Agenda item

To receive any updates from operators.

The Board received an update from Simon Goff (First Bus), including:

·   The £1 fare in Taunton had been in place since December 2022, running for a period of 2 years. The data had started to show a steady increase in usage of the fare. There had been a 28% increase in passenger numbers for the first quarter of 2023 in comparison to last year.

·   The National £2 fare scheme had led to overall steady growth in passenger numbers, with a stark increase seen in the previous week, yet to be investigated. The increase in passenger numbers mainly related to interurban routes.

·   Overall patronage in Somerset remained at 85% of pre covid levels, this was an improvement on last year, which was 65%.

·   The evening service trial in Taunton started at the end of January 2023 and had received positive encouragement, with a particular increase in journeys in the early evening period.

·   There had been an improvement in delivery of services, with actions and plans in place to mitigate against a shortage of drivers.

Josh Strickland (Hatch Green) highlighted the following points:

·   There were many potential benefits from cooperation and partnership working, with assistance needed going forward to help coordinate services, journeys and hub interchanges.

·   There had been growing concerns from service disruptions resulting from unexpected roadworks or closures, and stressed the importance of having an immediate contact at Somerset Council in such situations.

Members of the Board highlighted the following points:

·   The need for improved communication of short notice cancellation of services, making use of more social media platforms and apps, where possible.

·   The importance of the availability of buses and drivers, to be able provide reliable services for bus users. It was understood many operators were taking actions to share drivers to mitigate in the short term, and increase wages and training programmes to mitigate in the long term.

John Perrett, Operations Service Manager for Transporting Somerset, confirmed that the Street Works teams did impose fines where roads were incorrectly closed, however there could be emergency closures at times which the Council may not be aware of.

ACTION:

It was agreed that John Perrett and Natasha Bates would explore a system for which operators could contact with immediate concerns over roadworks and closures.