Agenda and minutes

Cllr Kevin Greaves

Phil Hewitt

None

Last meeting held on 9 December 2014 (for confirmation)

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 9 December 2014 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.  Councillor Steve Calvert raised an issue with patronage data that he requested at a previous meeting, and was assured by Lea Harrison and Andy Holdstock that this data had been sent to him; annual patronage for the period 1^st April 2014 to 31^st March 2015 will be reported to the next meeting of the Committee.

Report of Head of Service Delivery at Tramlink Nottingham.

Lea Harrison, from Tramlink Nottingham, presented the report, updating the Committee on NET Line One operational performance, highlighting the following, and also responding to questions from the Committee:

(a)  operational performance remains good.  Punctuality was at 96.9%; this figure includes early and late trams.  Performance is measured against the scheduled timetable, with over 10,000 trips being operated per month;

(b)  efforts made during the severe weather throughout the winter were praised by Councillor Hartshorne.  The tram stops were gritted where this was required, greatly assisting passenger accessibility;

(c)  there has been a turnaround in the amount of travellers that use pre-payment.  Work is taking place with Nottingham City Council on an e-wallet, which should go live later this summer. The e-wallet system is similar to the Oyster card used in London.

In addition, Mango card retail functionality will go live in the coming months;

(d)  when validating a journey on the tram, there are two audible tones; one to inform you that your validation has been successful, and another to let you know the validation has been unsuccessful.  The system overall is operating at around 99% availability;

(e)  with Phase Two operations yet to commence, ticket checking on the existing system is at a high level currently.  This will continue at a less intense level once the full system is open;

(f)  Mango cards will be sold in the coming months; in addition to this, the Kangaroo card is a multi-operator ticket that is administered by Nottingham City Council.  Many of the Locallink buses in the Nottingham area are now operated by Nottingham Community Transport, and it was confirmed that Tramlink are happy to work with any new organisations and come up with a travel solution that assists with transfer between systems;

(g)  the government is launching a consultation on a number of proposals that will make the rail penalty fare system fairer for passengers and more consistent across the industry.  Tramlink are happy to look at this issue again if instructed by government;

(h)  a mystery shopper has been introduced by Tramlink to provide feedback on the customer experience when a penalty fare notice is issued;

(i)  between the hours of 7-10am, the number of trams will increase to 8 per hour from Hucknall and from Phoenix Park.  The timetable on lines 2 and 3 has yet to be confirmed; 

(j)  it was felt that the voice on the tram needed changing, as it had been several years since the original information had been recorded, and the information needed re-recording. Feedback has been positive so far, with more of a ‘local accent’;

(k)  the ‘Better by tram campaign’, ‘Hucknall & Bulwell bus user campaign’, and the ‘5 for £5 group ticket offer re-launch’ have all led to increased take-up on the tram;

(l)  with regard to Phase Two testing and commissioning, there is currently daytime testing in the Ruddington/Wilford area.  This week will see night-time testing at University Boulevard;

(m)  a full services commencement plan is being worked on by Tramlink, which will contain information on the new timetable.  Work on proposed new fares is ongoing; more information will be available in June;

(n)  all pedestrian junctions are looked at for potential issues when they are close to the tram.  There is not one solution for all junctions in and around Nottingham; all parties involved would have to be happy with a resolution at a junction before it is signed off.  The Police will continue to be involved with enforcement issues;

(o)  Nottingham can continue to learn as the tram develops further, and can learn from experiences in other cities.  Lea Harrison is travelling to Edinburgh to see how their project is developing;

(p)  work on the control centres and systems in the back offices is coming along very well.  Cameras are now online on Phase 2;

(q)  a follow-up cycle meeting with Hugh McLintock (PEDALS) will be held in a few months’ time.  Guides containing information on good practice for cyclists will be available shortly;

  Cycle parking facilities are being provided at many of the new tram stops.  Cages and Sheffield stands were installed along the route of Line One and there will be CityCard cycle hubs at both of the new park and ride sites, at Clifton and at Toton Lane; additionally, there is scope to put in more bike stands if the demand for them is there.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the report;

(2)  express pleasure over the progress that has been made on the tram works so far;

(3)  expect a report on Line 2 and 3 progress at the June meeting;

(4)  investigate performance management on validation at tram stops;

(5)  expect a summary from Lea Harrison on how the mystery shopper fared;