Agenda item

To receive a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which introduces the first formal session of the inquiry into bus services in Leeds. A report from the Director of City Development is attached which provides evidence for this session of the inquiry.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which introduced the first formal session of the scrutiny inquiry into bus services in Leeds.

In attendance were:

Andrew Hall (Acting Head of Transport Policy);and

Dave Pearson – West Yorkshire Metro.

The Acting Head of Transport Policy took Members through the report of the Director of City Development which provided background information on Bus Services in Leeds.

Members opened the discussion by giving consideration to the reasons behind the decrease in usage of bus services and the increase of rail services in Leeds. Members were informed that the bus network in Leeds had shrunk and that the focus was now on a number of busy core routes. The changing economy, and Leeds being part of a wider city region which has resulted in people commuting further distances, were also factors.

A major issue highlighted by the Board for the reduction in patronage on Leeds buses was the above inflation increases to ticket prices, making bus travel expensive. It was noted that this is particularly an issue for short journeys within the City, these have seen the sharpest reduction in passenger numbers. The Green Zone which aims to make sure short journeys are cheaper was highlighted by Members and it was suggested that this be extended so that more people can take advantage of it.

Members commented that due to the number of differing bus companies operating within Leeds, ticketing was confusing and not integrated, meaning that unless a premium was paid you could not use all the buses that might be running on the routes you wish to travel.

At this point Members also raised the potential of increasing the usage of smart cards and put it to witnesses present that work should be done to make the Breeze Card, issued to young people in Leeds, a half fare pass that could be used to travel on buses.

Frequency and punctuality of bus services was brought up by Members and that more work needs to be done to improve this so that bus services can be relied upon by the residents of Leeds. Officers responded that more work is still to be done on increasing bus lanes, bus priority at traffic lights and reducing boarding time for passengers. The real time bus information system was brought up and its merits were discussed, in that it enables tracking of where buses are but that it can also be frustrating for passengers.

Members brought up the issues surrounding funding of bus services and the effect that the Quality Bus Contracts might have on funding received from Central Government.

Discussion took place on the possibilities of looking at examples of transport systems outside of the UK and that lessons could be learned in terms of integration. It was confirmed that examples of other transport systems in Europe were considered by Metro, although the differing legislative frameworks and subsidy systems also needed to be considered.

Members also asked questions about how and on what basis bus services were allocated to areas. The representative form Metro described some work taking place in Kirklees where consideration was given to local issues and hubs across the City to enable the most effective use of buses.

Members sought clarification on the number of stops permitted when purchasing a £1 ticket.

At this point in discussion the Chair referred to the introduction of free travel for children and young people in London and suggested  that if possible it would be a real advantage to children in Leeds in being able to attend events and become involved in a range of activities.   

RESOLVED –

(a) that the report be noted; and

(b) that information requested with regards to the number of stops permitted with a £1 ticket be provided to Members.