Meeting documents

To introduce the proposed variations to the EP Scheme (highlighted in yellow) and explain the bespoke variation mechanism; the Chair will then ask operators on the Board to formally agree the proposed variations.

Tim Reynolds presented the proposed variations to the EP Plan and Scheme, explaining the need to update it to reflect the amount of funding received and the details that have changed with respect to the areas being funded.  The first part, which is the Plan itself, has not changed, as any change would require a new round of consultations.  It is various areas of the Scheme which are being changed, with the key areas being:

·       Section 3 - Facilities (physical items such as bus lanes but also including marketing and fare schemes):  All bus lanes, priority junctions, etc. have been listed.

·       Section 3 – Taunton Town fare plan:  This includes the £1 fare in the town zone and £1 fares for Park and Ride, with a cap at £2 for a return journey.  There is also information on the Taunton mobility hub, the Bus Passenger Charter, and the Somerton mobility hub, as well as vehicle standards required by operators in terms of fleets with 10 or more vehicles.  The fare plan could be instituted in different ways; what’s in the EP plan at the moment, which is mandatory for all bus operators, entails a £1 charge for any journey in each direction.  Capping it at £2 would require a voluntary multi-operator ticketing scheme, while running a mandatory scheme would mean that passengers still pay £1 every time they change to a bus belonging to a different operator.  If the voluntary scheme was chosen, every operator would have to sign up to it, and they would be reimbursed in a different way to the £1 scheme; Somerset County Council and First Bus are keen to be part of this scheme, and we would invite any other operators to join at any point.  With respect to the £1 fare plan, operators would need to give us their fare charts showing what they would normally charge for those journeys within Taunton, and they would be reimbursed for the difference.

·       Section 4 – Operator obligations (vehicle standards, fares, timetable changes, etc.):  There is a new section, 4.2, which regards the investment mechanism, which is very important from the DfT perspective, which states that once funding is invested in certain facilities (like bus lanes) which will save operators time and, for example, potentially allow them to take a vehicle out of that service, the operators must commit to putting any savings back into their services, perhaps by increasing the frequency of the service or providing a new service.

·       Section 5 – Governance arrangements:  These have not changed much, but if the Board cannot reach a consensus on anything, there is a mechanism for statutory decision making based on which operators do the most mileage across the network, although it is hoped that this will not be necessary very often.

·       Section 6 – Voluntary ticket scheme:  This section is new and details the multi-operator ticketing scheme.

A discussion followed; Cllr J Hassall pointed out that one problem in Taunton is traveling from the station to the hospital, as the #3 stops at Parkfield Road but not many people know about it and it is a difficult walk for the disabled.  He asked if the Park and Ride could go past the station.  He added that there is an industrial estate that the #20 goes by, which he would like to discuss with Stuart of Dartline.  John Perrett responded that SCC has recently taken on the #3 and it is on the Buses of Somerset timetable; they are looking at a new stop at the hospital and will try to promote it more, but it only runs hourly.  Stuart Moon replied that the situation is very difficult because all of his routes are tendered, so he might not have the cash to adhere to certain initiatives in the EP Plan and Scheme like the £1 fare.  His company is marginalised, especially as a cross-country operator, and there is no way to recoup losses like commercial operators because his fares in Devon are set by Devon County Council, which is very uncomfortable.  Cornwall has exempted him from their own EP plan.  He opined that the tendered operators had been forgotten and they have to try to work to three different EP plans; all of them are making changes, and it is hard to keep up with them.  He stated that he could sign up to this modified EP plan and scheme right now; patience is needed, and he will provide information on Devon’s plan.  Natasha Bates has also spoken to Devon to get clarification.

There were no objections to formally approving the variations to the EP plan and scheme.