South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) and Nexus (Tyne & Wear PTE) have invited expressions of interest from bus operators in a consultation exercise in a way to improve bus services in their respective areas.

A notice will appear this week in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) inviting bus operators to take part in a Market Consultation exercise.

Bus patronage has been in steady decline in the metropolitan areas outside London and PTEs have been looking at a number of ways to reverse this trend.

There is a range of potential options available to PTEs to improve bus services, and these are:

· Voluntary Partnerships (where partners agree to make improvements, but are not legally bound);
· Statutory Quality Partnerships (where partners sign up to some quality standards, but not fare setting, or bus frequency);
· Quality Contracts (where bus services are franchised to operators for a period of five years and the Transport Executive sets the standards required).

David Brown, Passenger Services Director at SYPTE believes the exercise will give the industry a better understanding of the risks and costs involved in Quality Contracts and the other delivery options.

He said: "We are now entering the next phase of the process of exploring each of the available options to bring improved bus services and halt the decline we've seen over recent years.

"The main purpose of the market consultation exercise is for both PTEs to involve the bus operating industry early in the shaping of the delivery options. We have plenty of experience of the first two options, but less is known of the third - Quality Contracts."

Bernard Garner, Development Director at Nexus, believes this exercise will offer potential and existing bus operators the opportunity to influence future procurement strategy.

He said: "The Consultation is intended to give a mix of operators the opportunity to discuss Bus Strategy delivery and offer their views. We will also welcome their innovative ideas on how to achieve something we surely all want - better bus services. It will also give the PTEs and participants a better understanding of the options and the market for delivering Quality Contracts."

The Market Consultation will invite operators to propose innovative ways in which they can deliver the necessary improvements to bus services in areas that offer a wide range of bus service operation and network.

The Market Consultation exercise should last 3 months.

SYPTE Consultation A Distraction Says First

SYPTE CONSULTATION A DISTRACTION, SAYS FIRST

First today announced that it was extremely disappointed that South Yorkshire PTE was going out to consultation on a draft quality contract. Responding to a statement from SYPTE, Nicola Shaw, Managing Director of First’s UK Bus Division, said:

"There is no need for this consultation -- indeed it is a distraction.

"The PTE are right when they say that there are three options for bus service delivery. What they fail to mention is that the third route via quality contracts is only permitted where the first two are failing.

“In the north Sheffield quality partnership area, First are not failing. In fact we have delivered our required network revision and part of the new vehicle commitment before any highway or bus stop works have begun. Unless this slow public sector delivery changes then bus users will be short changed.

“What we need to work on is improved delivery for passengers now. That vitally requires better bus priority measures to guarantee journey times to passengers. Time and time again people tell us that reliability is key to their use of buses.

“Quality contract / partnership or any other delivery arrangement between public and private sector would fail to address this issue without public sector delivery on the road networks in the form of bus priority and enforcement of bus lanes. Both the government and First want to see more people on buses -- both public and private sector need to deliver if we are to achieve that.

“This applies across the country. Quality contracts solve nothing - the real problem is tackling congestion and if that cannot be delivered by local authorities now why should it change under a quality contract?

“People are understandably concerned about fares rises in Sheffield. The reality is that they have only matched our costs increases. Whoever ran the buses would face the same pressures.

“We would urge the PTE to set this proposal aside and work with us to ensure delivery of the right bus priority measures that many other towns and cities enjoy. We owe it to passengers.”

Do you think this will be good for transport passengers in south yorkshire or not?


discuss your views below.:thumbsup:

How long has it been since Buses were a public service?

Since Sheffield Corporation Transport was done away with.

Run by the council for the people.