Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were noted as above.

None.

None.

None.

None.

None.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 23 July 2020 be agreed as a true record.

Opportunity for Members to raise any questions they have in relation to the most recent Forward Plan of Key Decisions

Provided for information.  Members were asked if they had any questions in relation to the most recent Forward Plan of Key Decisions. 

No questions were raised by Members. 

None. 

Councillor Ross introduced a report reminding Members that discussions had taken place at previous meetings regarding the Bus Review which had been published on 18 June 2020.  There were several lines of inquiry which Members would like to question at today’s meeting, in particular, the role of the Traffic Commissioner. 

Councillor Ross added that, Members would like to acknowledge in advance, the importance of the Bus Review.  Members also wished to support the Mayor in driving forward the 18 recommendations within the Bus Review, due to the inadequacies of bus services which were often being raised by constituents. 

Councillor Ross welcomed Clive Betts MP and Mayor Dan Jarivs to the meeting. 

Clive Betts MP thanked Councillor Ross and Members of the Committee for inviting him to today’s meeting. 

Clive Betts MP addressed the meeting.  He reported that, in February 2019, the Mayor had announced a review of the region’s bus network and had appointed him as Chair of an independent review, supported by a panel of expert commissioners.  This included a Sheffield Hallam University student and two individuals with local transport interests, namely Martin Mayer (Sheffield Trades Union Council) and Peter Kennan (Chair of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce’s Transport Forum) together with national experts coming together to help him draft the Bus Review report. 

Members were informed that bus services in the Sheffield City Region were worsening.  There had also been a decline in passenger numbers, which had been steeper than in other parts of the country, especially against South Yorkshire’s background of a ‘Cheaper Fares Policy’ and pioneering transport innovation. 

The Bus Review investigated the underlying causes of service and patronage decline, gathering evidence from multiple sources including interviews with stakeholders and a public survey, to which 5,900 people responded with a consistent messages being received from them that, bus services are not fit for purpose. 

The Review also identified the following key findings:

· Frequency: In many areas of South Yorkshire service frequency is poor or has fallen dramatically.

· Reliability: The South Yorkshire bus network experiences significant reliability issues. Over 60% of the respondents to the bus survey were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with bus reliability.

· Climate Change: Buses need to play a bigger role in reducing road transport emissions and tackling climate change.

· Policy Alignment: Despite the National Planning Policy Framework stipulating that new commercial or housing development must be accessible by public transport, the review has found many have little or no service provision.

· Connectivity: The Review has found that there is poor connectivity between part of the South Yorkshire bus network and other transport modes.

· Service Changes: Passengers felt there is insufficient communication on bus changes without any meaningful consultation.

· Ticketing: Passengers are presented with an overwhelming range of ticketing options but little or no information on the best value option.

· Quality and Accessibility: The quality of the bus network is variable, and the quality of the bus fleet can vary considerably between local authorities and operators.

Looking to the future, Clive  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

RESOLVED – That the next meeting of the SCR Overview and Scrutiny Committee be held on Thursday 29 October 2020, at 2:00 pm.