Verbal update from NET (Nottingham Express Transit), NCT (Nottingham City Transport) and Nottingham City Council
Minutes:
David Astill, Commercial Manager at Nottingham City Transport (NCT), presented the following information to the Committee:
(a) the past 2 or 3 years have been very difficult for the citizens of Clifton and the drivers on the Clifton routes, and everyone’s patience has been greatly appreciated;
(b) it was assumed that patronage patterns would change with the expectation assumption was that the tram would affect usage of the 48 and other services on Southchurch Drive, but this has not happened. The tram has had an impact on the 2 and 3, which have very little crossover with the tram, so it was assumed that the services would complement each other. One possible explanation is that people are walking further to more frequent services, to where busses and trams operate;
(c) the 2 and 3 lines are currently not profitable, so are being reviewed, as NCT operates as a commercial business. Trent Barton have withdrawn completely from Clifton and Ruddington, so NCT are taking the opportunity to divert the 3 via Ruddington from 22 November, leaving the 2 as the main route for Farnborough Road. The success of the new routes will depend on usage;
(d) there is not time in the current schedule for the 3 to operate west of the end of Green Lane. Hartness Road and Barton Green will lose their direct bus route into the City Centre. Most passengers on Hartness Road now tend to walk to the Crusader bus stop for frequency, but this will be an issue for the elderly or infirm who may struggle to walk that far.
Andy Gibbons, Head of Public Transport at Nottingham City Council, provided the following information to the Committee:
(e) Nottingham City Council’s local link services fill in gaps in commercial services where this is required, there is limited money to provide this infill service. The resource is adaptable to fill gaps left from the commercial operators as a result of the commercial changes due to the tram;
(f) Nottingham City Council also operate the “dial-a-ride” service, which has been rebranded as “EasyLink”. This service will be easier to use, and City Card holders won’t have to register. There are 6 vehicles available, and the fare is halved for reduced fare card holders;
(g) there is a big snagging list as a result of tram works, including reinstating timetable displays at bus shelters, and having lighting and power added to display poles. These issues are with Taylor Woodrow;
(h) ticket vending machines are being installed near bus stops, allowing customers to purchase or top up the “Nottingham Oyster Card”. Fares will be worked out automatically, and cap out at day ticket prices. The scheme will work with various travel operators. Fares are determined by each of the operators, and will hopefully be up to 10% less than cash fares.
David and Andy then answered questions from the Committee:
(i) the EasyRide service will be very easy to use, and other than the fact that users may have to share the vehicle with other passengers, will operate in a similar fashion to a taxi;
(j) Trent Barton were using 3 vehicles to operate the Ruddington Connection, whereas Nottingham City Transport will be diverting an existing route to cover this area. Therefore it won’t cost any extra to cover Ruddington, and so will be financially viable where the Ruddington Connection was not. The profitability of the extended line remains to be seen;
(k) the Link Bus L1 for Silverdale and Wilford Village will be monitored closely, now that Wilford is serviced by the tram;
(l) “on demand” stops tend to cause as many problems as they solve. Routes don’t tend to have regular drivers, so drivers may not know the areas passengers normally wait for the bus between stops, and may miss passengers standing at the side of the road. This tends to generate complaints. Legally, when a bus route is registered, the operator has to specify the stops;
(m) Nottingham University Hospitals runs the Medilink service, with the vehicles owned by Nottingham City Council. Nottingham City Council pay half of the running costs. It is not known whether this service will continue, as it is currently struggling;
(n) there are signs on information screens asking people not to smoke at bus shelters. Most shelters have 2 or more sides open, and so there is no legal restriction on smoking in them, all that operators can do is ask nicely;
(o) the timetable for the 53 currently operates around shift patterns at Queen’s Medical Centre, and so operates from very early to around 7:30pm. It has been receiving a small subsidy, which finished in the autumn, so is now operating on a fully commercial basis. As a result of this, the service may well contract;
(p) the Link busses will be included in the Nottingham “Oyster card” style scheme;
(q) there are no plans to introduce a tram stop in Silverdale at the moment;
(r) there is currently no bus connectivity to the walk-in centre on London Road. As walk-in services have been reduced in Clifton and Parliament Street, there are ongoing attempts to have a services funded (or part funded) by the Health service.
RESOLVED to:
(1) hold a meeting by January 2016 between Councillors, representatives from Nottingham City Transport, and representatives from Nottingham City Council, to discuss services to Barton Green;
(2) hold a meeting by Spring/Summer 2016 between Councillors, representatives from Nottingham City Transport, and representatives from Nottingham City Council, to review changes to the number 2 and 3 bus services being implemented in November 2015;
(3) invite representatives from Nottingham Express Transit to the February meeting of the Area 8 Committee.