The service is so frequent that you'd have to work very hard to make it not work.

 

[johncrossley]

Curious that it specifically mentions the subway. The service is so frequent that you'd have to work very hard to make it not work.

They can still easily screw up the ticketing. For example, they might make you pay a premium to change between bus and Subway, instead of charging the same as a direct bus or Subway for the same journey. The London Underground runs every 2-3 minutes but there is a premium to change between bus and Tube.

 

[D6975]

Sadly ticketing is something that the railway has a proud history of right royally screwing up.

 

[kylemore]

This will only work if the private bus companies are reduced to mere bus operating contractors with no involvement in timetable planning, development of ticketing and fare policy, financing and integration between modes. The only indication that the bus is privately owned should be the legal lettering on the side.

That said, recent history really makes me doubt we have the expertise in Scotland to plan and operate efficient public transport systems to say, Dutch, German or Swiss standards, or indeed the will.

 

[jagardner1984]

The integration point is interesting given several subway stations have no interchange possibilities (bus etc) or active travel links (the integration of the cycle hire scheme is similarly woeful). But SPT moving into a TfL strategy of bus concessions makes a lot of sense.

 

[AY1975]

They announced something very similar last March. Is this any different?

The news item and report on the SPT website are dated from last March and there doesn't appear to be anything more about it since then, so I am guessing that the BBC has only just picked it up.

SPT I believe are refreshing their Regional Transport Strategy at the moment, so I'm guessing these various kind of announcements are all related in some way to that overall Refresh. Would love it to be all fully integrated for seamless travel however will believe it when I see it.

There is also the Scotland-wide second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) (following on from the first STPR in 2008) which also envisages, among other things, a smart integrated ticketing system across all modes and a Clyde Metro scheme to serve the areas of Glasgow currently poorly served by rail. As far as I can see STPR2 also seems to contain very little specifically about rail apart from the decarbonisation of rail.

Not sure whether STPR2 and the SPT report last March linked from entry #13 above are linked - I suspect that they are two completely separate things. The STPR2 documents are linked from the Transport Scotland website.

 

[GusB]

There was some discussion about this in the Buses & Coaches section when this was announced back in March last year, and it was recently re-kindled. Link here if anyone's interested:

Transport for Strathclyde – A New Public Transport Network

A new report "Transforming Transport for Strathclyde" has been published today by SPT. It looks like they are proposing a London style "Transport for Strathclyde" with a key recommendation to regulate buses. Full pdf here: Transport for Strathclyde – A New Public Transport Network | SPT |...

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