Agenda item

Report by Executive Director of Economy, Infrastructure and Environment and Director of Highways and Transport – attached.

This report presents the draft West Sussex Bus Strategy, which covers the period 2018 to 2026, and sets out the County Council’s approach to local bus and community transport services, over the next eight years. The work on the Strategy is being informed by a Cabinet Member Task and Finish Group, as well as an eight-week public consultation on the proposed priorities running from April to early June 2018.

The Committee is asked to consider the draft Bus Strategy and to give feedback as part of the consultation.

15.1 The Committee considered a report by Executive Director Economy, Infrastructure and Environment and Director of Highways and Transport (copy appended to signed minutes).

15.2 The Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure advised that the County Council had carried out a detailed public consultation, the output of which helped to inform the strategy, which included feedback from residents, bus companies and input from the Executive Task and Finish Group (TFG). A prospective draft strategy had now been developed which amongst other things, looked at various options available and sustaining current services. 

15.3 Bill Leath, Transport Bureau Manager, introduced the report which presented the draft West Sussex Bus Strategy covering the period 2018-2026 and set out the County Council’s approach to local bus and community transport services, over the next eight years. The eight-week public consultation ran from April to early June 2018 and had nearly 1,300 responses. Previous comments by the Committee had also been taken on board. The Strategy, including planning and design of new developments will be brought back to the committee at its meeting in December.

15.4 The Committee made comments including those that follow. It:

·        Welcomed the approach already taken by the County Council in developing the Strategy, and requested an emphasis on partnership working. The appetite among bus providers for partnership working was also questioned. Mr Leath advised that the County Council had a long history of working with partners and hoped to continue to do so.

·         Questioned how the success or failure of actions would be measured and suggested the use of KPI’s to measure actions and outcomes, and highlighted a need to influence changing behaviours for bus patronage. Mr Leath advised that it was in the County Council’s interest that buses were reliable and ran on time. A big part of the issue was fare prices, road congestion and infrastructure. These points would be taken back to the TFG for further discussion, along with looking at how changing behaviours in bus usage could be influenced.

·         Highlighted the loss of the 3in1 card for young people and questioned how those in education were transported; suggesting the possibility of a West Sussex prepayment card such as an Oyster card, cross ticketing or half priced bus fares for 16 to 18 year olds. Also greater use of buses for local employees subsidised by employers. Mr Leath advised that discussions were on-going with local authorities and bus companies in relation to cross ticketing, but the challenge was competing products due to the deregulated bus market. In the past, funds from employers have contributed towards travel, but all of these points would be taken back to the TFG for further discussion. 

·         Requested more detailed elaboration on ‘Action 6’ of the report in relation to developer funding and that the funding was more actively pursued for public transport infrastructure to secure benefits for fare reduction.  Also ‘Action 12’ was welcomed, but with a request to add the wording ‘seeks to prioritise those in full time education or apprenticeships’.

·         Suggested that the Bus Strategy should be part of the overall Integrated Transport Policy and requested that the possibility of new services was “toned down” where they would be clearly impossible to achieve. It was also requested that the strategy takes account of the impact of any changes to minibus licensing arrangements.

15.5 Mr Baldwin as a member of the Executive TFG did not take part in the debate.

15.6 Resolved – That the Committee notes the draft Bus Strategy 2018-2026 and the consultation results.