Post by snoggle on Sept 20, 2015 14:04:56 GMT
Some details of what TfL are intending to do about bus reliability and bus priority have emerged in the new Quarterly Finance and Investment report. Also some consequences on income and usage.
Bus reliability – measured by excess wait time (EWT) - in Quarter 1 was affected by increased traffic flows as the economy grows, with performance both worse than target and last year. We are introducing a number of measures, including bus priority initiatives, to protect service reliability against disruption from major roadworks in Central and Inner London and from the wider deterioration in traffic congestion. From Quarter 2 we will introduce a further incentive scheme for bus operators targeting improved performance at routes in Outer London, which have been most severely affected over the past year.
However, fares income on buses has continued the trend from Quarter 4 last year, with lower than expected fare-paying passenger numbers. We expect this to continue over the full year, resulting in £71m lower bus fares income compared to Budget.
Bus fares income in the year to date was £20m lower than Budget, which was primarily due to 16 million less fare paying passenger journeys than anticipated. This is mainly as a result of lower travelcard and pay as you go journeys than previously budgeted. The decline in demand is thought to be the deterioration in the reliability of the bus network, through congestion caused by London’s population growth and the construction of major highway and urban improvement schemes.
We are expecting the trends in bus passenger numbers to continue over the full year. Our latest forecast for bus fares income is £71m lower than Budget, with £61m from current passenger journey trends and service factors and a further £10 million from lower than previously assumed inflation rates and changes in fares assumptions. From next year onwards we expect passenger journey growth on the bus network to return, broadly in-line with population growth.
We are expecting the trends in bus passenger numbers to continue over the full year. Our latest forecast for bus fares income is £71m lower than Budget, with £61m from current passenger journey trends and service factors and a further £10 million from lower than previously assumed inflation rates and changes in fares assumptions. From next year onwards we expect passenger journey growth on the bus network to return, broadly in-line with population growth.
Surface Transport operating expenditure is £5m – 0.8 per cent – lower than Budget in the year to date. Bus contract costs are £6m lower than Budget mainly due to lower than expected diesel prices and performance incentivisation payments. A new Outer London incentive scheme will be introduced from Quarter 2 this year to improve bus reliability, which is expected to offset the lower costs over the year.
Buses have seen a marginal increase in the complaints rate when compared to the same time last year. There has also been a slight year-on-year risen in absolute numbers, tallying with the trend seen elsewhere in data for bus route reliability, traffic volumes and traffic speeds. We are working with bus operators to provide sufficient resource and schedules for buses to run reliably. The programme of bus priority measures should also improve bus reliability and journey times.
Around half of complaints in London Buses are for driver-related issues. The single most common complaint about drivers is that the bus did not stop to let passengers board or alight. One in five of all bus complaints consistently relate to this issue, and a number of initiatives are currently being progressed to reduce them: bus driver communications, customer information and infrastructure changes to remove the remaining ‘Request Stop’ flags. Addressing ‘pain points’ such as this is one of the aims of an organisation-wide customer experience programme.
Around half of complaints in London Buses are for driver-related issues. The single most common complaint about drivers is that the bus did not stop to let passengers board or alight. One in five of all bus complaints consistently relate to this issue, and a number of initiatives are currently being progressed to reduce them: bus driver communications, customer information and infrastructure changes to remove the remaining ‘Request Stop’ flags. Addressing ‘pain points’ such as this is one of the aims of an organisation-wide customer experience programme.
On 8 July 2015 approval was granted for the 2015/16 Programme, which includes implementation of 72 bus priority schemes on both the TLRN and borough roads. This programme prioritises the delivery (subject to consultation and feasibility issues) of 66 Road Modernisation Plan Bus Mitigation Schemes to mitigate, as far as possible, the permanent impacts along the bus corridors most affected by the Road Modernisation Plan (RMP) schemes. This includes delivery of six bus priority schemes and development of future schemes for the 2016/17 Programme. Two schemes have been implemented to date, and over 15 schemes have
been tested for feasibility.
The current focus is to push the progression of schemes with the London Boroughs of Hackney, Waltham Forest, Lambeth and Southwark with the feasibility studies for RMP schemes. Other Reliability and Growth Schemes are progressing well; two pilot schemes at Loampit Vale and Brentfield Road are scheduled to be complete this financial year.
been tested for feasibility.
The current focus is to push the progression of schemes with the London Boroughs of Hackney, Waltham Forest, Lambeth and Southwark with the feasibility studies for RMP schemes. Other Reliability and Growth Schemes are progressing well; two pilot schemes at Loampit Vale and Brentfield Road are scheduled to be complete this financial year.
That's why the mind boggles that they want to go put these on the 149 
did they learn nothing from the bendy bus debacle?
