Written evidence submitted by Go South Coast (BHC0179)

 

Introduction

 

This document represents a formal response by Go South Coast regarding the above consultation.

 

Go South Coast is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Go-Ahead Group, which operates buses in many parts of England.  We endorse the evidence already given to the Inquiry by Go-Ahead Group. 

 

Locally, Go South Coast operates across the south coast with its core networks based in Poole, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Swindon and the Isle of Wight with smaller depots at Bournemouth, Swanage, Ringwood and Totton.  With a fleet of over 800 vehicles across all brands, we help our customers make over 47 million journeys annually.  We are a major employer in the south of England with over 1900 colleagues delivering services every day of the year.

 

Bus services are provided primarily through the route networks of more bus, Salisbury Reds, Swindon Bus and Bluestar serving the Dorset, Wiltshire, Swindon and Southampton areas and Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight. These networks are in the majority commercially operated but there is significant involvement in the tendered local bus market, together with school and college movements. The prestigious contracts to operate bus services for the University of Southampton - Unilink & Bournemouth University - UNIBUS are currently held, together with contracts for other higher education providers.   We also have coaching operations running under the brands of Excelsior, Damory and Tourist Coaches as well as operating several National Express contracted services through Ringwood towards Gatwick, Heathrow and Central London.

 

We aim to provide customers with the best experience possible when they travel with us. In order to achieve this we are constantly investing in our fleet and staying ahead of competitors with innovative on-board technology from free wifi to USB charging points, smart ticketing and cashless payments.

 

Figure 1 – Go South Coast Operating Area

 

At the Route ONE Awards 2017 Go South Coast were crowned as Large Bus Operator (operating over 200 vehicles) of the Year for 2017. There is intense competition for these prestigious awards. Go South Coast was singled out for our customer service, innovative facilities (like free WiFi, USB charging points and contactless ticket payments), community relations, employee engagement, sustainable transport initiatives and passenger growth.  We retained this title in 2018 as well as gaining the Environment Award.

 

In addition, at the UK Bus Awards in 2017 Go South Coast was awarded Top Shire operator and also Bus Operator of the year with Eastleigh Bluestar being named depot of the year. 

 

At the National Transport Awards in October 2018 we were crowned Bus Operator of the year as well as Employer of the Year for the transport sector. 

 

Contribution of the Bus to the Economy

Research by Greener Journeys show bus users Bus users create more than £64 billion worth of goods and services, and that there is a significant relationship between accessibility by bus and employment. A 10% improvement in access to bus services would mean 50,000 more people in work – equally reduced access would mean that communities can become cut-off as well as well as contribute to an increase in unemployment.

 

Further, an independent report looked at the role of buses in contributing to economic growth, and quantifying the benefits bus services bring. (“Buses and Economic Growth”, The Institute of Transport Studies, University of Leeds).  The report, published in July 2012, shows:-

 

The “Buses and the Economy II” report of in July 2014, commissioned by Greener Journeys and the DfT, states, amongst other findings that:-

 

Our evidence is presented in two distinct parts:-

 

Buses in New Developments

 

The period of austerity has led to a reduction in specialist Highways and Public Transport experts within Local Authorities – many having retired or have been attracted by acting for public sector transport and planning consultancies.  This means that often, in pursuit of achieving pure housing numbers, transport issues – and in particular local transport solutions are not considered in the planning process.  Indeed, they are not included in Site Specific Developer contributions, are a very poor relation in CIL 123 lists and rarely attract pump priming for local bus services to enable them a “good run in” to be able to be commercially viable once development is built out.  In addition, the slow pace of building further fetters the deliverability of local bus services.

 

This all leads to requests to retro-fit developments, when roads are not wide enough, the layout does not allow for bus operation on sites which are not commercially viable and cannot attract public subsidy – bringing residents on these distant estates into transport poverty.  Even worse - small, unrealistic contributions allow for only unsuitable bus services that have little or no chance to survive after their seed funding ends – often stand-alone off-peak shopper type services rather than services which can promote modal shift for commuters etc.

 

Evidence submitted by Go South Coast to the National Planning Policy Framework made the point that "At a time when developer contributions nationally have increased from £5,064m in real terms to £6,007m between 2005-2006 & 2016-2017, transport and travel contributions arising from development have declined by 70% from £467m to £132m over the same period.  We have severe concerns that local, deliverable transport schemes are not delivered or prioritised as big ticket, slowly delivered, complex schemes are delivered at the expense of local transport solutions".

 

We are keen to focus the quantum of development along existing transport corridors where possible or where development is concentrated where volumes can justify the provision of a bus service. Having higher concentrations in a place that already has established public transport links will allow this ‘network’ to grow for the benefit of all residents.

Our main desire is to ensure that new developments are serviceable by all transport modes including the bus, and that developments are suitable for buses to access new development which can sustain viable commercial bus operation & reduce reliance on public subsidy once “kick-start” funding for new development ceases.   This will make developments overall more sustainable environmentally and economically.

We have been working with the Foundation for Integrated Transport, RAC foundation and others, to look at various case studies to look at the delivery of new housing with a desire to learn lessons and look at how new developments can be more accessible to all modes - not just the car, and of course better access to bus services.

 

The report, “Transport for New Homes” found that, amongst other things new homes were not properly connected for pedestrians, cyclists or buses.   The report has found that planners work with developers "within the red line" of the planning application and the connection of transport to the site was often excluded from consideration.  This has led to new "bubbles" of development being isolated. 

 

The way these new estates are developed makes it hard to run buses to these isolated developments and there is a need for seamless infrastructure within and outside this "red line of development".  

 

The report concludes that bus experts should be consulted early on in development - all too often sites are "retrofitted" with poor quality bus services which have little chance of being commercially viable in the long run.  The report suggests that bus operators should be statutory consultees on planning applications.  It also highlights that we need to change the way we select sites for development - including allocating sites on the edge of existing urban areas to enable more sustainable transport options to be developed.  Some of this would need, by its very nature, to be in green belt land.

 

We support the findings of the Transport for New Homes Report which urges for a more influential Local Transport Team to act as a voice for local transport in government, it highlights the need for bus operators to be involved in the layout of housing estates so they can be better served by bus and that local bus service improvement funding needs to be prioritised in new development above new strategic road connections which often swallow up the majority of cash.

 

The Planning process often misses out the need for adequate consideration of the layout of the highway network.  On a simple level, plans need to identify the following issues:

 

Engagement with bus operators on each development as planning applications are made is absolutely essential and we are more than willing to help shape developments and thus what infrastructure is required to facilitate commercial bus operation in the medium to long term after initial ‘pump priming’ using section 106 funds.

We are keen to ensure a high quality bus stop with superior facilities that might be expected on a high quality bus corridor, funded by the developer.   A typical stop should be provided with: -

 

It is critical that any new infrastructure introduced to facilitate housing and economic growth is mindful of the public transport network and any new infrastructure should be designed to enhance rather than impede this and we would urge the LPA to condition this from the first occupation so that sustainable travel habits can form. 

 

The planning of development sites should consider the walking distance to bus stops and the corresponding bus catchment areas. This affects the distance between adjacent bus routes and hence the street layout as a whole.  CIHT guidance “Buses in Urban Developments”, on which GSC was a contributor highlights the distances to bus routes from proposed development. This is set out in figure 1.

 

Figure 1 – Recommended Walking Distances to Bus Routes (Source CIHT Buses in Urban Developments, 2018)

 

Development should also promote quality development and quality bus provision that is attractive to users with improved access to main corridors, less deviations off route and reduces potential delays with carriageway widths within new development a minimum of 6.5 metres. 

 

Moreover it is essential that if developments are to be made sustainable public transport services are provided and funded from very early in the development to create transportation habits. 

 

For sites to accommodate buses we would advise that the general layout should be as highlighted in figure 2 below.

 

Figure 2 – Example of Bus Stop Layout (Source CIHT Buses in Urban Developments, 2018)

Often, developments are not at the size where bus operation would be viable- around 4000 people can support, after a period of pump priming, a local bus service – this means housing sites needs to be larger and delivered quicker.  On smaller sites we can look at travel plan commitments to provide bus travel for a small period of time but these rarely lead to long-term change.

 

Evidence uncovered by Greener Journeys (“The Impact of Congestion”, 2016) shows that there is a distinct trend across our most congested urban conurbations in the UK of bus journey times rising by – on average – almost 1% per annum.  In addition, over the last 50 years, bus journey times have increased by almost 50% in the more congested urban areas. If we had protected bus passengers from the growth in congestion there would arguably be between 48% and 70% more fare paying bus passenger journeys today.  Adding more cars onto the road into already congestion town centres and market towns at peak periods will have a negative impact on the environment and economy, especially if (non-entitled) school children for example, are decanted into cars.

 

Existing congestion during extended AM and PM peaks mean network congestion is holding back the existing economy and the ability to build on this.   Congestion is seen by business as a restrictor to growth.  Surveys show that key indicators reveal that congestion is seen as an increasing issue by the population.  At the same time efforts to resolve congestion at key nodes has been slow and a refreshed approach to tackling these needs to be developed. 

 

The Key to Continuous Demand Increase

 

Local Control 

 

Go-Ahead has a decentralised management structure.  Each operating company makes its own decisions locally which enables the business to be agile and meet ever-changing market needs.  This includes decisions over spending and investment priorities, branding, marketing and recruitment.  This enables managers to manage rather than spending time simply reporting KPIs upwards. 

 

This style of approach also applies each area of Go South Coast enabling General Managers to make decisions locally supported by a head office team where specialist commercial and scheduling functions support the core business.  Go South Coast is one of three bus operators to employ Town & Transport Planners to better enable new development and engage with Local Authorities on the delivery of Transport programmes and schemes.  This overall approach enables the senior management team to enable good quality operation in a professional and empowered manner.

 

Our employees associate themselves strongly with our local brands, such as Bluestar and Southern Vectis, and we believe this fosters stronger employee engagement compared with a national, less personalised approach. We strive to be the employer of choice, and continue to invest in colleague training, and upgrading rest areas and other accommodation. Directors and managers regularly visit all our depots and are thus able to keep in touch with colleagues’ concerns and aspirations.  This was reflected in being awarded Transport Employer of the Year at the 2018 National Transport Awards.

 

We are big believers in involving our colleagues to enable us to make stronger business decisions. Examples of this include:

 

Our Graduate Development Programme develops the managers of tomorrow. As well as this, we believe in finding internal talent, so have developed an Internal Management Development Programme which is open to existing colleagues, who receive a similar experience to graduates. Our first candidate for this joined us 15 years ago as an apprentice and is now an assistant operations manager.

 

Stable Network

 

Our default position is one where we grow a stable network – adding additional journeys in early mornings or late evenings for example to increase the convenience of the bus.  Having routes which have little or no variation within them but also respond to changes in the market need.

 

We have significantly improved our network of services, allowing our customers to have more frequent buses with better connections.  This has led to patronage increases:-

 

However, when other operators withdraw services we often step in to plug the gap.  In January 2018, we extended Bluestar 7 from the Southampton to Lordshill, maintaining vital links to the City Centre and General Hospital.  Similarly, in April 2018, we assumed commercial operation of routes R4/R5, withdrawn by another operator in Bournemouth and then merged with Poole service 14 to give new journey opportunities, again retaining important links from suburban areas to the hospital, schools and shopping destinations. In both instances, our actions have prevented local authorities from having to consider whether they should divert money from elsewhere to maintain links that would have been broken.

 

Good Marketing 

 

Keeping customers informed is an essential part of keeping our customers happy. A journey often begins at home or in the office. Our websites and social media are often the first touchpoint for our customers, so we always have accurate, easy-to-find information available. Social media is used to inform customers of any interruptions to services, often outside of our control due to roadworks or severe weather. The snow of winter 2017/18 certainly had a huge impact on our operating area, and social media allowed us to engage with customers to ensure they all got home safely.

 

Our ‘delight the customer’ sessions are often fun and rewarding for both us and our customers. We can often be found out and about riding our buses, giving out mince pies at Christmas or a free cereal bar and the latest newspaper on a busy morning commute. These sessions give us the chance to really speak and listen to our customers, and are a very relaxed way of gaining valuable feedback from them, so we can find out their likes and dislikes. It goes a small way to rewarding them for travelling with us too, leaving them with a positive impression of our services which is spread through word of mouth.

 

At the same time we still publish and distribute timetables and well as each individual bus stop having a “personalised” timetable and bus stop flag.

 

High Level of Investment  

 

We have commercially introduced both smart ticketing, mobile phone app ticketing and more recently (in summer 2017) rolled out contactless ticketing which has benefits beyond smart ticketing, including:-

 

The fact remains that in urban environments between 25% and 33% of journey time is spent picking up and dropping off passengers (known as dwell time.  The 0.5 seconds per transaction can cut dwell time by half.

 

Some routes are now achieving up to 45% of their revenue using this popular method. Cash machines in the UK are being withdrawn at a rate of 300 per month, so it is vital we make our services accessible with other convenient payment methods.

 

Contactless isn’t for everyone; so to complement this, we have launched our handy new mobile app, clickit2ride.  Customers can benefit from a wide range of ticket options including period passes, dayriders and multi-trips. They are available directly from an Apple or Android smartphone.   We also have a smartcard – the Key.

 

40% of our buses have been fitted with next stop audio announcements. We understand the challenges faced by those with visual impairments whilst they are travelling on public transport across our region. These announcements should help make their experience a more enjoyable one. We’ve added in extra information concerning points of interest, helping people understand where to get off for important landmarks. This is also a major benefit for those visiting the area and we know we carry a lot of tourists who find this information very helpful.

 

Measures to encourage modal switch from car to bus can be transformative. Bus priority measures can deliver 75% fewer emissions per bus passenger km than for car passengers. Buses also reduce congestion, a fully loaded double decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road.

 

 

Putting buses at the centre of air quality strategy would support UK manufacturing. At least 80% of urban buses sold in the UK are built in the UK. Government financial support for bus retrofitting provides more than 15 times as much value as scrappage allowances for diesel cars to convert to Euro 6 or electric, and 11 times as much value from a bus scrappage scheme compared with diesel car scrappage (source: Greener Journeys).

 

If decision makers put buses at the centre of strategies to tackle air quality and congestion we will achieve a virtuous circle of falling costs, higher frequencies, lower fares and higher patronage. This will lead to improvements in local transport which will result in more people in work, fewer people suffering from income deprivation, more people with adult skills and more people in higher education.  Policy interventions must be based on reducing emissions per passenger. This means tougher action on diesel cars; ensuring the cleanest and most efficient bus operation across the country; and, measures to encourage modal switch from car to bus.

 

To ensure the success of CAZs in our cities decisions at national and local level must be based on evidence rather than political expediency. This means including private cars in CAZs and much tougher action on diesel cars; ensuring the cleanest and most efficient bus operation across the country; and encouraging more use of public transport and other measures to tackle congestion.

 

Fleet Innovation

 

Go South Coast has a history of working with public and private sector partners on developing initiatives in new vehicle technology.  In the last three years we have invested over £40 on over 200 new vehicles with Clean Diesel VI engines reducing particulates from these vehicles significantly. 

Figure 3 – New Vehicles

In addition we aim to have the right bus to the right route.  Cross city services concentrate on capacity for example – with dual doors on high capacity routes, whilst inter urban-journeys concentrate on high quality commuter markets including tables for the use of laptops on our services between Southampton-Winchester and Bournemouth - Salisbury for example. 

 

Figure 4– Vehicle Investment

 

How Partnership Increases Passenger Numbers

 

One good example of partnership is Southampton - Bus users currently contribute around £275m per annum to the economy of Southampton. The forecast economic growth by 2026, including 120,000m2 of new office space, is estimated by Southampton City Council to lead to a 60% increase in bus use.   Some 85% of public transport journeys in Southampton are made on the bus network. Two commercial operators provide the majority of services and most major routes enjoy a good frequency of service during the day.  There is very little public subsidy for bus services in the city with only a few journeys each day contracted by Southampton City Council.  The vast majority of the network is thus operated commercially.

 

Today, there are a total of around 20,000 people arriving in the city centre in the morning peak hour. With the scale and mix of development envisaged in the City Centre master plan there could be an additional 4,500 people arriving in the morning peak hour by 2026, increasing to 9,000, if the all the potential redevelopment in the city centre was to happen.  Accommodating this growth is a key challenge for the city and the bus, therefore, is a key part of a balanced transport strategy to accommodate this growth in travel demand which cannot be fully met by the private car. 

 

In this context the bus is able to also support the High Street, giving direct access to the “front door” of heart to local towns and cities – demonstrated by good bus access to Southampton City Centre.  To this extent, in consortia with the approach to the night-time economy and the regional shopping offer of Southampton buses can help support this vital part of our economy. 

 

Significant investment in the bus fleet has resulted in the average age of buses in Southampton dropping from 9 years to 2½ years.  All of this is as a result of close partnership working between the public and private sectors on proven delivery and certainty of approach.  Despite the generally declining UK market, the number of buses has increased by 8% to provide the 17% increase in bus use between 2011 and 2018 with over 21m journeys undertaken by bus in the city – representing a 19% modal share. 

 

This is second only in the country outside of London to Bournemouth and Poole (where we also operate), a figure significantly ahead of other urban areas, and with patronage growing at 4.5% year on year. 

 

We are working with the Local Authority in delivering bus priority as well as working collaboratively on the Bus Quality Partnership which feeds into the Local Authority Capital Programme.  We were part of a collaborative project between local authorities and other bus and ferry operators in delivering the first multi-modal, multi-operator smart ticketing scheme outside any metropolitan area in 2013 – Solent Go.

 

We have worked with Southampton City Council on the legible bus network which aims to improve at stop facilities – itself linked the Legible Cities Programme the project won an International Sign Design Award for way finding in 2014.  We supported and have benefited from the Highway Permit Scheme in Southampton which reduces the time roads are closed for roadworks by around 1/3rd. This overall approach helped Southampton win Transport City of the Year 2013 and runner-up for Transport Authority of the Year in 2015 at the National Transport Awards.  

 

Uniquely, the South Hampshire Bus Operators Association is a consortia of bus operators in South Hampshire which acts as a single point of contact between the four local highway authorities and bus operators – giving “an industry voice” but also an agreed approach between Local Authorities and operators which can give certainty to investment.

 

This approach in Southampton is replicated, in part, in the other areas we operate and is a good example of how partnership can guide investment and grow the modal share of the bus.

 

Working with Universities and Hospitals we provide bespoke services which reduce the impact of these uses over the highway network and provide high quality services for students, staff and the general public. 

 

November 2018