Beacons Bus

2006 Activity Report

Contents

BackgroundPage 3

2006OperationPage 5

2006ActivityPage 8

Evaluation of operational aspectsPage 11

OutcomesPage 18

ConclusionsPage 20

Verbatim comments from passengersAppendix 1

Passenger and revenue statisticsAppendix 2

Results of Survey analysisAppendix 3

1BackgroundSummary

1998

1998 was very much a pilot year whereby Stagecoach Red & White and First Cymru Buses (at that time South Wales Transport) both provided limited Sunday services on a commercial risk basis. The key element of the project was to provide a co-ordinated interchange facility in Brecon. There was no denying that, in spite of a limited promotional budget, the project was seen as successful although it failed to even approach covering the operator’s costs.

1999

In 1999 the project was successful in securing two year funding for marketing activity from the ERDF based Sustainable Transport Tourism Wales campaign (STTW). The funding amounted to available cash of around £20,000 across 1999 and 2000. This enabled a significant promotional campaign to be run. Arrangements were made with Stagecoach to provide a similar level of service to 1998 but Stagecoach were not able to take commercial risk on all services and the two services from Swansea were underwritten by the NPA. The service from Abergavenny was partially underwritten by Monmouth and Powys County Councils using new rural transport subsidy funds and Stagecoach accepted commercial risk on the service from Merthyr Tydfil.

The results of the 1999 activity were reported to the partnership in a comprehensive report produced by TML Ltd and issued to all partners.

2000

2000 was the first full year of Beacons Bus services running under the finance provided by the award of ERDF money in 1999 A report dealing with the season’s operations and activities was presented to the Beacons Bus Partnership in October 2000.

2001

2001 was the second full year of the project running under EU funding with additional moneys being provided through the Sustainable Development fund administered by the NPA. It was also the year in which tourism and the Beacons Bus network was decimated by the foot and mouth crisis. In 2001 the second bike bus service was started, running from Swansea and also for the first time a new ‘Roundabout’ service was run allowing access to the central area of the park. As well as being a new service, this year also saw the introduction of daily services on the ‘Roundabout’ during the peak 6 weeks of the summer season.

2002

The operation was funded largely from unspent money from the EU funded project withfurther moneys secured from Neath Port Talbot CBC, Bridgend CBC, Powys CC, Carmarthen CC, Sustainability Challenge Fund and National Trust. Whilst the Roundabout service was maintained it was not run as a ‘stand alone operation’ but reverted to using buses that were operating into Brecon on ‘trunk’ services.

2003

The main source of support came from the ADFYWIO fund operated on behalf of The National Assembly Government by CCW and WT. Support also came from key local authorities (Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthen, Cardiff, Bridgend, Powys and Gwent JPTU (on behalf of Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Monmouth and Newport). Also from Hereford Rural Transport Partnership in connection with the Offas Dyke Circular.

2004

The success achieved in 2003 led to more funds becoming available from BBNPA and other funders. Increased fare income, especially from the concessionary pass fares also played a part in enabling the project to proceed without support from outside the partnership. 2004 was a year of consolidation with the route network remaining fundamentally the same (although with the experimental Merthyr interchange abandoned because of the complexity caused) and this seemed to be popular with numbers of passenger journeys reaching record levels.

2005

Partners remained solid in their support of the project enabling the network to be held constant, leading to more passenger confidence in the service. TPMW joined as a funding partner. The project is very grateful to those organisations that were able to continue and even increase their funding. This led to another record year of patronage with passenger journeys up another 30% which was very pleasing. Some concerns developed over the Bridgend service however which was very close to overloading on several occasions.

2006

The strong showing for the project in 2005 gave confidence to expand the network, with an additional service being put on from Porthcawl, via Bridgend. This seems to have been successful, both in providing an extra service for new passengers but also in relieving the pressure on the existing service. Another highly successful year has been recorded with further increases in patronage although the Interchange at Brecon Bulwark has proved incapable of taking the extra pressure and a move will be necessary in 2007. Some problems with one operator was experienced as well which will be addressed at tender renewal.

Sadly it has to be reported that John Sansom – our elite bus supervisor – died in May this year. John was a key element of the success of the service in the early years and covered the majority of the operational days most years. His deep knowledge of the National Park, his care and attention to passenger needs and his preparedness to go the extra mile – quite literally, he not infrequently rescued passengers in trouble in his own car – contributed as much as anything to the reputation for reliability that Beacons Bus has developed. He is greatly missed both by those involved in the organisation of the service but also by passengers who were regularly asking after him at the beginning of this year. In addition Peter Brock our other long term supervisor who has contributed so much to the project has moved on and we express our thanks to him for his contribution.

2 2006 Operation

2.1Funding

Once again no national funding was available but partners have remained solid in their support of the project enabling the network to be held constant, leading to more passenger confidence in the service. The project is very grateful to those organisations that were able to continue and even increase their funding. The list of funders now includes:

Powys County Council
  • Neath Port Talbot CBC
  • Bridgend CBC (who kindly increased their contribution to enable the new Porthcawl service to be put in place)
  • Cardiff CC
  • Monmouthshire CC
  • Caerphilly CBC
  • Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC
  • Forestry Commission Wales
  • Tourism Partnership Mid Wales
  • BreconBeaconsNational Park Authority

In addition both Herefordshire and Carmarthenshire Councils co operated over the inclusion in the network of their services to Breconand effectively contributed wholly funded services to the project. The NPA is extremely grateful to all partners for their contribution that now involves all origination authorities except Newport and Swansea.

2.2 Administrative

Project Management

Whilst the NPA STRO took overall responsibility for the project, the day to day management was contracted once again to Leo Markham, Independent Transport Consultant, who had previously managed the project since its inception under EU funding in 2000.

Procurement of bus services

As before, this was based on Powys CC tendering procedure modified to suit the needs of Beacons Bus. This was the second year of the contract let for a two year period in 2005 although the contract for the Cardiff Bike Bus had not been let for two years and this was therefore re-tendered and awarded once again to Cardiff bus. Further First Cymru Buses Ltd who had in 2005 operated the Bridgend service no longer wished to operate the service and gave the required 12 weeks notice. In addition because of overloading problems which had arisen on the service from Bridgend and with additional funding from Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taff CBCs it had been decided to operate a new service from Porthcawl via Bridgend and Pontypridd. Accordingly two new contracts had to be let.

Procurement of design and print services

As before by competitive tender to a range of appropriate companies

2.3Operation

The main thrust of the expanded operation has proved successful in achieving the aims of the project and therefore has continued to provide a network of services with the principal objective of bringing people from the South Wales conurbations into the National Park and using the buses to provide services within the Park. The main conurbations of Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend and Newport were all served as in 2004.

There was also another season of the Offa’s Dyke Flyer running a circular service along the Eastern and Western flanks of Offa’s Dyke.

Overloading and capacity problems on the Bridgend service in 2004 and 2005 were satisfactorarily resolved with the additional bus from Porthcawl ensuring that sufficient capacity was available from Bridgend town centre as well as opening a new market from the Porthcawl area where the route was designed to include the main areas of population. This gave an additional vehicle for use in Brecon and because a high floor coach was used for the Porthcawl service it was decided to use this vehicle to provide an additional service to Hay on Wye via Llangorse since the service 40 had often been approaching a capacity load when leaving Brecon. The new service departed from Brecon at 12.15. As in 2005 the Bridgend bus was used to provide a shuttle service to the NPVC every two hours. When combined with the Roundabout service this gave an hourly service to the NPVC. It also enabled the first Roundabout departure at 11.15 to bypass the NPVC facilitating a better connection with the Brecon Mountain Railway which had been previously requested.

The principle of an inter-linked network of services with a supervised interchange at Brecon was continued. Trunk journeys from the South were used to operate the Roundabout and canal walks services.

The principle of a network ticket was continued.

As in previous years Carmarthenshire CC undertook their own timetable design to link with Beacons Bus and also carried out the tendering and procurement exercise.

Bike bus from Cardiffonly with the bike bus operating between Brecon and Abergavenny.

The Herefordshire CC all-year tendered service 40 from Hereford to Brecon was again used as part of the network.

The service around Offas Dyke was repeated. This service is aimed very much at walkers with the first journey linking at Hay on Wye with the service from Hereford. A 16 seater bus was used.

2.4Hotline

The ‘hotline’ number at Abergavenny TIC was made available again. This has always proved invaluable particularly for the more elderly enquirers. It is thought that younger passengers tendto use the web more than the hotline. The Hotline was in danger of being overwhelmed this year because of the more effective marketing undertaken. Staff at the Abergavenny Information Centre were augmented with additional staffing but this will have to be increased in 2007.

2.5Monitoring

Monitoring was by means of analysis of bus operator’s ticket machine data.

2.6Interchange Supervision

The interchange supervisors are critical to the operation and reliability of the network. They have to ensure that buses do not leave the interchange before all passengers have arrived, bearing in mind the constant practical problems caused by any breakdown, traffic congestion and driver error. They then travel on the Roundabout service interpreting the landscape to passengers as they go, returning to Brecon to supervise the evening interchange. The role calls for robust direction of bus drivers, high quality communications skills and a strong commitment to customer services.

We have been ably served by John Sansom (please see the tribute to him in the introduction) and Peter Brock in the past but this year an almost completely new team took over. It is a tribute to their skills and commitment that this difficult year was as successful as it was. The team included:

  • Paul Derrick (who as the only experienced supervisor trained up most of the team)
  • Terry Cox
  • Francesca Bell
  • Judy Gore

32006 Activity

3.1 Procurement Process

The good offices of Powys County Council were used to provide appropriate and robust tender documentation. The standard Powys contracts were modified to ensure that quality issues were included in any contract to be awarded and also to include penalties for non-compliance. The contracts also contained the requirements specific to the Cardiffservice that required the use of a trailer for cycle carriage.

Bids were invited for individual services or for any grouping of services that might provide flexibility for the operator in bidding for work which fitted an existing pattern of operation.

Tenders were issued to all relevant bus operators on the standard Powys CC list.

Following the tender round, bids were submitted from interested operators and evaluated on the basis of price, conformance to tender specification. Pre-meetings had been held with potential new operators in an attempt to widen the number of bidding operators and increase competitiveness for tenders. Only 1 bidder was found to be suitable and interested in the Offas Dyke service and only Cardiff Bus bid for the Cardiff service which requires that vehicles equipped with a trailer towing facility are provided. Additionally no tenders were submitted for either the Bridgend or Porthcawl services reflecting a problem familiar to local authorities in that there are insufficient operators with interest in seasonal Sunday only work. Accordingly quotations were sought from two operators in the area. The best of two quotations was used for each service.

It should be noted that during 2005 Glynn Williams Travel, the company with the Newport contract, had been purchased by Stagecoach. The contract was however honoured and operated by the same depot and same staff as had been the case in 2005.

All contracts were let on a gross cost basis such that revenue risk and accrual is carried by the project and not by the operator.

As a result of the tender and quotation evaluation the work was awarded to:

Cardiff BusCardiff – Brecon Bike Bus 1 bus and trailer

Pullman CoachesSwansea – Brecon /Roundabout 1 bus

Shamrock Bridgend – Brecon/NPVC Shuttle 1 bus

Morris Travel**Carmarthen – Brecon1 bus

Stagecoach Newport – Brecon/Roundabout 1 bus

Roy Browns coaches Offas Dyke circular1 mini bus

GM CoachesPorthcawl/Langorse/Hay on Wye1 coach

** Carmarthenshire CC tender

3.2Operation

The network was designed to ensure that vehicle utilisation was as efficient as possible.

.

The Cardiff Bike Bus was used to operate between Brecon and Abergavenny but because of the restricted route could not run through Llangynidr.

The Swansea bus operated two of the Roundabout journeys with the Newport bus operating another two.

The Porthcawl coach provided additional journeys to and from Hay on Wye.

The bus from Carmarthen once again provided a service from Brecon to Llandeilo, Llandovery, the NationalBotanic Gardens and Aberglasney.

The tendered service 40 provided links between Brecon and Hay on Wye/Hereford and also linked with the Offas Dyke circular at Hay on Wye.

The Bridgend bus operated a two hourly service to the NPVC so that with the Roundabout service there was an hourly service to the NPVC and a two hourly service back to Brecon.

With the exception of the Porthcawl and Carmarthen service which were operated by coaches, all services were operated by low floor accessible buses.

3.3Fares
  • Fare levels

Fares were increased from the levels that had been held since 2002.

The ‘all day’ network ticket was priced at:

£6.50 adult

£4.00 child

£13.00 family (2 adults and up to 3 children)

Concessionary Fares

Since April 2002 Welsh citizens over the age of 60 and those with eligible disabilities are entitled to a pass conferring free travel on all local bus services. The concessionary fare scheme works on the basis of the operator being reimbursed for the value of the average local single fare in the area where the passenger boards. Thus a passenger boarding in Swansea will be issued a zero value ticket but the operator will be reimbursed about £1.00 less a generation factor (based on an assumption that more people travel because of the concession than would otherwise be the case). Passengers boarding in Powys generate a larger reimbursement because local average fares are higher reflecting the longer distance journeys normally made. This reimbursement in the case of Beacons Bus has to flow back to the project since all contracts are let on the basis of the operator receiving a fixed price and the project keeping the revenue.

3.4Marketing and Promotional Activity

The same design style and branding was used as in years 2003 – 2005.

Significant investment was made in paid-for advertising in local press and ‘What’s On’ magazines which led to a very significant number of inquiries and a much heightened awareness of the network.