Wednesday 1 August 2018

Hampshire threat to free travel for pensioners

Since nationwide free bus passes were granted to pensioners, the cost of their travel has been partly covered by local councils paying money to the bus companies each time a pass is used. Over the years that amount has dwindled, especially as national government cuts have been imposed on the councils. This has meant less money coming in from the councils and to make sure they stay in profit, bus companies everywhere have increased fares at a rate higher than inflation or the increase in the cost of motoring.

Now, the Portsmouth News reports that Hampshire County Council are considering levying a 50p charge for each journey made using a pensioners' pass, ending the era of free travel.


It's not yet a given that it will happen, as a change in law would first need to be approved by parliament, which is somewhat busy with something else at the moment.

If it doesn't happen though, the inevitable consequence is surely even higher fares for those who have to pay or more routes becoming uneconomical to run and being cut. Or both.


Hampshire County Council have a consultation currently under way, but only until Sunday. You can respond to it here.


39 comments:

  1. Interesting times ahead maybe-You introduce a 50p charge,but in no time at all that will be upted to 80p,then in no time at all it will be a £1-I will bet the bus companies won't reduce fares to full fare paying passengers

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    1. Not sure Bus companies would have much chance to reduce fares as some bright politician would soon reduce the subsidy paid to bus companies by the amount received from (the no longer) free pass holders.

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    2. Agree-So in fact we are at stalemate

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    3. This isn't intended to increase funding to the operator, it is intended to reduce the pressure on the council fundings. Don't expect to see an increase in the income for the operators to address the issues over income for bus services.

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    4. Exactly-So we are geting nowhere and fast

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  2. There's no need to fret about this - there's no way any Government will pass a law allowing operators to charge pensioners for bus travel.

    Both the Conservatives and Labour have committed to protecting free bus travel for the elderly and disabled. The Tories can't afford to lose the grey vote and Corbyn's Labour party is all about "the many, not the few" - as we're so often told.

    That's not to say that they shouldn't give the idea serious consideration, given the massive shortfall operators are facing with the reimbursement rates for the ENCTS scheme.

    Something needs to change to make the scheme more affordable for the Government and cash-strapped local authorities, whilst also making the scheme more sustainable for the struggling bus operators of this Country.

    ENCTS users are facing the issue of losing their services altogether and whilst many declare that they would be happy to contribute towards the operating cost of their journey, very few actually do so (by forgoing their pass for a journey or two)!

    If there was a small charge implemented, there's no reason to suggest that usage would fall greatly - and operators would, in all probability, receive more revenue for the ENCTS passengers they do carry.

    Any charges would need to be handled carefully though - simple amounts like 50p or £1 to keep dwell times as short as possible.

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    1. The government was equally committed to free TV licences for over 75's, yet they're stopping paying the BBC any money for it by 2020, in turn allowing the BBC to handle the situation ongoing. The BBC has hinted it may look for donations initially, but they've already changed the system so that the over 75's are issued a "no charge" licence for a year, suggesting charges may come in later.

      It's not beyond possibility to see a similar thing happening on the buses. Central government cuts have meant councils get very little money from them. Government could say it's up to local councils and bus companies to come up with an arrangement that suits them. A return to half fare or a standardised charge would probably come in, with perhaps limited free passes for those exempt of council tax payment.

      Ultimately though, as long as central government aren't paying the bill, they don't care that the current system is unworkable for operators and councils alike.

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    2. The risk is that the Council(s) will look to make a saving equating to all the 50p fares and the bus operators will also want the same money to off set the under funding they feel they receive.

      Also as the age for entitlement has gone up it seems to me that the number of journeys made by pass holders has been decreasing.

      If services get withdrawn it also reduces the bill the council has to pay but that never seems to be mentioned

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  3. The first two new Unilink ADL 400MMCs arrived at Barton Park this afternoon. Looks like they’ll be numbered 1201-1232.

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  4. I don't know what was wrong with 20p single or 30p returns yrs ago. at least bus co's got some money.
    Separate note: new 6 timetable & route etc is on the traveline SW site now. As is the new times & map for the 3...but they've got on there the new 3 route which of course was overturned yesterday?

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    1. The First 3 in Southampton now seems to have been updated by Traveline

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  5. Lots of changes on VOSA today incl Unilink U1, U6, U9 times to be varied as well as varied route & times on the U2 & the X7 from various Sept dates

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  6. Yellow buses have just announced even more changes for the 9th of September.

    1b: Frequency cut to every 20 minutes.
    1c: New service from Poole to Christchurch, almost running the same route as it did before the January 2017 network change.
    3/3a: Combined into a single route 3, but running between RB Hospital and Westbourne only. Section to Poole replaced by route 1c.
    7: Frequency cut to hourly and Sunday service withdrawn for the winter.
    8: Off peak journeys between Wallisdown and Alderney withdrawn.

    A new N5 route will also be operating on Wednesday and Friday nights between Bournemouth Town Centre and Talbot Campus.

    https://www.yellowbuses.co.uk/winter-service-changes

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    1. Yellows frequency guide is confusing me. Has the number of buses between Poole and Westbourne been halved? It seems to imply that the 1 and 1c share a 15 minute frequency - ie 4 buses an hour - over the stretch from Poole to Bournemouth. The 1 and 3 currently each run every 15 minutes, ie 8 buses an hour. Or is it just misleading?

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    2. I suspect that they have. It looks like the 1 and 1c run every 7/8 mins from Christchurch to Bournemouth, then half continue on to Poole. Though with FOUR 'route 1' routes, it's getting complicated.

      In any case, it looks like they're scaling back the competition against the m1 and m2 - they're also lowering the frequency from Bournemouth to Castlepoint, and losing the through route from Castlepoint to Poole.

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    3. Taken from Yellow buses news item and expanded by associated new frequency guide.
      From 9th Sept, Yellow buses 3 is withdrawn (Poole – Castlepoint every 15 mins.) This route duplicates morebus M1 except at half the frequency.
      Consequential changes
      • 3a is increased from every 15 mins to every 10 mins and extended from Bournemouth to Westbourne. M1 still more frequent, but 3 continues to the hospital.
      • Alternate journeys on the 1 diverted via Ashley Cross to / from Poole. New number 1C for journeys using North Road. What happens evenings and Sundays? (need timetable)
      • Short journeys on 1 from Christchurch to Westbourne withdrawn between Bournemouth and Westbourne. (see 3)
      • Sunday service 1 (1C?) increased to every 20 mins (from 30 mins, but no route 3).
      Other reductions
      • 1B is reduced from every 15 mins to every 20 mins and withdrawn between Christchurch and Somerford except peak hours.
      • 8 is withdrawn between Alderney East and Wallisdown, except some peak journeys continue to Mountbatten. Reduced on Saturday to every 60 mins.
      • Saturday afternoon frequencies reduced and others to match demand! – need to see timetables.

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    4. What a mess Yellowbuses is in-Needs a new management capable of understanding customer needs

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    5. Everything should be on Traveline next week. Ken Traveline Dorset

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    6. Timetables are actually up on YB's site already! To clarify some of the above...

      1/1c Evenings: 1c will run hourly Christchurch to Poole. 1 will run 3 times an hour to Bournemouth with 1 exptended to Poole giving 15 min frequency between Christchurch and Bournemouth, 30 min frequency between Bournemouth and Poole

      1/1c Sundays: I *think* it's a 20 minute frequency between Christchurch and Poole, but in the other direction it shows every 30 mins, so the timetable may be wrong.

      1b: It appears the Hunt Road section will operate as an hourly shuttle between Christchurch and Somerford, and only Monday - Friday. Saturday withdrawn.

      4/4a: Saturday afternoons reduced to every 40 minutes after 3pm, combined 20 minute between Bournemouth and Moordown

      5/5a: Saturday afternoon reduced to every 15 mins after about 4pm (was 6pm)

      6: The short journeys will now only run on schooldays

      8: Saturday now mostly hourly, with a few extra in the morning & evening peak

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    7. Also interestingly, the short journeys on the 1 show that they continue to/start from Poole Hill rather than the square

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    8. Remember how last year Yellows big theme of their complete network redraw was "lines" with routes named after their destination? Then come the autumn they completely messed it up by introducing "Priory 4", a route that terminated at Southbourne crossroads and therefore went nowhere near Christchurch (I'm ignoring the fact that the only bus yellows reported went to Christchurch Priory was not even part of the Priory line routes but actually Dolphin 1)…


      Well this year the big theme of the complete network redraw was coloured buses. All buses coloured to indicate their routes. Route 1 has Purple (yellow) buses, route 2 has light blue (yellow) buses. All buses to be colour coded correctly at all times. And what do we get this Autumn? Route 2's light blue buses continue past Bournemouth to Westbourne on a Sunday... as purple buses on route 1. I guess the driver will get out and change all the vinyls on the outside of the bus over each time...

      It's yet another poor timetable from YB. Further cutbacks everywhere - some clearly reported, some kept hidden. Random short journeys all over the place which will no doubt not attract as many passengers as the full length route would do, which will then be used as justification to cut those short runs and the destinations they serve entirely. Much needed simplification of route 3 done but more than made up for by massive increased confusion and route variation on the 1's...

      All of this against the stability and calmness of more. It's sad to see a once very well run bus company (once a short time ago under Transdev) decline so quickly and so badly. It's like the last 25 years of reduction and change on Citybus / First / CityRed in Southampton has happened in about 3 years on Bournemouth's former Corporation buses.

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    9. I wouldn't say YB are 'declining quickly and badly', but they do seem to have a knack for overcomplicating things and making constant changes. For example, customers in Ashley Cross will be on their fourth different route number in 2 years (1b, R2, 3, 1c). Compared to more's m1 being the same right across that period.

      I have no doubt that they need to ensure the network is profitable (as well they should), but it seems every time changes are made, it makes things a little more confusing

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    10. Yellowbus management is in its infantcy ratp had a spring clean within last 12 months and brought a new head honcho in. As to sundays to minimise your pvr a lot of places do interwork routes as an example stagecoach winchester in the 00s on a sunday you would pick your own bus and keep it all day say i picked 34408 for example which was branded the 5 and your duty may only have 2 of them on as excpt the 5 which did winnal-badger farm all the other town stuff interworked. Yb could always put the grey branded veichles out but it depends were they get parked on the sat night at the end of day if you were waiting for a bus and it never turned up and the company said we cancelled it because we dident have the route branded bus avalible would you say thats a good excuse it messed my day up but what the hell its got to be branded or would you kick off as you know on a sunday they got a yard full of buses

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    11. There are two specific issues here though - one is that complete route branding across the network was introduced with great fanfare only a few months ago, as something that could be relied upon to be correct to allow users to identify their bus, and already they've made that impossible. Second issue is the overcomplicating things as identified by Alice H. Over the entire history of the 1's/20's running from Christchurch to Westbourne (or more normally not even Westbourne but Bournemouth) I don't believe there has ever been short running between Bournemouth and Westbourne. So rather than renumbering the buses when they get to the Square why don't they just say on Sundays the 2 runs on from Bournemouth to Westbourne? It's not like they bother to list the numbers on the flags anyway, and it might encourage passengers from Westbourne to catch the bus to Central Station/Boscombe/RBH (rather then m1/m2 from more). They've introduced unnecessary confusion with these changes, as they always seem to do.

      You're right the new management needs a chance, but it's a bit of a worry to see them already tying themselves up in knots over the routes and times in the same way the previous lot did.

      Saw yesterday they were running open tops on the 1b around the glamourous tourist destination of Somerford estate. I suppose that's one way to reduce the number of windows the local scrotes who live there will smash...

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    12. I think the first time I saw a bus on the 'wrong' route was about 2 weeks after the re-cast, with a 5-branded bus on route 2. It seems to be happening much more now anyway - this morning, there was a 2-branded bus on route 5... They don't seem to be too strict on it.
      As an addendum, route 2 continuing to Westbourne as route 1 on Sundays has been part of the network since the re-cast in April. But I totally agree that they should just say that the 2 is extended to Westbourne on Sundays - though maybe they don't want people using it on Sundays and saying the 2 should be extended on other days of the week!

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    13. I agree that the Sunday 2 would have been better shown as running through to Westbourne (nothing to stop these journeys being shown on the 1 timetable as well) but its a relatively minor point, surely.

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  7. Salisbury Reds have changes a week earlier for the new school term, including taking over some of Wheelers services. A few of Wheelers journeys have gone to Stagecoach.

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  8. People on Twitter still asking First Southampton where their shop is? And still getting told that it's still there! Same shop shut down in April without warning.

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  9. Article in local Dorset news indicates Bridport Town Council have contracted First to provide a town service on Wednesdays and Saturdays to fill gaps. Due to start shortly!

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    1. To be numbered 7 i beleve

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    2. Seen in bridport today with a paper 7 in window was solo 53611

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  10. Another great day out on Saturday at Imber on Salisbury Plain with many routemasters and their more recent replacements, the WW1 battlebus and a single decker from Firstbus in Discovery livery.

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  11. p.s other than the battlebus all we’re operating as Route 23A, the pre WW2 route across the plain that is otherwise generally closed with the village to the public.

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  12. For information Xelabus have registered Service X25 from Portsmouth Hard Interchange to Victorious event at Clarence Pier every 20 mins from 1200 Friday 24th Aug to 2300 and again Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th August from 0900 to 2300 using Hybrid buses if anyone fancies to try one out?
    In addition Xelabus have been awarded Victorious Park and Ride and numbered X30 using the recently acquired and painted ex Notts Scanias. A Micro Hybrid decker is also on loan and will be operating on the X30.

    For information Xela has set up a Special Events Unit and recently operated Jalsa salana at Alton and the large scale festival Boomtown at Winchester.

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  13. Why does no service X12 feature in service listings?

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  14. Reece (Southampton)23 August 2018 at 22:39

    Does anyone find it strange that Bluestar are changing the Bluestar 5 Between Eastleigh and Boyatt Wood to every 20/40 minutes from the 3rd September?

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    1. They can't serve Boyatt Wood on a neat 30 minute frequency because of the extended running time between Eastleigh and Romsey.

      The new timetable is the best way of maintaining the same level of service across the route without incurring extra costs (which would make the service unviable).

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    2. I often wonder if this route will be affected by any upcoming HCC Cuts?

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    3. It's mostly a commercial service so only limited effect I would think. Only a very small number of journeys have HCC funding.

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