This is a default template, your custom branding appears to be missing.
The custom branding should be at https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/global/moderngov/pcc/pcc_template if you cannot load this page please contact your IT.

Technical Error: Error: The underlying connection was closed: The connection was closed unexpectedly.

Agenda item

Agenda item

Portsmouth Supported Bus Services

Purpose of Report

 

The purpose of this paper is to outline Portsmouth City Council's current position on supported bus services and to seek agreement to extend the 5 existing contracts to 31 July 2023 and fund those services subject to urgent arrangements from October 2022 following a network review.

 

The enclosed report originally marked on the agenda "to follow" was published on 21 July 2022.

RECOMMENDED that the Cabinet Member;

 

1.    Notes the findings of the survey work and engagement undertaken in reviewing the supported bus services;

 

2.    Agrees to extend the current supported bus service contracts to 31 July 2023 with delegated authority to the Director of Regeneration in consultation with Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation and Section 151 Officer to negotiate any necessary changes to these services.

 

3.    Notes that waiver approval will need to be sought from Procurement and Legal Services in respect of the proposed extensions to the contracts set out above, in accordance with the Council's Contracts Procedure Rules.

 

4.    Approves the development and implementation by the Traffic and Transportation Service supported by Procurement and Legal Services, of a procurement strategy to re-tender the contracts. Such procurement strategy to be informed by demand, developing local & national policy, peer review and soft market testing with operators.

 

 

5.    Approves additional funding is made available to support those services identified through the network review as follows:

 

·         Weekday journeys on service 13/14 which are currently provided without subsidy, and will attract a subsidy from 1 October 2022 and will therefore be subject to an urgent arrangement to maintain the route until 31 July 2023, which may then lead to that route forming part of the wider subsidised bus service re-procurement;

·         Additional funding be agreed for supported services 22 and 25

·         For a six-month period part fund the cross boundary X4 service jointly with Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council

 

6.    Notes that a paper will be brought back to the June 2023 Traffic and Transportation Cabinet meeting following the completion of the procurement process to re-tender the contracts.

 

Minutes:

Simon Bell, Principal Public Transport Officer, introduced the report and outlined the current position on supported bus services.

 

He noted that Government funding comes to an end in September and as a consequence, four services have been identified which require additional funding until the services can be re-tendered.

 

Councillor's Questions

In response to Councillor questions the following points were clarified:

 

·         BSIP funding can only be used to enhance existing services.

·         The passenger numbers for the 13/14 only apply to the supported element - the Sunday service. 

 

Action - Simon to supply Councillor Heaney with the weekday numbers for the 13/14 and the non-supported usage for all the services identified in the report.

 

·         No figures are available on how many passengers would be needed on each service in order to ensure a subsidy was not needed.  However, it was estimated the numbers would need to roughly double.

·         Finance confirmed the extra money needed to subsidise these services would very likely come from the parking reserve which was an appropriate use of the reserve.  The other options would be to cut other Traffic and Transportation services or apply for external funding.

·         All the buses using the Clean Air Zone have now been retrofitted.  PCC do not pay the charge for them.  The only bus service that was receiving the subsidy was the number 25 and this ceased at the beginning of the year.

·         The bus re-tender would take place at the beginning of the next calendar year with the award taking place in June 2023, immediately after the elections.

·         A network review had taken place.

·         The split of the subsidy for the X4 is PCC 25 - 30%, Southampton 10% with Hampshire paying the rest.

 

Councillor Stagg expressed her regret at having to fund the subsidy but felt it was necessary to ensure residents could continue using the services.  She noted the need to work on increasing passenger numbers to ensure a decent bus service throughout the city.

 

 

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation:

 

1.    Noted the findings of the survey work and engagement undertaken in reviewing the supported bus services;

2.    Agreed to extend the current supported bus service contracts to 31 July 2023 with delegated authority to the Director of Regeneration in consultation with Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation and Section 151 Officer to negotiate any necessary changes to these services.

3.    Noted that waiver approval will need to be sought form Procurement and Legal Services in respect of the proposed extensions to the contracts set out above, in accordance with the Council's Contracts Procedure Rules.

4.    Approved the development and implementation by the Traffic and Transportation Service supported by Procurement and Legal Services, of a procurement strategy to re-tender the contracts. Such procurement strategy to be informed by demand, developing local and national policy, peer review and soft market testing with operators.

5.    Approved additional funding to be made available to support those services identified through the network review as follows:

 

·         Weekday journeys on service 13/14 which are currently provided without subsidy, and will attract a subsidy from 1 October 2022 and will therefore be subject to an urgent arrangement to maintain the route until 31 July 2023, which may then lead to that route forming part of the wider subsidised bus service re-procurement.

·         Additional funding agreed for supported services 22 and 25;

·         For a six-month period part fund the cross boundary X4 service jointly with Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council.

 

6.    Noted that a paper will be brought back to the June 2023 Traffic and Transportation Cabinet meeting following the completion of the procurement process to re-tender the contracts

 

 

 

The meeting concluded at 17:37

 

Supporting documents: