A study commissioned by the Passenger Transport Executive Group found it would take four years to set up quality bus contracts under current government proposals, potentially harming local authorities’ plans to introduce road charging as part of their TIF bids.
In its response to the Government’s proposals for bus reform, set out in Putting Passengers First (PPF), pteg believes the process of implementing a quality contract (QC) could be made more streamlined while remaining transparent, rigorous and fair.
Consultant Steer, Davies and Gleave concluded that even if the process went well, it would take almost four years from proposal to implementation. A hastier process would benefit TIF applications because a QC would form an essential part of public transport improvements needed to complement road charging, pteg argues.
PPF’s proposals would see at least five stages in the implementation of a QC, but pteg argues against the need for two of these, namely the role of traffic commissioners to approve a QC application, and the option to appeal against the resulting decision to a transport tribunal.
Instead, pteg says any QC applications should be consistent with TIF bids. The lengthy approval process set out in PPF may prevent an authority securing the up-front major public transport improvements which would be an essential pre-requisite of a charging scheme. Yet QCs should be made an integral part of a charging scheme to ensure quality bus services are provided, and companies don’t take advantage of the situation.
‘First, as charging increase the price of the alternative – travel by car – it would create a perverse incentive for bus companies to raise fares, which would run counter to achieving other policy goals – as well as affecting public acceptability of the wider charging scheme,’ the report explains.
‘Second, the induced demand for bus travel created by charging would create new revenues for bus companies at zero risk to them, which leads to the question as to whether the companies should retain all additional revenues.’ A spokesman for pteg told Surveyor it was ‘strange’ that PPF didn’t mention LTPs.
‘If there are too many hurdles, the current situation will never change. The Government is keen for councils to introduce road-user charging, but this could be prevented if QC applications are rejected by tribunals.’
However, he said pteg was in discussions with the Government, and hinted progress was being made to incorporate its recommendations. : www.pteg.net
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