Issue - meetings

Purpose of Report

This report provides an update on revisions to the scheme made in the Traffic & Transportation Cabinet decision meeting in September 2022, following an update in Department for Transport (DfT) guidance.  This report provides updated recommendations for Concessionary Bus Passes reimbursement to bus operators in 2023/24 in accordance with this guidance.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation:

1.    Notes the contents of this report;

2.    Approves that the bus operator reimbursement rate reverts to actual journeys made using the concessionary pass from 1 April 2023;

3.    Approves that unallocated concessionary travel budget be used to meet the cost for reinstating bus service withdrawals during 2023/2024 in the first instance following DfT guidance.

4.    Approves the revision of the older persons concessionary pass end time to 02:00 from the current 23:00 hours, from 1 April 2023;

5.    Delegates authority to the Director of Regeneration in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation and the S151 Officer, to make changes to the operator reimbursement rate within the allocated budget where such changes are considered necessary having regard to any amendments to central government guidance;

6.    Notes the findings of the hospital appointment trial and extends this trial until 31 March 2024 in order to collect further data and report back to Traffic & Transportation Cabinet Member in February 2024.

1.    Noted the contents of the report;

2.    Approved that the bus operator reimbursement rate reverts to actual journeys made using the concessionary pass from 1 April 2023;

3.    Approved that unallocated concessionary travel budget be used to meet the cost for reinstating bus service withdrawals during 2023/2024 in the first instance following DfT guidance;

4.    Approved the revision of the older persons concessionary pass end time to 02:00 from the current 23:00 hours, from 1 April 2023;

5.    Delegated authority to the Director of Regeneration in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation and the S151 Officer, to make changes to the operator reimbursement rate within the allocated budget where such changes are considered necessary having regard to any amendments to central government guidance;

6.    Noted the findings of the hospital appointment trial and extends this trial until 31 March 2024 in order to collect further data and report back to Traffic & Transportation Cabinet Member in February 2024.

Simon Bell, Principal Transport Officer, introduced the report. 

The purpose of the report was to provide an update on revisions to the scheme made in the Traffic & Transportation Cabinet decision meeting in September 2022, following an update in Department for Transport (DfT) guidance.  The report provided updated recommendations for Concessionary Bus Passes reimbursement to bus operators in 2023/24 in accordance with this guidance.

Charles Burn made a verbal deputation in favour of the proposal.  This was not minuted but can be viewed at:

Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation, 16 February 2023 on Livestream

Members' questions

In response to Members' questions, officers clarified:

·         Bus services being withdrawn will be detailed in a paper coming to the T&T decision meeting on 8 March 2023.  First Bus had indicated, without additional council support, they will not operate services 13/14, 18 and 22.

o   Service 18 runs from upper Paulsgrove through Cosham, Hilsea, North End and down through Fratton and Southsea.  This runs every 35 minutes Monday to Friday and every hour Saturday and Sunday.

o   Services 13 & 14 start at the city centre out of Arundel Street and operate a loop either via Milton or Baffins.  They leave as number 13 and turn to number 14 around Portsmouth City College.

o   Service 22 operates around Cosham but also goes to Farlington and Highbury.

·         Following DfT guidance, PCC will fund the service initially short term whilst a comprehensive tender of all services is carried out.  A further paper will be bought to T&T in June 2023 with recommendations in terms of which contract and which services will be awarded.  Money will be available for the whole financial year for those services.

·         Approximately £150k in support for the tendered bus services had come from the Parking Reserve in the past year.

·         Services 13/14 are subsidised on Sundays and Bank Holidays but the rest of the time they are purely commercial operations.  Service 22 is a council supported service supported to approximately £42k a year.  Services 18 & 19 are purely commercial services until the end of March.

·         There was no current passenger data from First Bus in relation to older person usage, but this would be provided.

Members' comments

·         Members considered it reasonable to revert to funding on the basis of number of trips made.

·         Members requested that consideration be given to extending the earlier start time for attendance at dental and GP appointments.

 Chair's Summary

The Chair took on board the point about extending the scheme to those attending dental and GP appointments and noted the need to research into the viability of the services.  She thanked everyone for the reports, comments and questions.

Decision

Councillor Suzy Horton on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation:

1.    Noted the contents of the report;

2.    Approved that the bus operator reimbursement rate reverts to actual journeys made using the concessionary pass from 1 April 2023;

3.    Approved that unallocated concessionary travel budget be used to meet the cost for reinstating bus service  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11