Agenda and draft minutes

Enhanced Partnership Board - Tuesday, 21st January, 2025 2.00 pm

Venue: South Yorkshire MCA, 11 Broad Street West, Sheffield, S1 2BQ

Items
No. Item

136.

Chair's Welcome and Apologies

Minutes:

The Interim Director of Public Transport Operations, in the Chair, welcomed all to the meeting and noted apologies as above.

137.

Your Bus Journey Survey

·       Key Driver Analysis

·       Personal Security and Anti-Social Behaviour on Bus

 

Minutes:

Representatives from Transport Focus presented an overview of key driver analysis from 2023, alongside interim 2024 results.

 

Key points from the survey results were:

  • Timeliness was identified as the most significant contributor to passenger satisfaction.
  • Operators were advised to focus on speeding up buses and addressing timeline challenges.
  • Despite regional challenges, South Yorkshire was performing well compared to other metropolitan areas, with an 82% satisfaction rate.

 

Research findings on passenger security and anti-social behaviour were shared:

  • Overall a majority of passengers felt safe at bus stops nationally.
  • 8% of passengers had experienced incidents causing concern, with common issues being rowdy behaviour, feet on seats, and vaping and smoking. These smaller issues were noted as "quick wins" for operators to improve overall perceptions.
  • Recommendations included enhancing reporting mechanisms, developing systematic interventions, and conducting further research into the needs of specific groups, such as younger passengers and those with disabilities.
  • In South Yorkshire, personal security on buses was perceived more positively compared to bus stops. However, younger and disabled passengers reported feeling more vulnerable.
  • The presence of travel safety officers in pilot areas was shown to increase night-time patronage by 20%. South Yorkshire currently only had one travel safety officer. It was agreed that more travel safety officers would benefit the region if resourcing was available.

 

Transport Focus planned to publish a full report by mid-March 2025, alongside operator-specific results.

 

RESOLVED that the Board noted the interim results and recommendations presented.

138.

Update on the Festive Fares Campaign

Minutes:

The Acting Head of Communications presented an update on the fares campaign agreed by the Board in November.

 

Key points included:

  • The campaign’s objective was to promote the new £3 fare cap and combat the perception that it was a flat fare rate.
  • The campaign was launched on 2nd January 2025 and ran for four weeks until 2nd February.
  • The targeted demographic were people aged 22-64 years old.
  • The campaign utilised paid media (radio, Meta, digital display ads) and organic promotion (posters, newsletters, social media, and operator/local authority platforms).
  • Radio was invested in most due its strong return on investment.
  • The advert reached an estimated 9.3 million impressions with the average listener hearing it 13 times over the course of the campaign.

 

Website statistics for the campaign pages were shared, though it was noted that the site’s ticket finder does not facilitate direct ticket purchases and thus could not provide data on the campaign’s effectiveness in ticket purchases.

 

The Acting Head reminded the Board that the campaign proposal in November included the consideration of a second phase in 2025. It was suggested the second phase could include more detailed data insights including value for money.

 

Operators inquired about plans for the next phase before the end of the financial year. The Chair Confirmed that after the campaign’s conclusion, the subgroup would debrief to review its successes and areas for improvement. A decision regarding future campaign phases would be made following this review and shared at the next EPB meeting.

 

ACTION: The Acting Head of Communications to circulate the full campaign report to operators.

 

ACTION: The Interim Director of Public Transport Operations to bring an update on the second phase of campaign post subgroup discussions.

 

RESOLVED The Board noted the update on the fares campaign and the potential for a future phase.

139.

Minutes & actions of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 123 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 19th November 2024 were agreed to be a true and accurate record.

140.

EP Forum Update

Minutes:

The Interim Director of Public Transport Operations had chaired the previous EP Forum meeting due to the EP Forum’s Chair’s absence. He gave the update.

 

The two main focuses were:

  • A discussion around creating a new policy for SYMCA to design bus shelters. Feedback was positive and would inform future strategies.
  • Positive feedback around the confirmation that the Bus Promise would be publicised.

 

The EP Forum raised whether operators would commit to promoting the Bus Promise physically inside their vehicles.

  • The First Representative agreed to promote the Bus Promise in non-paid space on vehicles.
  • The Stagecoach Representative explained how they are not currently able to display the Bus Promise internally due to recent reviews of onboard space but may reconsider in the future.
  • The TM Travel Representative will report back to the Board about the feasibility.

 

The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Representative highlighted challenges in engaging micro-operators for Bus Promise promotion.

 

ACTION: First to promote the Bus Promise onboard their vehicles.

 

ACTION: TM Travel to investigate the feasibility of onboard promotion and report back at the March meeting.

 

ACTION: The Acting Head of Communications to share the standard Bus Promise template with the CPT Representative.

 

RESOLVED that the update on the EP Forum be noted.

141.

Bus Operator Updates

141a

First pdf icon PDF 130 KB

Minutes:

The First Representative updated the Board on the latest performance in South Yorkshire. It was noted that:

·                Reliability was at 98.33%.

·                Journey start punctuality was at 85.9%; and timing point punctuality was at 75.9%.

·                Vehicle capture rate was at 97.9%.

 

First summarised that:

  • Year-on-year performance had improved, but figures remained below their desired levels.
  • Passenger growth in Sheffield had recently seen an increase though the cause was unclear.
  • New engineers were expected to reduce lost mileage.
  • Doncaster’s roadworks were still impacting punctuality.
  • Net promoter scores remained low, reflecting broader industry trends. First suggested sharing net promoter figures with the Board if done collectively.

 

Operators stressed the importance of Local Authority representatives attending meetings to ensure accountability and proposed reinstating individual operator and local authority meetings to focus on actionable outcomes. All agreed that highways authority involvement at EPB was essential and currently missing.

142.

Stagecoach

Minutes:

The Stagecoach Representative updated the Board on the latest performance in South Yorkshire. It was noted that:

·                Reliability was at 99.0%.

·                Journey start punctuality was at 87.7%.

·                Patronage versus same period last year was up 1.6%.

 

Stagecoach summarised that:

  • They had also begun net promoter score research but figures would not be ready for the Board until 2026.
  • Adult patronage had increased but the decline in child patronage remained a concern.
  • Engineer recruitment was positive, and Stagecoach now had a wait list in place.
  • Electro vehicle performance demonstrated a 14.1% year-on-year growth in passenger journeys, attributed to both vehicle reliability and increased service frequency on certain routes.
  • Availability consistently achieved 100% most days.
  • Investment was progressing on infrastructure projects, including a new amenities block at Holbrook, scheduled for completion in Spring 2025. Plans for similar modernisation and electrification at Ecclesfield depot were under consideration.

The electrification process in Chesterfield was advancing quickly.

143.

TM Travel pdf icon PDF 149 KB

Minutes:

The TM Travel Representative updated the Board on the latest performance in South Yorkshire. It was noted that:

·                Reliability was at 95%.

·                Patronage was up 2% year on year.

·                Mileage was up by 3% year on year.

 

TM Travel summarised that:

  • Reliability had improved but still fell short of acceptable standards despite increased patronage.
  • A new permanent workshop manager was now in place and a new general manager was due to start in April.
  • Fleet updates included compliance with Euro 6 standards, standardisation of vehicle types, and plans for refurbishments to create a consistent brand identity.

 

RESOLVED: that the Board noted the updates from operators.

144.

Other Smaller Operators

Minutes:

No updates.

145.

Bus Reform Consultation Update

Minutes:

The Director of Bus Reform delivered an update on the statutory consultation process, noting that:

  • The focus had been on understanding responses from statutory consultees and preparing a response where changes might be needed.
  • The consultation had received over 7,600 responses which was significantly higher than similar consultations in other regions.
  • A decision was expected by Spring.

 

The CPT Representative noted there had been some apathy among small operators to engage in the process and reiterated CPT’s neutral stance on delivery models, emphasising the importance of choosing a model that works for the region.

 

RESOLVED: that the Board noted the update.

146.

Update on DRT

Minutes:

The Assistant Director of Bus Services provided an update on demand responsive transport (DRT).

 

The central themes of discussion were that:

  • Both Rotherham and Doncaster had showed interest, but resource gaps had caused delays. Progress had resumed, with plans for resident consultation to clarify objectives.
  • It was emphasised that the scheme must not compete with existing operator services.
  • While there were no tangible outcomes at the time the aim was to achieve results by the end of the next financial year.

 

The Stagecoach Representative queried if the focus would be rural or urban; the Assistant Director confirmed rural.

 

RESOLVED: that the Board noted the update.

147.

Items of Confidentiality

Minutes:

The Director of Bus Reform’s AOB.

148.

Work Plan pdf icon PDF 67 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that the Board noted the upcoming relevant information on the work plan.

149.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

Director of Bus Reform AOB restricted.

 

The CPT Representative asked whether South Yorkshire had an LVEP.

 

ACTION: The Democratic Services Officer to investigate LVEP in South Yorkshire and circulate appropriate board with CPT.

 

Meeting concluded at 16:00.