North Yorkshire County Council

Executive

12 October 2021

National Bus Strategy

Report of the Corporate Director – Business and Environmental Services

1.0 Purpose of Report

1.1 For the Executive to consider the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan and recommend publication.

1.2 For the Executive to delegate authority to the Corporate Director Business and Environmental Services in consultation with the Corporate Director Strategic Resources to submit the final BSIP together with authorising the Corporate Director Strategic Resources to accept the funding.

2.0 Background

2.1 At the 22 June 2021 meeting the Executive received a report on the National Bus Strategy, “Bus Back Better”, requirements for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs):

· By the end of June 2021 all LTAs (except MCAs which have started the statutory process of franchising bus services) to commit to establishing Enhanced Partnerships across their entire areas under the Bus Services Act 2017.

· From 1 July 2021, only LTAs and operators who meet the above will continue to receive the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant (CBSSG) or any new sources of bus funding from the Government’s £3bn budget.

· By the end of October 2021 all LTAs to publish a local Bus Service Improvement Plan, detailing how they propose to use their powers to improve services. Actual delivery of Enhanced Partnerships by April 2022. From that date, the new discretionary forms of bus funding from Government will only be available to services operated, or measures taken, under an Enhanced Partnership or where a franchising scheme has been made. In addition, only services operated under these statutory agreements will be eligible for the reformed Bus Service Operators Grant, which is subject to consultation.

2.2 At the same meeting the Executive approved the option of Enhanced Partnership as the preferred option and agreed to the publication of Notice of Intent to Prepare an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Schemes.

3.0 Bus Service Improvement Plan Preparation

3.1 A Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) should:

· Be developed by LTAs in collaboration with local bus operators and other stakeholders.

· Cover the LTA’s full area.

· Set out how they will achieve the objectives in the National Bus Strategy, including growing bus use, and include a detailed plan for delivery.

· Be updated annually and reflected in the authority’s Local Transport Plan.

3.1.1    It is also expected that BSIP should:

· Set targets for journey times and reliability improvements.

· Identify where bus priority measures are needed.

· Set out pressures on the road network, air quality issues and carbon reduction targets and set out actions, working with operators, to transform the local bus fleet to zero emission.

· Drive improvements for passengers and committing to a Bus Passenger Charter (BPC) that sets out what passengers can expect from bus operators delivering local bus services across their area. BPCs should include commitments on the accessibility of bus services.

3.2 Department for Transport guidance is quite clear a BSIP is not subject to public consultation because it is not a statutory document. However North Yorkshire County Council has carried out extensive stakeholder engagement to inform development of this BSIP, seeking the views of over 100 organisations and individuals on their priority areas for intervention and desired outcomes. This has included:

· Bus and community transport operators:

· Surrounding Local Authorities:

· North Yorkshire District Councils:

· North Yorkshire Parish Councils

· North Yorkshire Elected representatives:

· NHS and emergency services:

· Business groups:

· Voluntary sector organisations:

· Bus user groups

3.3 This engagement found that the top priorities for bus users in North Yorkshire (and their representatives) are, in descending order:

· Clean, safe, accessible buses and waiting facilities

· More frequent services (ie hourly or better)

· Simpler ticketing e.g. contactless card payment, flat fare, capped day travel ticket price

· More evening and Sunday services

· Good value adult fares

4.0 Bus Service Improvement Plan Contents and Publication

4.1 A single BSIP for the whole of the North Yorkshire County Council area will be submitted. City Of York Council will also submit a single BSIP for the whole of the City of York Council area.  Partnership with the City of York Council on passenger transport has existed for some time, with for example North Yorkshire County Council administering the York concessionary fare scheme. The two Councils continue to work closely and commit to developing a single, joint BSIP in the future.

4.2 North Yorkshire BSIP is attached at Annex 1.  Some key delivery aims and funding asks:

4.2.1 Through pump-prime funding we will deliver a series of improvements to existing services and help pump-prime new markets that have emerged as a result of the pandemic.

4.2.2 Following the successful pilot of the Council’s digital demand responsive travel service, YorBus will be rolled out across other areas in the county.

4.2.3 Building on the successful development model of the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme, adopt this evidence driven approach to other areas eg Selby, Scarborough etc.

4.2.4 We will improve and simplify fares for younger people, we will introduce a consistent under-19 qualifying age across the whole of North Yorkshire on all bus services.

4.2.5 We will deliver a 50% fare for job seekers and apprentices on single and return fares.

4.2.6 A website to cover the whole of North Yorkshire which will include information on all operators and bus services in the county, up to date information on fares timetables and any service updates.

4.2.7 Improved information at bus stops through a standard approach for producing and maintaining publicity, with a named operator responsible for updating designated stops, including a minimum information standard.

4.2.8 Provision of e-Ink digital signs at bus stops along the identified key corridors.

4.2.9 Consistent local branding will be put in place at bus stops, bus information and any marketing material.

4.2.10 Next stop audio / visual announcements to be provided as standard on all new vehicles and through BSIP funding all older vehicles will be retro-fitted.

4.2.11 Delivery of the North Yorkshire Zero Emission Bus Roadmap.

4.2.12 A fully developed North Yorkshire Bus Passenger’s Charter.

4.3 As stated in section 2.1 the BSIP must be published by end of October 2021.  The timescales from publication of the National Bus Strategy, which included notification of the requirements to publish a BSIP, and the deadline for BSIP publication have been tight.  It should be noted that the BSIP at Annex 1 does require some further amendments, such as the inclusion of appendices A B and C, maps, refinement and / enhancement of the text etc to further improve the quality of the document, along with final formatting and design/layout of the document.

4.4 The National Bus Strategy is clear that Enhanced Partnerships should work for both LTAs and bus operators. In all cases, a BSIP should be accompanied by letters of support from operators representing at least 80% of registered mileage in the geographical area covered by the BSIP.  Engagement has taken place with operators throughout the BSIP development process inviting all local bus service operators to participate, though not all have chosen to participate. All operators involved in the development process, operating between them circa 90-95% of registered mileage are supportive of the proposals.

5.0 Funding

5.1 The council has already received two tranches of DfT funding (£100,000 and £274,187) to support to help the development of their Enhanced Partnership Schemes and BSIP work, and to meet the timescales that go alongside that work.

5.2 Funding to deliver the BSIP is not yet known.  The BSIP guidance states:

We anticipate two tranches of funding being available, one allocated by formula to all local authorities based on the overall quality of their BSIP, together with other relevant information; and a separate tranche of funding for specific larger schemes.

5.3 The funding required to deliver the council’s BSIP is:

5.3.1    It should be noted that third party funding contributions are required to deliver some elements of the BSIP.  It should also be noted there might be constraints on deliverability and scalability, dependent upon funding received – further details are in section 5.5.

5.4 There is a revenue funding for timetabled bus services section, which covers pump-prime funding for sustainable improvements to existing services and help pump-prime new markets that have emerged as a result of the pandemic that will be operated commercially going forward. This will ensure that the BSIP revenue support for timetabled bus services is sustainable going forward.  Funding for bus services that are not viewed as sustainable, but socially necessary under S63 of Transport Act 1985 will continue to be assessed and funding from the council’s revenue support budget for bus services, in accordance with the council’s Local Transport Plan.  In addition there is funding in the BSIP to expand to wider areas the successful YorBus service.

5.5 There is a potential scenario where insufficient funding is allocated to fully deliver the BSIP.  The funding ask has had to be developed without knowledge of any funding the council might receive.  As such if insufficient funding is received delivery of projects will need to align within the funding envelope that is received.  In this event the Council will use the feedback from the public consultation at section 6.4 below to inform professional best practice to determine priority spend areas;  the following is an example of ranking to prioritise available funds:

5.5.1 Capital:

· ‘Delivery ready’ schemes

· Improvements to key corridors / commercial routes eg Provision of e-Ink digital signs at bus stops, other infrastructure improvements

· ‘Town centre’ scheme design

· ‘Town centre’ scheme delivery

· Work to improve targets eg satisfaction with information

· Zero emission vehicle improvements

5.5.2 Revenue:

· Funding to support commercial bus services impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic and expand the YorBus service to other areas of the county (equal weighting).

· Pump priming enhancements of commercial services

· Pump priming of new services

· Marketing and information

· Fares and ticketing support

6.0 Next Steps

6.1 As detailed in the National Bus Strategy, from April 2022 LTAs will need to have an Enhanced Partnership in place to access the new discretionary streams of bus funding. Only services operated or measures taken under an Enhanced Partnership will be eligible to receive the new funding streams.

6.2 An EP is a statutory partnership between one or more LTAs and their local bus operators that sets out how they will work together to deliver BSIP outcomes in the defined geographical area(s) set out in the EP. It is in two parts:

· An EP Plan - a clear vision of the improvements to bus services that the EP is aiming to deliver, mirroring the BSIP

· One or more EP schemes – an accompanying document that sets out the requirements that need to be met by local services that operate in the geographical area defined in the EP scheme, to achieve BSIP outcomes

6.3 Having already published Notice of Intent to Prepare an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Schemes as detailed in section 2.2 above, the following actions are required:

· Drafting the formal documentation of an EP Plan and one or more schemes

· Issuing a notice that a plan and scheme have been prepared to all operators of qualifying local services, giving a minimum period of 28 days within which objections may be made

· Formal stakeholder and public consultation

· Publish a Notice of Intention to, and then ‘make’, an EP Plan and scheme(s)

· Delivery from April 2022

6.4 The formal stakeholder and public consultation stage will be carried out as a formal consultation exercise and will include:

· all operators of local bus services that would be affected by any of the proposals;

· organisations that represent local passengers known to the IPT team;

· other local authorities that would be affected by the proposals;

· the Traffic Commissioners;

· the chief officer of police for each area to which the plan relates;

· Transport Focus;

· the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA); and

6.5 Timescale have not yet been set, but it is envisaged this will take place early 2022.

7.0 Equalities

7.1 An Equalities Impact Assessment has been completed and this is attached at Annex 2.  The option of Enhanced Partnership and Bus Service Improvement Plan production should have the potential for no adverse impact and could result in making things better for people with protected characteristics.   

8.0 Finance

8.1 Funding details are set out in section 5 above.  It is important to note that:

8.1.1 The value of funding the council is to receive is not known.  As such it will not be possible to deliver all aspects of the Bus Service Improvement Plan should the funding received be less than the BSIP states is required for delivery.

8.1.2 Any conditions attached to the funding are not yet known, for example restrictions on in which financial year funding must be spent.  As such project delivery might be impacted by such conditions. 

8.1.3 Some projects require third party funding contributions in order to achieve delivery.

8.1.4 Some costs have been estimated, based on previous and / or similar work, and as such may be higher or lower when delivered.  For example some infrastructure work requires detailed design work to be carried out before more accurate costs will be known.

8.1.5 Some projects may require additional approvals through the council’s decision making process and others can be delivered as part of the council’s business as usual work.

9.0 Legal

9.1 There is a wide range of legislation relating to passenger transport and the Council has some statutory duties imposed as part of this legislation.

9.2 The Transport Act 2000 imposes a duty on LTAs to prepare and publish a local transport plan setting out their policies for the promotion of safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities in their area, and to develop a bus strategy for carrying out their bus functions.

9.3 The Bus Services Act 2017 provides LTAs with the ability to determine and specify the bus services to be provided in an area via franchising, with bus operators bidding to provide the services (with the aim of  allowing LAs to specify the services that passengers want and deliver via an integrated network of services with  co-ordinated timetables, ticketing and branding).   This Act also allows LTAs to introduce new Enhanced Partnerships.

10.0 Climate Change

10.1 A Climate Change Impact Assessment has been completed and this is attached at Annex 3. The option of Enhanced Partnership and Bus Service Improvement Plan production should have the potential for no adverse impact and could result in modal shift from car to bus therefore reduced car use and therefore reduced emissions from travel, and reduced air and noise pollution.

10.2 It is anticipated that there will be minimal, if any, impact on waste, water consumption, resilience, conservation and distinctive features and special qualities of North Yorkshire’s landscape. 

11.0 Recommendations

11.1 The Executive considers the contents of this report and agrees the Bus Service Improvement Plan at Annex 1 can be published.

11.2 The Executive to delegate authority to the Corporate Director Business and Environmental Services in consultation with the Corporate Director Strategic Resources to submit the final BSIP together with authorising the Corporate Director Strategic Resources to accept the funding.

Karl Battersby

Corporate Director – Business and Environmental Services

Author of Report: Cathy Knight, Commercial Sector Service Development Manager

Background Documents:

National Bus Strategy Report.pdf (northyorks.gov.uk)

Bus Back Better: national bus strategy for England (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Bus service improvement plans: guidance to local authorities and bus operators (publishing.service.gov.uk)

The bus services act 2017: enhanced partnerships (publishing.service.gov.uk)

North Yorkshire County Council

Bus Service Improvement Plan

Our Vision for Bus Services in North Yorkshire:

An efficient and optimised bus network in North Yorkshire that meets the needs of our local communities, enabling people to remain active and independent, with excellent customer service and simple payment and ticketing options.

Customers will have bus services which encourage and enable sustainable, cleaner and healthier travel choices, lowering emissions from fewer car trips.

Through our bus services, we will raise the profile of North Yorkshire as a place to live, visit, work in and invest.’

This BSIP will form part of the County Council’s integrated decarbonisation strategy.

North Yorkshire County Council welcomes the National Bus Strategy and its aims to transform bus services across the country through making buses more frequent, more reliable, easier to understand and use, better co-ordinated and cheaper. In response to the National Bus Strategy, the County Councils executive approved a recommendation to create an Enhanced Partnership with local bus operators and the development of this Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) is the first step in the Enhanced Partnership process.

Headline Aims, Objectives and Targets

The North Yorkshire Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) has the following aims:

	A High Quality, Coordinated and Integrated Bus Network: Develop a network of punctual and reliable services to give customers the confidence that the bus will turn up and get them to their intended destination in the time expected; and address the needs of passengers in areas which struggle to support commercial bus services, ensuring this is integrated with a modern supported network of services.
	Simple Payment and Ticketing Options: Develop simple, convenient and easy to use payment options providing a network of sustainable and reasonably priced services for customers.
	Simple, clear, and freely available information: Present the bus system as a single network and provide easily accessible and reliable travel information
	Excellent Customer Service: Provide consistent and excellent customer service across North Yorkshire.

Specific targets that will be used to measure progress towards achieving this BSIP’s aims are detailed in the Headline Targets section of this document.

Overview

Area Covered by this BSIP

This single Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) will cover the whole of the North Yorkshire County Council area. The BSIP will be updated annually and will align with the authority’s Local Transport Plan (LTP) which covers the period 2016 – 2045. The LTP is currently undergoing a review, however it is our view that the BSIP will support the vision and aspirations set out in the LTP. The intention is that this BSIP will cover a period to 2030 dependent on funding allocations with a commitment to undertake annual reviews.

We have taken the decision at this time not to submit a joint BSIP with the City of York Council. The decision not to submit a joint BSIP at this stage has been taken because of the different development priorities for the respective authorities. However we have a long standing partnership with the City of York Council: North Yorkshire County Council have historically administered much of the York concessionary fare schemes. As part of the BSIP development we have had regular meetings with City of York Council and work on ticketing, discussions around congestion and delays and effects on services in the respective areas have been considered. The submission of separate BSIPs to DfT now does not preclude development of a joint BSIP later with future decisions being made as proposals for the future combined authority are developed.

North Yorkshire is the largest county in England and one of its most rural. It is located in the Yorkshire and The Humber region and extends into North East England, stretching from Selby in the south to the fringes of Middlesbrough in the north and Cumbria to the west. The county covers an area of 8,654km², has a population of 602,300 (ONS mid-2015 estimate) and an average density of 69 people/km². North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) is the upper-tier local authority for the county and has overall highway responsibility, including public transport. In North Yorkshire there are seven district councils and two national parks: Selby, Harrogate, Craven, Richmondshire, Hambleton, Ryedale and Scarborough, and the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authorities.

The map below shows North Yorkshire’s boundary and the districts referred to throughout this BSIP:

Figure 1: North Yorkshire boundary and districts

Map to be included in final version of document

Policy Context

Development of this BSIP has been closely informed by all identified relevant national, regional and local policy and strategy, including:

· National Bus Strategy

· Bus Services Act (2017): DfT Guidance on planning improvements to bus services

· Future of Mobility Urban Strategy

· Future of Mobility Rural Strategy consultation

· Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution

· Transport Decarbonisation Plan

· Sixth Carbon Budget

· Transport for the North Strategic Transport Plan

· North Yorkshire Local Transport Plan 2016-2045 (the existing policy in place)

· Strategic Transport Prospectus for North Yorkshire

· North Yorkshire County Council – Council Plan; and

· North Yorkshire Rural Commission

In a first of its kind in the UK, the North Yorkshire Rural Commission was established by North Yorkshire County Council in 2019. Bringing together a panel of eight independent experts with a strong understanding and subject expertise in rural issues and a deep commitment to a thriving future for North Yorkshire, it examined the challenges faced by the county’s rural communities. The Commission’s report, Rural North Yorkshire: The Way Forward was published in July 2021. This landmark report made a series of recommendations for local, regional and national policymakers on how to ensure North Yorkshire’s most rural communities can grow and prosper. The important findings from the report highlight key challenges including the missing generations of young people who are unable to live and work in the area, a need for energy security and green energy transition and digital connectivity, which the commission believe must be understood as a basic human right.  The commission is strongly of the view that devolution is a priority for North Yorkshire and that transport for super sparse and rural areas raise issues of accessibility, affordability and environmental impact for people.

The commission was supportive of the County Council’s recently launched YorBus demand responsive bus service and recommended that North Yorkshire County Council use the opportunity presented by the National Bus Strategy to provide more innovative passenger transport such as demand-responsive transport across the county, opening up the travel choice options of rural and remote areas. The council accepts the commission’s recommendations, and as such will seek funding for innovative passenger transport solutions through on demand responsive transport as part of the BSIP.

Current bus offer to passengers

The North Yorkshire BSIP is an ambitious plan that seeks to stimulate and drive significant improvements to local bus services across the local authority area. This section provides an overview of the current North Yorkshire bus network and considers its performance against the aims of the National Bus Strategy.

Current Bus Network

This section describes the operation and structure of the current North Yorkshire bus network, detailing the key commercial areas, regional and interurban connectivity, and the role of demand responsive and community transport services.

Overview

North Yorkshire has three distinct bus markets and commercial networks broadly aligning to the three largest towns and their respective districts, in Harrogate, Scarborough and Selby. Each of these three commercial networks interface with neighbouring towns and cities outside of North Yorkshire, these being Leeds in West Yorkshire for the Harrogate network; the City of York, Leeds and Pontefract for the Selby network; and Middlesbrough and Bridlington for the Scarborough network. Richmondshire in the north of the county also interfaces with Darlington and Middlesbrough in neighbouring Tees Valley. The remaining districts of Craven, Hambleton and Ryedale are more self-contained and lack any significant commercial network, with bus services in these districts mostly tendered by the County Council, along with DRT and community transport services. Limited cross-boundary commercial service provide links Craven with Keighley, Hambleton with Middlesbrough and Ryedale with York. North Yorkshire also has a strong seasonal tourism market with many bus operators providing additional services in the key tourism locations.

As a predominantly rural county, North Yorkshire does not suffer from widespread congestion. However, localised congestion occurs in Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby and Malton, as well as at schools around start and finish times, where air quality is monitored. Seasonal tourist traffic can add pressures to the road network in the summer months, particularly in popular visitor destinations such as Scarborough and Whitby, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales.

Key commercial networks

The most frequent services in the county are found in Harrogate, including service 1 between Knaresborough and Harrogate running every 7-8 minutes, Harrogate town services branded as ‘Harrogate Electrics’, running up to every 15 minutes using zero emission buses, and the high profile service 36, running at very high frequencies between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds using high specification luxury double deck buses, providing a Bus Rapid Transit level of service. These services are operated by the Harrogate Bus Company, part of Transdev. Scarborough also benefits from a number of frequent services including service 7 between Scarborough and Seamer, running every 15 minutes and service 12/13 between Scarborough and Bridlington, running every 20 minutes and operated by East Yorkshire, part of the Go-Ahead Group. Selby is linked to York by service 415 running every 15 minutes and operated by Arriva Yorkshire under its Arriva Sapphire premium service brand.

Interurban and regional services

Regional connectivity is provided by a number of longer distance and interurban services that play a crucial role in linking networks together, as well as providing the potential for multi-modal journeys with links to rail stations. These include Arriva North East service X26/X27, running up to every 30 minutes between Catterick, Richmond and Darlington (Darlington Rail Station); and Arriva North East services X4 and X93/X94 between Whitby, Scarborough and Middlesbrough, running up to every 30 minutes and passing the rail stations in each of these three towns. Coastliner service 843, operated by Transdev, is the longest bus route in North Yorkshire, running hourly between Leeds, Tadcaster, York, Malton and Scarborough, and provides important cross-county links using specially branded high specification double deck buses, making the route popular with tourists. These interurban services, along with the local networks within Harrogate, Scarborough and Selby, form the backbone of the North Yorkshire bus network and account for the vast majority of journeys made. Pre-COVID, these services were all commercially operated and have benefited from operator investment in recent years, including new vehicles, improved payment and ticketing options, marketing and branding initiatives and enhanced customer amenities such as free onboard WiFi, USB charging and audio-visual stop announcements.

Areas with limited bus service provision

Outside of the three most populous districts of Harrogate, Scarborough and Selby and away from the key interurban corridors, bus service provision is much less extensive, with services generally no more than two-hourly and very limited evening and weekend services. In Craven district, the bus network is sparse outside of the town of Skipton, which is served commercially by the Keighley Bus Company with links to Keighley. Hambleton district has a very infrequent bus network, with almost all services operating with a frequency of less than 1 bus per hour during weekday daytime. Across the district, there are two bus routes with a slightly higher service frequency: Arriva service 28A between Stokesley and Middlesbrough, operating hourly, and service 73, operated by Dales and District, which provides an hourly connection between Bedale and Northallerton. Richmondshire district also has very limited bus coverage outside of the principal town of Richmond, with the most frequent services provided by Arriva on service X26/X27 to Darlington. Hodgson’s service 34 runs two-hourly between the same two points, but takes a less direct route to call at intermediate villages, and is contracted by the County Council. Similar to the Richmondshire district, Ryedale district has infrequent bus services, with the majority of routes operating with a frequency lower than 1 bus per hour. Two services operate hourly: the 128/X28 service, operated by East Yorkshire, which provides hourly connections between Helmsley and Scarborough via Seamer and Pickering; and the Coastliner 843 between Leeds and Scarborough via Malton and Thornton-le-Dale.

As the districts of Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Ryedale are the most rural in North Yorkshire, with low population density and significant distances between settlements, they are not attractive for bus operators to provide services under the existing wholly deregulated service model. Richmondshire has a population density of 40 people/km², while in Hambleton the population density is only 25 people/km². Travel by car is the dominant mode in these districts and car ownership is above the national average (74.3%), at 82.2% of households.

The geographical sprawl of Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Ryedale presents challenges in operating a public transport network. Bus services in these districts are heavily dependent on County Council funding to operate, and with limited budgets available services are generally specified to operate no more than two-hourly, with no evening or Sunday services in most cases. The need to contract services over such a large area places a significant financial burden on the County Council. For example in 2018/2019, the Supported Bus Services allocation in Richmondshire and Hambleton districts amounted to £847,787.33, at an average subsidy of £3.93 per passenger journey. Of the 215,799 passenger journeys made, only 38% were farepayers, with 62% made on a ENCTS concession card.

The North Yorkshire Rural Commission, referred to earlier in this document, heard evidence of the impact of the bus network’s focus on urban centres and how this does not adequately take account of the lived realities of rural residents in very sparse areas of the county. For residents in the most rural parts of the county, journeys often have to begin by car, even if connecting to public transport elsewhere such as a rail station, due to inadequate rural public transport connections. A secondary impact of poor bus connections to rail stations was heard by the Commission in residents needing to drive to a further away rail station due to parking at their nearest station being over capacity, with the resulting impacts on additional emissions, miles driven and costs to the individual. The Commission noted the pressing need to reduce reliance on the car in rural communities from an environmental perspective and to encourage a rapid modal shift onto public transport to meet emissions reduction requirements.

Maps showing the bus networks and frequencies within each district are contained in Appendix A, with a list of financially supported bus services given in Appendix B.

Demand Responsive and Community Transport Services

With very limited commercial service provision in the most rural parts of the county, community transport services play a vital role in fulfilling the transport needs of local residents. North Yorkshire County Council has had considerable success in the last ten years working in partnership with local communities to establish community-operated, timetabled bus services, where commercial services have no longer been financially viable. In the Upper Dales area of Richmondshire district, one of the most rural areas in all North Yorkshire, 49% of public transport journeys in 2018/2019 were made using community transport, meaning the area is highly dependent on this type of transport provision. As highlighted by the Community Transport Association[1], community transport is typically small-scale, dependent on subsidy, is only made viable through continued volunteer involvement and being on a not-for-profit basis. Community transport is often the only public transport option where bus services have been withdrawn due to not being profitable. The County Council also directly operates a number of community transport services itself under a Section 22 community bus permit when an operator cannot be secured to run contracted socially necessary bus services.

North Yorkshire has an established network of community transport operators under the Go Local brand (www.golocal-northyorks.community), which defines consistent safety and service standards across providers. Go Local services include dial-a-ride, wheels to work, community minibuses and car/lift share.

Community transport services (including some limited Demand Responsive Transport) are concentrated in the most rural districts of Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Ryedale where commercial bus services are least extensive. These include:

· The Upper Wharfedale Venturer, a community operated scheduled bus service in Craven district which runs between Buckden and Grassington, with buses timed to connect with Keighley Bus Company 72 services to Skipton.

· Wensleydale Flyer 856 in Hambleton district. This route connects Hambleton’s principal town of Northallerton with the more rural settlement of Gayle, via Bedale, Leyburn and Hawes.

· Four scheduled services run by The Little White Bus, which includes limited bookable DRT elements, in Richmondshire, providing east-west connectivity.

· A summer service connecting Hawes with Sedbergh in Cumbria, run by Western Dales Bus

· Ryedale Community Transport operate services 173, 174, 175, 176W, 176S, 182, 184 and 185 commissioned by North Yorkshire County Council as timetabled local bus services operated under a section 22 community bus permit, these are not DRT.

Community bus services provide an important contribution to meeting overall bus transport needs and as highlighted these services are a crucial part of the overall public transport network in North Yorkshire and we want to build on the success of these existing community transport services, including through greater use of digitally enabled Demand Responsive Transport operating models, or Dynamic Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT). The County Council has recently begun to explore the potential for Dynamic Demand Responsive Transport in North Yorkshire, using digitally enabled booking solutions and live routing of services in response to passenger requests, as detailed in the following case study.

YorBus Case Study

YorBus, introduced in July 2021, is a digitally enabled Demand Responsive Transport service which covers the area between Bedale, Ripon and Masham. This service allows users to book a trip, on demand, anywhere within the operating area.

The YorBus project introduces a major change in the provision of rural bus services in our county. It offers residents the opportunity to book a journey when and where they require it, whether for work, shopping, attending medical appointments or to access other services. Users can choose when and where they want to travel via a dedicated app which has been created by Via, a world leader in mobility technology.

Once a desired pick-up and drop-off location has been selected, riders are directed to a nearby bus stop. The mobile app allows passengers to plan and track their bus journey, even when on-board. The service runs from 6.55am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm on Saturdays. There is a low flat fare for using the service; £1.20 for adults and 65p for children between the ages of 5-17. Customers can choose to pay with card or cash on the bus. Children under five can travel for free and concessionary bus passes can be used on the service. YorBus vehicles are fully accessible, with low floor access and a ramp access for users of wheelchairs, pushchairs and those with mobility difficulties.

Since its launch, there has been over 1,300 user accounts created, with an average ride rating of 4.9 stars out of 5. Of the passengers, 63 per cent are repeat users and two-thirds of users are adult farepayers. In July, 500 passengers were welcomed on-board, rising steadily to more than 900 in August. The high proportion of fare-paying passengers suggests some modal shift is likely taking place by those with access to a car, with the convenience of smartphone app booking likely increasing the appeal of the service to economically active persons.

Initial feedback from users has been encouraging:

 “It’s made life a lot easier, because living in a village you don’t get many buses coming through. The stop is right outside my house and it takes me to the [Ripon] city centre bus station, so it couldn’t be more convenient. I either had to walk a mile and a half or get a taxi, so I’m saving a lot of money and time. As we are getting closer to winter it means I can get on a nice warm bus. I can now go to other villages I couldn’t get to unless I could drive. The app is useful as it means you can book without having to ring up. You can also track how long the bus takes to get to you. It’s a very reliable service, which I would definitely promote to others who would benefit from good public transport links.”

-YorBus service user feedback to NYCC, August 2021

“YorBus service is fantastic and I hope that it can become a regular feature of life in North Yorkshire – the flexibility and options it makes possible are really life-enhancing particularly for those whose mobility choices were previously limited.”

-YorBus service user feedback to NYCC, August 2021

“The launch of YorBus has been a huge benefit to staff living on site as many don’t have a car. Before YorBus, there was no form of public transport, so it has made the local area more accessible for them to explore the beautiful sights of North Yorkshire on their days off. Many staff from the surrounding area have also made use of YorBus. Again, there’s a number of my colleagues, particularly apprentices, who don’t have cars.”

-Ripon-based employer feedback to NYCC, August 2021

YorBus is delivering on the County Council’s commitment to ‘level up’, support and connect rural communities in the region. The pilot will be regularly reviewed and will help inform a decision to wider roll out within the county.

Local Bus Operators

Owing to its geographical size, North Yorkshire has a large number of bus operators and lacks a single dominant operator as often found in urban areas and smaller counties. There are 22 operators with registered local bus services in North Yorkshire operating from 32 sites (depots and outstations). The three largest operators broadly align with the three main commercial bus networks described earlier in this section, these being Arriva in Selby, East Yorkshire (part of the Go-Ahead Group) in Scarborough and Transdev in Harrogate. Arriva also operates in the north of the county as part of its Arriva North East division and Transdev covers several parts of the county outside of its main operation in Harrogate, including services in Skipton and its interurban Coastliner service between Leeds and Scarborough via Tadcaster and Malton. Medium-sized operators in North Yorkshire include Connexions, Reliance and Dales & District.

There are currently eight zero emission buses in operation in Harrogate, out of a fleet of approximately 270 vehicles based in the county. The vehicles were introduced in 2018 with funding from the Government’s Low Emission Bus Scheme and are operated by Transdev. Harrogate was also the focus of a successful Expression of Interest application to the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) fund earlier in 2021, with a business case now being developed.

Analysis of existing bus services compared to BSIP outcomes

This section considers the performance of the current network against the overarching themes of the National Bus Strategy around greater network coverage, better modal integration, lower fares, simpler ticketing, clearer bus information and improved customer service.

Network coverage and integration

Outside of the largest towns of Harrogate, Scarborough and Selby and their linking corridors, coverage is generally poor and frequencies limited to no more than two-hourly. The districts of Craven, Hambleton and Ryedale have particularly poor coverage with very few commercial services and tendered services limited to two-hourly. Evening services in these most rural parts of the county are generally not available. A combination of low population density, significant distances between small settlements and low numbers of fare payers makes providing socially necessary supported bus services in these areas expensive.

Service provision is commercially led and gaps filled where needs are identified and are affordable within available NYCC budgets. Evening services are generally not available or provided at reduced frequency on key corridors. Services on Sundays are available only where these are commercially sustainable.

A recent pilot of DDRT was launched in Bedale and there are extensive community transport services which have achieved success in increasing accessibility for remote communities, as highlighted earlier in this section.

Payment and Ticketing

At present there are a number of different types of bus tickets on sale in North Yorkshire across different operators, ranging from single day tickets and bundled discounted day tickets for services in specific town or on a specific route, to weekly, monthly and longer-term tickets, for various passenger classes (adult, child, under-19). Provision of discounted fares for younger people is especially variable with no consistent qualifying age or discount offered across the operators, under-19’s discounts are offered on only some services. Passenger classes vary depending on the operator.

There is little in the way of multi-operator or multi-modal ticketing. PLUSBUS is available for bus and train travel from selected rail stations, but can only be bought from train operating companies, ie, it cannot be bought on bus. Travelling by more than one operator or mode requires the purchase of separate tickets.

The cost of single and return tickets are not routinely advertised except for some high profile services such as service 36 between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds. Basic fares and ticket information is not readily available for many services, especially those provided by smaller operators.

Daily capping through contactless payment is only offered on two operators at present (Harrogate Bus Company and Coastliner, both operated by Transdev). Outside of Harrogate and the Coastliner corridor (Leeds – York – Malton – Scarborough), daily capping is not currently available.

Bus Information

The availability and quality of bus service information varies considerably across the county. The three largest operators (Arriva, East Yorkshire and Transdev) have their own websites, apps and produce their own publicity, including wayside publicity on some major routes. Information provision from the other operators in the county is varied and comes in a range of sources, the BSIP is an good opportunity to reform the provision of information and ensure there is an agreed consistent approach to providing information across all operators and all areas of the county, Operators are responsible for providing wayside publicity except on certain stops with multiple operators, which are the responsibility of the County Council.

The Traveline website provides information for all scheduled bus timetables nationally, but does not provide other important information such as fares, tickets, current diversions or information on local attractions. Information on demand responsive and community transport services is not typically provided through the journey planner.

Some bus operators are working directly with other businesses and agencies such as Welcome to Yorkshire tourism agency to promote bus travel in the area, but this only covers relatively small areas of the county and specific destinations at present, rather than the bus network as a whole.

In contrast with much of the rest of the country, North Yorkshire has a number of strong local bus brands, as encouraged by the National Bus Strategy, with the identity of the owning group secondary. These includes services focussed on Harrogate, Ripon, Malton and Scarborough. However outside of these areas, many bus services lack any overarching network brand or identity.

Customer Service

Customer service varies considerably depending on operator: some operators provide multiple ways of contact (telephone, email, instant message, social media); others have an online presence but not for customer service; and some operators offer telephone based enquiries only. Complaints handling procedures are provided individually by the separate operating companies.

There are variable levels of amenity onboard buses: audio/visual information is more common in North Yorkshire than other regions but is not universal. Some buses provide additional features such as USB power points and free WiFi. Cleaning regimes have been substantially overhauled in response to the COVID pandemic and there is now a much greater emphasis on cleanliness by operators as part of overall vehicle presentation.

At present many rural bus stops in North Yorkshire lack features such as dropped and raised kerbs, shelters and seating for waiting passengers. There are also many unmarked hail & ride stops in North Yorkshire, particularly in the more rural districts of Craven, Hambleton and Richmondshire,

Service changes take place as and when commercial operators deem them necessary, without any coordination or fixed dates in use. There is no requirement for public consultation on service changes (beyond 28 day pre-application notification to the County Council) and the County Council has no control over dates when operators can change services. While these challenges are not unique to North Yorkshire, the size of the county and the number of bus operators can make this lack of coordination especially difficult to manage. This can result in several service changes across the county each year, while even if only minor in nature, adds to user uncertainty about the continuity and reliability of the network

Barriers to bus use and growth in North Yorkshire

In addition to some of the problems faced by users of the current bus network described in the previous section (Analysis of existing bus services compared to BSIP outcomes), there are a number of specific barriers to bus use in North Yorkshire which will need to be addressed as the Enhanced Partnership is developed:

Poor ‘First Mile, Last Mile’ connectivity: The Current Bus Network section described some of the key regional and interurban bus services operating across North Yorkshire, which can enable journeys by public transport over significant distances. Some of these services operate along A roads, serving the larger towns and villages, and accessing them from surrounding smaller villages and hamlets can often be a challenge, for example settlements off the A61 between Ripon and Harrogate (service 36), the A64 between Malton and Scarborough (Coastliner), and the A171 between Scarborough and Whitby (service X93/X94): connecting service times may not suit, or there may be no connecting service at all. The first or last leg of a journey can therefore be a barrier to using bus services in North Yorkshire due to the rurality of the area and the dispersed nature of the population.

Limited rural services and limited evening services in more urban areas There are limited commercially operated bus services in the more rural districts of Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Ryedale resulting in a need for the County Council to tender for socially necessary bus services over a wide area, and with limited budgets the County Council is unable to financially support evening services or daytime frequencies of more than two-hourly. The larger towns such as Harrogate, Scarborough and Selby where many services operate commercially have higher daytime frequencies, but often have limited or no evening services.

Low cost or free parking in town centres: Management of parking in North Yorkshire is complex: public car parks in North Yorkshire are owned and operated by the district councils which set parking rates and tariffs, whereas on street-parking is often operated by North Yorkshire County Council. There are also privately owned and operated parking facilities belonging to private car park operators, supermarkets and employers.

We acknowledge that low cost or free parking can be a disincentive to using public transport but is also often considered important for supporting local businesses and town centre economies. This is a complex issue facing many local authorities across the country and further work will be required as North Yorkshire completes Local Government Reorganisation when responsibilities over public parking will move to the new unitary authority.

Areas of Opportunity

North Yorkshire is well placed to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the National Bus Strategy and realise our vision of an efficient and optimised bus network. These opportunities include:

North Yorkshire’s status as a leading tourism destination in England: North Yorkshire is one of England’s most popular tourist destinations[2], home to two national parks, the popular seaside town of Scarborough and picturesque coastal towns and villages such as Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay and Filey. Walking, hiking and rambling are popular activities for tourists and day-trippers. The North York Moors National Park attracts over 8 million visitors annually, generating over £730 million for the local economy[3], while the Yorkshire Dales National Park receives over 4 million visitors annually[4]. Our neighbouring city of York has recorded higher numbers of visitors in 2021 than before the COVID pandemic, thanks to a boom in ‘staycation’ visitors, many of whom will also stay in or visit North Yorkshire. While the outlook for the popularity of staycations remains uncertain, there is significant potential for bus services to benefit from the popularity of the area as a tourism destination, through increased promotion and awareness of the bus network for visitors and tourists.

Building on existing good practice and innovation by North Yorkshire’s bus operators: North Yorkshire already meets or exceeds several of the good practice examples given in the National Bus Strategy across a sizeable part of the network. This includes the use of strong recognisable local brands such as the Harrogate Bus Company, East Yorkshire and Coastliner, with the owning group’s identity secondary; the provision of onboard audio and visual announcements on key services such as Transdev’s service 36 between Harrogate and Leeds, the Coastliner service 843 between Leeds and Scarborough, Scarborough 7’s from Eastfield and Arriva’s service 415 between Selby and York; and the latest smart ticketing and payment options. We want to build on these positive aspects and ensure they become standard across the North Yorkshire bus network.

Our strong track record of successful community transport services: Scheduled community transport, including some limited traditional DRT services, provide a lifeline for residents in some of North Yorkshire’s most rural communities, and through the Go Local branding initiative we have raised the profile of these services to expand awareness to more users. The rapid development in recent years of digitally enabled Dynamic DRT (or ‘DDRT’) services presents opportunities to further expand the reach of community transport services to more users and to make them more flexible, including for younger age groups more accustomed to smartphone apps and digital transactions, and the County Council is already exploring this through the recently launched YorBus DDRT service.

Strong working relationships with our neighbouring authorities: The county has good working relationships with many of the neighbouring authorities including Tees Valley Combined Authority, East Riding, City of York, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and South Yorkshire. Throughout the development of the BSIP contact has been made on a regular basis with neighbouring authorities to ensure any cross-boundary services have been considered as part of the respective BSIP. As mentioned earlier in the document, the County Council has a strong working relationship with City of York and this is where majority of North Yorkshire’s cross-boundary services interface. North Yorkshire is also part of the ‘Yorkshire Partnership’ which many of the above authorities are also part of. Benefits of the partnership include access to procurement services and journey planning.

Other factors that affect the use of bus services

The impacts of the COVID pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions have impacted bus services in North Yorkshire as much as anywhere else in England, but with the area’s highly rural nature already making it a tough environment for bus services, recovery will be even more challenging. The County Council has been working with bus operators over the past 12 months to better understand the challenges they foresee and identify any at-risk services. From this work, around 20 services were identified which could be at risk of reduction, curtailment or withdrawal in the event of passenger numbers remaining supressed after emergency temporary funding through the Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant and subsequent recovery funding ends. Some of the services identified included those providing long distance and interurban links and the work has subsequently informed the development of the key commercial corridors which will be prioritised for intervention, so that these key services can be supported to recover and grow.

How North Yorkshire compares to the best in England

As highlighted earlier, there are already several examples of good practice and industry leading innovation among North Yorkshire’s bus operators, one of the best known of which is the premium service 36 linking Ripon and Harrogate with Leeds, operated by the Harrogate Bus Company, part of Transdev.

Riding Refined: Service 36 Case Study

Service 36 operates between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds. Ripon was served by rail until the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, and since 1967 bus services have been the only public transport mode serving the city.

In 2003, the Harrogate Bus Company relaunched service 36 with the aim of revolutionising the route and tempting drivers away from their cars onto buses. The relaunch saw the introduction of 14 brand new double deck buses fitted to some of the highest specifications seen in the UK bus industry at the time, including luxury leather seats and a coach-style interior, along with a new premium look and brand for the service. The improvements led to double-digit increases in passenger numbers and modal shift from cars to public transport, helping to tackle congestion and improve air quality along the busy A61 corridor into Leeds.

In 2010, the dedicated vehicles for the service received an extensive mid-life refurbishment which included the introduction of a 2+1 seating configuration on the upper deck, giving enhanced space and comfort for commuters, as well as free onboard WiFi.

Today, the service runs every 10 minutes and boasts features including USB power outlets, superfast WiFi, tables at some seats and a panoramic glazed roof on the upper deck. A team of dedicated drivers with bespoke service 36 uniforms adds to the premium look and feel of the service. The service provides ‘First Class’ train levels of comfort and Bus Rapid Transit levels of convenience and frequency, with live bus tracking, contactless payment and daily fare capping available. “The 36” has become a well-known recognisable brand in Harrogate, doubling passenger numbers in 15 years, and the service achieves customer satisfaction levels in excess of 97%.

Local Branding and Identity: East Yorkshire Case Study

East Yorkshire (and is predecessors EYMS) has served Scarborough and district and its coastal communities for nearly 100 years, providing bus services within the town and links to neighbouring settlements, as well as operating into East Riding. The company’s well known burgundy and cream livery has been a familiar sight around Scarborough for decades.

In 2018, EYMS was acquired by the Go-Ahead Group, through its Go North East subsidiary, and rebranded to East Yorkshire. The new owning group has retained the well-known livery and updated it with a new logo that includes the white rose of Yorkshire within the company name.

The strong local brand of East Yorkshire is complemented by route specific branding on high profile routes, including ‘Scarborough Locals’ on services within the town and ‘Coaster’ on services 12 and 13 between Scarborough and Bridlington via the North Yorkshire coast. This focus on retaining and developing local brands for bus services, with the owning group’s identity secondary, is encouraged by the National Bus Strategy and something which North Yorkshire’s bus operators are continuing to set an example in.

Stakeholder engagement and views of passengers

North Yorkshire County Council has carried out a level of stakeholder engagement to inform development of this BSIP, seeking the views of a number of organisations and individuals on their priority areas for intervention and desired outcomes. This has included:

· Bus and community transport operators:

· Surrounding Local authorities:

· North Yorkshire District councils:

· North Yorkshire Parish Councils

· North Yorkshire Elected representatives:

· NHS and Emergency services:

· Business groups:

· Voluntary sector organisations:

· Bus user groups

The council also engaged with the North Yorkshire County Councils Citizens’ panel, a group of 2,000 residents who share views and ideas to understand local priorities.

This engagement found that the top priorities for bus users in North Yorkshire (and their representatives) are:

· More frequent services (ie hourly or better)

· More evening and Sunday services

· Simpler ticketing e.g. contactless card payment, flat fare, capped day travel ticket price

· Good value adult fares

· Clean, safe, accessible buses and waiting facilities

The engagement also highlighted the need for more widely available ticketing offers such as discounted travel for young people and group travel discount for two or more people travelling together; ticket acceptance by any operator on common routes; more availability of live bus information available on smart phone apps; faster and more punctual services; and more demand responsive services.

When asked about the factors that would influence the respondents to use bus services in North Yorkshire, or use them more often, better service reliability, better service frequency and more evening and Sunday services were the three most important factors cited. Live bus information available on a smart phones and Clean, safe, accessible buses were also cited as important factors. Having a reliable consistent service throughout the day was also considered more important than having high frequencies at busy times such as 3-4 buses per hour. Bus lanes in locations where traffic congestion occurs was seen by respondents as more attractive than reduced on-street parking or making town centre parking more expensive.

The feedback also highlighted some of the lived experiences and wishes of bus users in North Yorkshire:

“On demand service rather than current system. I cannot get to work in Mirfield for 5am from Sherburn and never will be able to. It is not designed for modern living.”

“Significant improvement to availability of evening & weekend services allowing people to return home on public transport. This would encourage less car use and benefit the night-time economy.”

“It would be good to have a frequent and reliable bus service. Just one bus an hour would be sufficient if you knew it would turn up on time. Need to be accessible buses for the elderly and those with wheelchairs and pushchairs. Also need accessible waiting facilities.”

“More frequent direct services to ALL local towns  ie Northallerton, Bedale, Leyburn, Catterick Village & Garrison (Princes Gate Shopping Centre), Richmond, Darlington, Masham, Ripon, Thirsk, Easingwold, York and especially Middleborough via James Cook Hospital, aided by realistic Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) to connect to  these main services.”

Headline Targets

North Yorkshire County Council has worked closely with bus operators to develop a series of ambitious targets for improvements to the overall bus passenger offer, covering customer satisfaction, passenger growth, punctuality improvements and fleet decarbonisation. These targets will be used to measure progress towards achieving the BSIP’s aims and objectives and will more part of the future annual reviews and updates to this BSIP.

These targets have been set and agreed with operators on the assumption the full BSIP funding ask will be received.

Customer Satisfaction Targets

Financial Year	Overall customer satisfaction with:
	Local bus services	Public transport information	Bus Fares	Quality of bus stops
2018/19 Baseline	57%	42%	51%	63%
2025	65%	70%	60%	75%
2030	80%	85%	75%	85%

The customer satisfaction targets have been set based on the NHT public satisfaction survey, and will be monitored annually.

Passenger Growth Targets

Year	% Growth from baseline
	County wide	Harrogate	Scarborough	Selby
Baseline (April 2018 – March 2019)	12,100,000	3,813,340	2,710,816	934,580
Current (August 2020 – July 2021)	6,400,000	1,267,158	1,294,179*	420,034
Patronage to return to pre-COVID levels April 2022 – March 2023	12,100,000	3,813,340	2,710,816	934,580
2025 (3%)	13,221,997	3,927,740	2,792,140	1,214,954
2030 (1.5%)	14,302,713	3,986,656	2,834,022	1,397,197

*Figure August 2020 – May 2021

Punctuality Improvement Targets

	% of buses on time
Financial Year	Harrogate	Scarborough	Selby
2018/19 Baseline	78%	92%	77%
2025	TBC	93%	TBC
2030	TBC	94%	TBC

Reliability target

Financial Year	County Wide Reliability
2018/19 Baseline	>99.5%
2025	>99.5%
2030	>99.5%

It has been agreed with operators to include maintain a reliability target of 99.5% across all services.

Journey time target

Journey time targets will be developed in line with specific schemes, it is difficult to set journey time targets at this stage until the network studies and interventions have been agreed. As part of the delivery of specific schemes a journey time target will be set accordingly.

Fleet Emission Targets

Financial Year	% Fleet operated in North Yorkshire by vehicles of at least
	Lower than IV standard	Euro IV standard	Euro V standard	Euro VI standard or better	Zero Emissions
2018/19
2021	12%	0%	32%	52 %	4%
2025	0%	0%	15%	60%	25%
2030	0%	0%	0%	40%	60%

Delivery

This section details how North Yorkshire County Council will deliver on its objectives, detailed earlier in the Headline BSIP Aims, Objectives and Targets section, through specific and measurable outcomes and relates them to the overall aims of the National Bus Strategy, which are:

· Intensive service and investment on key corridors and routes that are easier to understand;

· Significant increases in bus priority;

· Fares that are lower and simpler;

· Seamless, integrated local ticketing between operators and across all types of transport;

· Service patterns that are integrated with other modes;

· The local bus network is presented as a single system that works together with clear passenger information;

· Modern buses and decarbonisation;

· Give bus passengers more of a voice and say;

· Bus services that are safe and perceived to be safe by all;

· More demand-response services and ‘socially necessary’ transport; and

· Longer term transformation of networks through Bus Rapid Transit and other measures.

The commitments, actions and proposed interventions have all been developed in collaboration with North Yorkshire’s bus operators through a BSIP working group and are based on the identified problems and opportunities described in the previous section.

Intensive service and investment on key corridors and routes that are easier to understand

North Yorkshire has three key networks operating a number of highly successful commercial bus services. Through the forthcoming North Yorkshire Enhanced Partnership, we want to build on this and have an efficient network focused on high patronage movement in line with changing market needs. This network will develop and evolve in collaboration with the Enhanced Partnership and appropriate key stakeholders. Through the BSIP we will look to support improvements to these commercial services through pump-priming improvements for a 2-3 year period until they become sustainable. We will also work with operators to specify defined service levels frequencies (including minimum and maximum where necessary) Through this process, if appropriate we will identify opportunities to reallocate resource to give a better level of service outside of these main towns in line with National Bus Strategy ambitions and will continue to support profitable commercial services operating along the identified key corridors.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· A core comprehensive commercial network, operating at times that are needed and that is sustainable, providing connections to places that people want to go to.

· To support the core comprehensive commercial network we will be building on the successful development model of the ‘Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme’, where we took an evidence based approach on several key corridors in order to understand where the greatest benefits from interventions and improvements could be delivered. This took into account multiple modes.  As part of the process bus operators were involved as key stakeholders to develop options including better infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, enhanced bus priority for buses, park and ride schemes and improvements at key junctions. We will roll out this placed-based approach with our commercial bus operators, to identify bus improvements in our other key towns, including Scarborough and Selby.

· To further support the core commercial network we will use funding to pump-prime a series of improvements to existing services. In partnership with our operators a series of opportunities to extend service hours by increasing existing service frequencies, providing evening services, weekend services and route extensions have been identified.  We will financially support these services in the period where patronage needs to build, over 2-3 years, so they become financially sustainable.

· As a result of the pandemic new markets have emerged, due to people’s changing travel patterns.  In a similar way and again working in partnership with our operators a series of new markets have been identified and until the patronage builds to a commercial level of growth need funding support.  We will financially support these services in the period where patronage needs to build, over 2-3 years, so they become financially sustainable.

· The pandemic has also impacted bus services that have historically been commercial but patronage has reduced.  We will financially support those impacted services so that they become financially sustainable again within a short period of time.

· We will also continue to support bus services that are not financially sustainable through our bus service revenue support budget, as detailed later in More Demand-Responsive Services and ‘Socially Necessary’ Transport section.

· We will work together as a partnership with our bus operators on improved information and marketing of the whole network, as detailed later.

· Following local government re-organisation as parking policy becomes the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council, we will be carrying out a detailed review into areas with the potential to detract bus passenger usage.  Easy availability and low cost of parking are areas that can impact on people decision to travel by us so we will for example include an assessment comparing car parking charges to bus fares in key areas.

· We have worked with our operators to identify key corridors and interchanges (Figure 2).  We will continue to work in partnership to make improvements to the customer environment in these locations.  This will include delivering items such as improved bus shelters and provision of improved information about bus services.

· Whilst there are Park and Ride in operation in Whitby and Scarborough, there is opportunity for us to consider further sites through our placed based Transport Improvement Plan approach.  We will look to consider further park and ride sites that can be sited alongside existing commercial bus routes to further increase patronage on these routes and ensure the long term sustainability of the park and ride service.

· Operators have committed to reinvesting saved resources achieved through journey time savings from our placed based Transport Improvement Plan approach.  Reinvestment of resources on items such as increased frequency; targeted fares initiatives or enhancement of other services/corridors.

· Working with colleagues in highways, work will be done to establish a minimum set period of notice for non-emergency roadworks on bus routes.

Key corridors and interchanges, which will be prioritised for investment, are shown in figure 2 below:

Figure 2: Proposed key corridors and interchanges

Significant increases in bus priority

As a predominantly rural county, North Yorkshire does not have the frequency of bus services, levels congestion or the necessary road infrastructure to justify and enable the deployment of bus priority on a significant scale, but where possible we will work to introduce targeted and proportionate bus priority measures at identified congestion hotspots.

As mentioned in the case study above, in 2019 North Yorkshire County Council carried out a large scale congestion study in Harrogate. This covered all transport modes and explored possible relief road options. As part of the congestion study a significant public consultation was carried out which generated over 15,000 responses. The results of the consultation highlighted the following in relation to bus use:

· 59% of respondents outlined that NYCC should improve bus priority in order to reduce congestion in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

· 41% of respondents outlined they would often or always use quicker and more reliable buses in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Since the congestion study, work has been ongoing which has focused more on a corridor type approach backed by the evidence from the extensive work carried out as part of the congestion study. As part of the BSIP we would look to use a similar approach for other towns in the county. The operators support this approach and see value in the holistic approach that also has the potential to integrate other modes.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· Previously identified work from the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme, the measures identified for delivery are anticipated to include bus priority signals, segregated bus lanes and improving junctions and roundabouts for buses.

· We will be building on the successful Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme model, where we took an evidence based approach on several key corridors in order to understand where the greatest benefits from interventions and improvements could be delivered, and we will roll out this placed-based approach with our commercial bus operators, to identify bus improvements in our other key towns, including Scarborough and Selby.

Case Study: Taking a Placed-Based Approach

Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme (HTIP) is an evolution of the Harrogate Congestion Study. That study evolved from an initial review of historical road building options proposed in the mid 1990s for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

After an extensive public engagement exercise to which  more than 15,000 responses were received, HTIP was agreed as the way forward on key corridors in Harrogate and was based around the principles of the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme (LPTIP), which has been developed and delivered by West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The consultation revealed public support for improved cycling and walking facilities, a Harrogate park and ride and encouraging people to change their travel habits, alongside the rejection of a northern relief road.

The approach taken through HTIP was to study several key corridors in order to understand where the greatest benefits from interventions and improvements could be delivered. This took into account multiple modes, including car, bus, park and ride, walking and cycling, and also looked at the potential for travel behaviours to be influenced. The approach used visual observations from site visits, traffic data, responses from the public engagement, DfT approved approaches and best practice examples to develop a suite of options which could form a cohesive package.

The study found that the A61 Leeds Road presented the greatest opportunity to reduce congestion and make improvements to travel options including bus and cycling, including the potential for a park & ride scheme. Assessment of the feasibility of a park and ride has shown that the area to the south of Harrogate, near the A61, has the greatest potential for success. If park and ride is developed further, officers will hold further discussions with bus operators as proximity to existing bus services is crucial to a scheme’s financial viability and sustainability. For park and ride to be sustainable and attractive to users, experience shows that parking charges and the availability of parking spaces in the town centre will need to be reviewed.

The next stage of HTIP, currently in the process of being commissioned, will see a multimodal corridor approach for the A61 being further developed, with a view to having sufficient evidence base to form a major scheme business case. This will develop options in a number of areas, including better infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, enhanced priority for buses, a park and ride scheme and improvements at key junctions. As work progresses, the County Council aims to deliver long-lasting benefits in a consistent, co-ordinated way to realise fully the benefits of these schemes.

With the experience gained through HTIP, North Yorkshire County Council intends to pursue a similar placed-based approach to identify bus improvements in our other key towns, including Scarborough and Selby.

Fares that are lower and simpler

Fares and ticketing information go hand-in-hand with journey planning information and allows passengers to plan their journey in advance, as journey choices may be influenced by the cost and availability of suitable tickets. Users should be presented with prices and ticket options at the same point of planning their journey.

Through the forthcoming North Yorkshire Enhanced Partnership, we will work with operators to review and rationalise their fares and ticket ranges to reduce the number of different tickets on offer. Through this process, we will seek to agree a minimum set of 'Must Have' tickets that will be expected to be available, for example day ticket, 7-day ticket, flexible 10 journey ticket, etc. Operators will be expected to lead this process based on their knowledge of the local bus market and passenger needs.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· Currently our DDRT YorBus service offers low flat fares of £1.20 for adults and 65p for children regardless of the distance travelled within the zone or time of day the service is used. Through the BSIP we will continue this across the initial wider roll-out of DDRT services and look at how we can provide low, flat fares elsewhere.

· Operators have committed to provide a daily fare cap once the technology and back office function support is available and we will work with our operators on how we can deliver that sustainably.

· We will improve and simplify fares for younger people by introducing a consistent under-19 qualifying age across the whole of North Yorkshire on all bus services offering a 50% discount on fares to passengers in this age group.

· To encourage increased patronage on services, we will work jointly with operators to explore and implement fare initiatives to attract and retain passengers particularly in off-peak periods for example simplified evening tickets providing a £1 single evening fare.

· We will deliver a 50% fare for job seekers and apprentices on single and return fares.

Seamless, integrated local ticketing between operators and across all types of transport

We will support operators in working together to develop multi-operator ticketing, including for combined single trip journeys. We will expand existing collaborations with local business and tourist attractions (such as tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire) to include all bus operators and collaborate further with industry to develop new business-to-business ticket offers for employers, attractions and major businesses.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· A ticketing working group in North Yorkshire with operators. This group will promote existing multi-operator ticketing products, work with operators to fill identified gaps and explore new areas of opportunity for joint ticketing initiatives on common sections of routes or through routes, subject to CMA compliance and bilateral agreements.

· Mandate operators on common sections of route to accept all operators valid return and day tickets.

· Lessons learnt from key operator’s participation in Project Coral and how this could be expanded across the county.

· The ticketing working group will explore innovative ticketing products focusing on areas such a as tourism. The tourism industry is a key income generator in North Yorkshire with two national parks and a range of coastal towns. This initiative will build on the success many operators have seen as a result of the ‘staycation’ trend following COVID.

· Ticketing group to explore multi operator ticking products and opportunities, relevant to the geography of North Yorkshire and with reference to needs to ensure the product is both affordable and attractive.

Service patterns that are integrated with other modes

All modes of transport contribute to the local economy and peoples’ enjoyment of their community. Rail is important to North Yorkshire and we continue to commit resource and work with the rail industry to deliver improvements. We are pleased that the conclusion of a £10m+ investment in the line between Harrogate and York will soon yield a doubling of the service frequency to two trains per hour, and our work to drive enhancement along the Esk Valley line has seen additional services operating.

Enabling rail travel’s integration with other modes in North Yorkshire is as much about the infrastructure as services and ticketing. In this respect, we are currently developing proposals for improved access to stations at Skipton, Seamer, Selby, Thirsk and Malton. These are being developed with local rail operators and will be submitted to Government for funding.

We are in the process of developing a series of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) for the principal towns in the county including Harrogate, Selby and Scarborough. The aim of these is to identify the main cycle and walking improvements in a town to enable the county council to bid for government funding and/or to secure funding contributions from developers. The LCWIPs in development cover the following towns which broadly align to the key commercial bus markets and corridors in the county. Each LCWIP for North Yorkshire has been developed in line with the LCWIP guidance but taking account of the rural nature of North Yorkshire.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· The BSIP will deliver cycling facilities at identified locations along the key corridors. This will include but is not limited to bike racks and bike storage infrastructure. We will where possible link measures identified in the respective LCWIPs with the BSIP.

· Due to the rural nature of the county it is accepted that there is still a need for a car for certain journeys and as part of our placed based Transport Improvement Plan approach, we will assess where further park and ride sites that can be sited alongside existing commercial bus routes to further increase patronage on these routes and ensure long term sustainability.   We will also explore what enhancements can be made to our existing park ride sites and operations.

· The current YorBus pilot operates on a ‘hub’ model, with Ripon as the main hub, where passengers can connect with other wider reaching services including service 36 which offers connections on to Harrogate and Leeds. This ‘hub’ approach will be replicated in the roll out of the DDRT services through the BSIP, which helps with the sustainability of the connecting services and also ensure passengers can connect to the wider public transport network.

· Through the wider roll out of YorBus, and where logistically feasible, we will ensure that zones incorporate key rail stations to ensure multimodal integration.

The local bus network is presented as a single system that works together with clear passenger information

North Yorkshire has a number of strong local bus brands across its different operators and this is something that will be encouraged across the wider bus network, including support infrastructure such as bus stops. A branded stop is a simple basic mechanism for raising awareness amongst non-bus users. Through the forthcoming North Yorkshire Enhanced Partnership, we will agree local brands to be adopted, taking account of the distinct local bus markets in North Yorkshire. Working with bus operators, we will expand branding across all information mediums including on bus stops, in printed timetables, at bus stations and across ticket ranges, in order to present all parts of the bus system with unified local identities.

Through the development of the BSIP officers have worked closely with the operators to develop a draft information strategy. A copy of the draft strategy is contained in Appendix C.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· A new website which will include information on all services operating in North Yorkshire including services that operate cross boundary. The website will also contain information on timetables, fares and service updates.

· e-Ink digital signs at bus stops along the identified key corridors.  These displays will provide traditional roadside bus information together with both fares and real time information. 

· For other bus stops we will deliver a programme of timetable display upgrades to enable presentation of clear and easy to understand information.

· We will develop a standard approach for producing, updating and maintaining publicity.  This will include design standards and clarity on responsibilities for both operators and the council.

· Working with operators, we will seek to provide funding to retro-fit older vehicles to include next stop audio / visual announcements, and for new vehicles operators purchase going forward this technology should be provided as standard.

· A marketing strategy covering the whole of North Yorkshire will be develop in partnership with our key operators.  This will consider all marketing formats, a programme of marketing activity (refreshed regularly) including fares promotion, development of a local brand and key marketing opportunities throughout the key to attract new users to our bus network. A key strand of the marketing strategy initially will be considering and implementing COVID recovery promotions, for example ‘Back to Bus’ and how to attract passengers back to bus services. We will also work to ensure tourism is considered as part of the marketing strategy and how we can promote the area to those outside of North Yorkshire.

· Operators are committed to making one set of timetable changes a year, (excepting unforeseen events impacting on punctuality) this will reduce service disruption for any passengers and changes will only be made to timetables where necessary. In areas where services rely heavily on season demand, operators will coordinate any seasonal changes.

Modern buses and decarbonisation

We want bus services across North Yorkshire to be zero emission, with modern comfortable and high specification vehicles. To support development of this BSIP, North Yorkshire County Council commissioned a comprehensive feasibility study into the deployment of Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) and now has a clear roadmap for fleet decarbonisation across the county. Bus operator engagement has taken place to understand the fleet investment plans, technical and operational constraints and current attitudes to ZEB deployment among North Yorkshire’s bus operators. The three largest operators (Arriva, East Yorkshire, Transdev) were consulted, plus three smaller operators and the Council’s fleet operations team. We will explore opportunities for ZEB funding through future rounds of Zero Emission Bus Regional Area and All Electric Bus Town grant awards and engage bus operators to seek their support for future applications. We also want to agree a coordinated approach with Tees Valley Combined Authority and City of York Council for the services and operators focussed on their authority areas, ie, Arriva North East services operating from Whitby, Redcar and Darlington depots, and Reliance services operating from Sutton-on-the-Forest.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· The North Yorkshire Zero Emission Bus Roadmap, set out in more detail below, which has already started with the submission of a bid to the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) fund focussed on Harrogate along with Arriva’s proposed upgrade to Zero Emission buses on the 415 service, part of the City of York ZEBRA fund bid.

· Work with our neighbouring authorities in City of York and Tees Valley to achieve zero emission operation on cross-boundary services operated from depots outside of North Yorkshire, including the potential for hydrogen powered bus operation on some longer interurban routes.

· Support bus operators in identifying further opportunities for funding and accelerated fleet decarbonisation, including exploring alternative fleet procurement and ownership models.

· Decarbonisation of the County Council’s own in-house fleet of community and demand responsive transport minibuses as and when suitable models and funding opportunities become available that support this segment of the public service vehicle market.

The North Yorkshire Zero Emission Bus Roadmap has been developed in consultation with bus operators and sets out the preferred phasing for future zero emission fleet deployment across the county. Prior to preparing any funding applications or investment, the County Council will re-assess the suitability of this phasing to check for any planned changes in long-term use, significant foreseen variations in fleet size or changes to supporting third finance contributions. Should any significant changes in fleet size, uncertainties over the long-term use of operational depots or lack of supporting finance be identified, the County Council reserves the option to deviate from the preferred order of phasing outlined below.

Table 1: North Yorkshire Zero Emission Bus Roadmap Phasing

Phase	Area	Main Operators	No of Buses
1	Harrogate*	Transdev, Connexions	93
2	Selby	Arriva	28
3	Scarborough & Ryedale	East Yorkshire, Transdev	74
4	Craven, Hambleton and Richmondshire	Dales & District, NYCC in-house fleet	33
		Total	228

* Harrogate is the subject of an application to the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area fund which included Transdev operations in the application.

This roadmap will be phased to enable the greatest improvement to air quality improvements, amongst other things.  However, we will continue to support all operators, including community transport operators, transition to zero emission vehicles for example by assisting with funding bids.

We are also aware of the problems some operators have in getting a suitable electrical supply for electric vehicles to their depots, because of their rural location. Therefore we will support those operators, for example by investigating whether solar panels are a feasible solution to this issue at the company’s rural depot.

Give bus passengers more of a voice and a say

North Yorkshire County Council’s proposition for a Unitary Council for the area was approved by Government and all the NY councils are now working to implement the proposal and transition to a new council from April 2023.  Central to the proposition is new powers and money for local people across communities, market towns and parishes to drive local change, local enterprise and local solutions.

Around 25 community networks, initially based around market town areas will decide local priorities. These networks will see communities work with business and public sector agencies to have a louder voice for people and get things done in their local area.  Priorities, including transport, will be determined locally and these community networks will act as local agents for economic and social change.

A North Yorkshire Bus Passengers' Charter is being developed and a working version of the document can be found on page 33, setting out common agreed standards applying to all operators covering customer service methods of contact; a complaints handling procedure, including timescales for response, resolution, and rights of redress; and minimum standards applying to all operators regarding vehicle accessibility and cleanliness; and the customer service role of drivers so customers know what they can expect.

Through the forthcoming North Yorkshire Enhanced Partnership, we will agree minimum standards for stakeholder consultation on future service changes covering notification period, information to be provided and which stakeholders will be consulted.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· A fully developed North Yorkshire Bus Passenger’s Charter, building on the working version included in this BSIP which will explore mechanisms for redress in more detail.

· In line with guidance a public consultation exercise will be carried out as part of the Enhanced Partnership plan.

· As mentioned above, operators have committed to making one set of timetable changes per year, this will reduce service disruption for passengers and changes will only be made to timetables where necessary. In areas where services rely heavily on season demand, operators will coordinate any seasonal changes.

· Agreed set of quality standards covering vehicle standards, complaints process and driver training that are easy to understand and widely promoted.

Bus services that are safe and perceived to be safe by all

We want buses in North Yorkshire to be clean, comfortable and reliable, offering a safe environment accessible to all. Through the engagement process it was identified that one of the top priorities for passengers was ‘clean, safe, accessible buses and waiting facilities. Therefore it is important that through the BSIP we deliver measures to address this and understand if the issue is associated with people’s perceptions or a reality.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· A study to understand the key issues around safety in both urban and rural areas for example over-crowding at bus stops or poor lighting at more remote bus stops. This study will put forward a series of recommendations for improving safety and what measures could be implemented for example CCTV or solar powered lighting.

· We also need to understand passenger perceptions on cleanliness.  As a result of COVID, cleaning processes on services are now extremely thorough, and we need to understand if buses or stations / waiting areas are still perceived as unclean so we will work with operators on this and establish ways to change customer perceptions and highlight the clean and modern buses available on the network.

· Improvements will be made to bus stops and waiting areas including bus shelters, seating, lighting and ensuring stops are accessible. These improvements will focus on the key corridors initially before rolling out across the rest of the county.

· A common standard for driver training to promote customer service and ensure a consistent approach across the country regardless of operator.

More demand-responsive services and ‘socially necessary’ transport

As previously detailed, we have a core network of highly successful and sustainable commercial services that this BSIP has already highlighted. We have also highlighted that North Yorkshire is a predominantly rural county and does not lend itself to the delivery of significant increases in frequent fixed route bus services. We will instead deliver a more modern and innovative solution that fits the geography and rural nature of North Yorkshire by delivering digitally enabled Dynamic Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT) services across the county.

Through our BSIP we will work to deliver:

· More digitally enabled on-demand services, both to expand the market for existing community transport services, and to extend coverage of flexible services where fixed route supported bus services with low usage are currently provided. The roll out of on demand services is likely to happen in three phases to cover the rest of the county. The Map below outlines the different phases of delivery.

· Continued support for the YorBus DDRT pilot in Bedale, Ripon and Masham referenced in the case study earlier in this BSIP.

· Work with mobility technology providers to investigate alternative and innovative funding and delivery models for the expansion of DDRT in North Yorkshire.

· We will continue support fixed route and timetabled bus services that are not financially sustainable through our bus service revenue support budget. Support provide for these services will be aligned to our LTP policies and priorities.

Figure 3: Digitally enabled DRT rollout proposed phasing

Map to be included in final version

Longer term transformation of networks through Bus Rapid Transit and other measures

Due to the geography and rurality of North Yorkshire and the limited scale of urban areas in the county, it is considered that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) schemes involving significant new infrastructure would not be suitable for delivery within this BSIP. However we recognise that there is no set definition of BRT and many of the principles, such as high frequency services, fast and direct routes, high specification vehicles and enhanced customer amenities can be applied to conventional bus services without the need for dedicated infrastructure. As highlighted in the earlier case study in this BSIP and in the National Bus Strategy itself, North Yorkshire has one of the best examples of this in service 36 between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds, which provides BRT levels of service using existing public roads.

Through the BSIP we will deliver the following:

· Identify a series of measures on key corridors where bus priority measures can be implemented and in turn support the operation of BRT-style services (see figure 2 earlier in this section).

Summary

The following figure shows the relationship between the objectives of this Bus Service Improvement Plan and the National Bus Strategy objectives:

Figure 4: BSIP and NBS objectives relationship

Customer Charter – Draft

All passengers have legal rights when travelling by bus, these rights are not affected by this customer charter (provide links to relevant legal docs)

We commit to providing the following for all passengers:

1. To provide services which are accessible and inclusive. Buses that operate North Yorkshire’s regular bus services are accessible for wheelchair users or for customers who find walking difficult. Our drivers will kneel the bus upon request to reduce the stepping distance from the kerbside to the bus, or they will lower the ramp. All North Yorkshire bus drivers are trained to recognise Journey Assistance Cards which help customers with disabilities to discretely alert our drivers to their individual needs.

2. To create a clean, safe and secure travelling environment secure. We want you to feel safe whilst travelling with us on North Yorkshire’s buses, and whilst waiting for our services at North Yorkshire’s bus stations and stops. We’ll work closely with industry partners and the police, and we’ll have CCTV on all our buses and at bus stations. All bus stations, stops and buses will be cleaned regularly.

3. To help you plan your journey with us. We’ll provide up to date and accurate information about North Yorkshire’s buses. We’ll ensure all timetables are available through a dedicated area wide North Yorkshire website as well as Traveline by telephoning 0871 200 2233 and online at www.traveline.info with at least two weeks’ notice in advance of any changes.

4. To provide up to date information. We’ll have timetables in cases at most bus stations and stops as well as having timetable information online in a printable format. Each operator will have details of their Day, Week and longer period tickets on their websites. High frequency bus stops will also benefit from the provision of E-INK technology and information provision.

5. To help you along your journey. We’ll have clearly labelled stops with bus stop flags, information at these stops to show which services depart from them, and real-time information at bus stations and key stops along each route. When a service is delayed, individual operators will communicate this on their social media feeds. On North Yorkshire’s buses we’ll have route numbers and destinations clearly displayed.

6. To provide a reliable service you can trust. We’ll endeavour to run all services to time, and where external factors affect our performance, we’ll mitigate any delays and minimise disruption to our customers wherever possible. We’ll monitor how punctual our services are, and when we find a journey is routinely delayed, we’ll adjust the timetable with at least two weeks’ notice.

7. To provide excellent customer service. Our team will warmly welcome you on board our services and help you with any queries you may have. They are approachable and will be on hand to assist you with any enquiries.

8. To listen and improve our services where required. If customers wish to submit feedback or a formal complaint, customers can contact XXXX by post, email or via social medal channels. XXXX will aim to respond to complaints within 14 days. Details of the complaints procedure can be found online through the dedicated North Yorkshire area website.

Reporting

Following DfT guidance, performance against the BSIP targets will be updated on a six monthly basis. The BSIP targets will be published [insert URL].

We understand that BSIPs are designed to be living documents. As such they can be altered and republished if as a partnership with our local bus operators we feel that this is necessary.  In any event, as a partnership we will review and where necessary revise this document on an annual basis to ensure that it remains relevant and working as intended or we will amend it to ensure that there is greater success for the following period. Where the document has been reviewed and revised, the revisions as an updated BSIP document will be resubmitted to the DfT

Overview Table

To be included in final version

Appendix A: network Maps

To be included in final version

Appendix b: finically supported services

To be included in final version

Appendix c: Draft information Strategy

To be included in final version

Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics

(Form updated April 2019)

National Bus Strategy

If you would like this information in another language or format such as Braille, large print or audio, please contact the Communications Unit on 01609 53 2013 or email communications@northyorks.gov.uk.

Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are public documents.  EIAs accompanying reports going to County Councillors for decisions are published with the committee papers on our website and are available in hard copy at the relevant meeting.  To help people to find completed EIAs we also publish them in the Equality and Diversity section of our website.  This will help people to see for themselves how we have paid due regard in order to meet statutory requirements. 

Name of Directorate and Service Area	Business and Environmental Services Integrated Passenger Transport
Lead Officer and contact details	Cathy Knight cathy.knight@northyorks.gov.uk
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA	Tony Law Tony.law@northyorks.gov.uk
How will you pay due regard? e.g. working group, individual officer	Officers will consider the council’s equality duty and be mindful of the impact and potential effects of any proposed changes in fees and charges to people with any of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010, or NYCC’s additional agreed characteristics throughout the proposals considers North Yorkshire County Council’s response to the National Bus Strategy.
When did the due regard process start?	April 2021
Section 1. Please describe briefly what this EIA is about. (e.g. are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, stopping doing something?) The National Bus Strategy sets out some requirements for local transport authorities: •           By the end of June 2021 all Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) (except MCAs which have started the statutory process of franchising bus services) to commit to establishing Enhanced Partnerships •           By the end of October 2021 all LTAs to publish a local Bus Service Improvement Plan The proposals consider North Yorkshire County Council’s response.
Section 2. Why is this being proposed? What are the aims? What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (e.g. to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.) To ensure that the council responds appropriately to the recently issued National Bus Strategy.
Section 3. What will change? What will be different for customers and/or staff? At the council’s 22 June Executive meeting a report was presented that proposal considered North Yorkshire County Council’s response to the National Bus Strategy.  The report contained a number of options for consideration: •           Franchising •           Enhanced Partnership •           ‘Do Nothing’ •           A combination of two of the above The meeting approved the option of Enhanced Partnership as the preferred option and agreed Notice of Intent to Prepare an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Schemes could be published.  As detailed in the National Bus Strategy the council now must prepare a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) by the end of October 2021.  The North Yorkshire BSIP is expected to set out how the Enhanced Partnership will deliver an ambitious vision for travel by bus, meeting the goals and expectations in the National Bus Strategy. This Equalities Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.
Section 4. Involvement and consultation (What involvement and consultation has been done regarding the proposal and what are the results? What consultation will be needed and how will it be done?) Consultation and engagement is ongoing with local bus service operators.  Key stakeholders have been informed that a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Schemes has been published.  Further contact will be made with key stakeholders to request any ambitions, aspirations or schemes they feel should be included in the North Yorkshire BSIP.  The council’s Citizens Panel will be surveyed. Further consultation will take place ahead of publication of an Enhanced Partnership Plan.

Section 5. What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs? There are no financial impacts to the council in relation at this stage.  Further financial information will be set out in a future report, seeking approval to submit a Bus Service Improvement Plan to Government.  To date, the Department for Transport have provided a £100k flat payment to assist local authorities towards progressing an Enhanced Partnership or franchising arrangement. This Equalities Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.
Section 6. How will this proposal affect people with protected characteristics?	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
Age		x		People aged under 30 and over 60 usually make proportionally more bus trips per person than other age groups.
Disability		x		No specific data available but it is possible that some groups of people with a disability are less likely to hold a full driving licence compared to someone without a disability.  There is potential that some blue badge holders could be more independent and less reliant on partners/carers if the proposals deliver bus service improvements.
Sex		x		No current specific data available but historic data has suggested that women make more bus trips than men.  The proposals are likely to benefit younger women with young children and older lone women. Women are also less likely to have access to a car.
Race	x			No evidence of impact on grounds of race.
Gender reassignment	x			No evidence of impact on grounds of gender reassignment.
Sexual orientation	x			No evidence of impact on grounds of sexual orientation.
Religion or belief	x			No evidence of impact on grounds of religion or belief.
Pregnancy or maternity	x			No evidence of impact on grounds of pregnancy or maternity.
Marriage or civil partnership	x			No evidence of impact on grounds of marriage or civil partnership.

Section 7. How will this proposal affect people who…	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
..live in a rural area?		x		Accessing services can be problematic for people living in rural areas, for example lack of transport is often cited as a barrier to accessing employment by people living in rural areas.
…have a low income?		x		People on low income are less likely to have access to a car and are therefore likely to be more reliant on using buses.
…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?		x		No evidence of impact on grounds of people who are carers (unpaid family or friend).  However, more bus services, or more frequent bus services could benefit carers with limited access to transport.

Section 8. Geographic impact – Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply)
North Yorkshire wide	x
Craven district
Hambleton district
Harrogate district
Richmondshire district
Ryedale district
Scarborough district
Selby district
If you have ticked one or more districts, will specific town(s)/village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below.

Section 9. Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (e.g. older women or young gay men) State what you think the effect may be and why, providing evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.

· Older women

· Younger women with young children

· People on low income living in rural areas particularly women

· Women living in rural areas

· Disabled people living in rural areas

· Disabled people on low income

Most people living in rural areas will be positively impacted.

Section 10. Next steps to address the anticipated impact. Select one of the following options and explain why this has been chosen. (Remember: we have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can access services and work for us)	Tick option chosen
1. No adverse impact - no major change needed to the proposal. There is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact identified.	x
2. Adverse impact - adjust the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We will change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, or we will achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people.
3. Adverse impact - continue the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We cannot change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, nor can we achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people. (There must be compelling reasons for continuing with proposals which will have the most adverse impacts. Get advice from Legal Services)
4. Actual or potential unlawful discrimination - stop and remove the proposal – The EIA identifies actual or potential unlawful discrimination. It must be stopped.
Explanation of why option has been chosen. (Include any advice given by Legal Services.) A number of options were considered at the council’s 22 June Executive meeting: •           Franchising •           Enhanced Partnership •           ‘Do Nothing’ •           A combination of two of the above The meeting approved the option of Enhanced Partnership as the preferred option.  The council will now need to prepare a BSIP and Enhanced Partnership Plan and schemes.  The BSIP is expected to set out how the Enhanced Partnership will deliver an ambitious vision for travel by bus, meeting the goals and expectations in the National Bus Strategy. This option should have the potential for no adverse impact and could result in making things better for people with protected characteristics.  This Equalities Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.
Section 11. If the proposal is to be implemented, how will you find out how it is really affecting people? (How will you monitor and review the changes?) · Monitor correspondence and complaints following the introduction of any changes · Monitoring of the services through on-going contract management · Feedback from users, operators, Parish Councils, County Councillors and other · stakeholders

Section 12. Action plan. List any actions you need to take which have been identified in this EIA, including post implementation review to find out how the outcomes have been achieved in practice and what impacts there have actually been on people with protected characteristics.
Action	Lead	By when	Progress	Monitoring arrangements
Monitor bus patronage usage	Operator/contract manager	Ongoing	Ongoing	Through normal business processes
Monitor ENCTS usage	Operator/contract manager	Ongoing	Ongoing	Through normal business processes
Section 13. Summary Summarise the findings of your EIA, including impacts, recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker. As part of the council’s response to the National Bus Strategy a number of options were considered at the council’s 22 June Executive meeting: •           Franchising •           Enhanced Partnership •           ‘Do Nothing’ •           A combination of two of the above The meeting approved the option of Enhanced Partnership as the preferred option.  The council will now need to prepare a BSIP and Enhanced Partnership Plan and schemes.  The BSIP is expected to set out how the Enhanced Partnership will deliver an ambitious vision for travel by bus, meeting the goals and expectations in the National Bus Strategy. This option should have the potential for no adverse impact and could result in making things better for people with protected characteristics.  This Equalities Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.
Section 14. Sign off section This full EIA was completed by: Name: Cathy Knight Job title: Commercial Sector Service Development Manager Directorate: Business and Environmental Services Signature: Completion date: 28/07/2021 Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature): Date:

Climate change impact assessment                                                                                                                         

The purpose of this assessment is to help us understand the likely impacts of our decisions on the environment of North Yorkshire and on our aspiration to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030, or as close to that date as possible. The intention is to mitigate negative effects and identify projects which will have positive effects.

This document should be completed in consultation with the supporting guidance. The final document will be published as part of the decision making process and should be written in Plain English.

If you have any additional queries which are not covered by the guidance please email climatechange@northyorks.gov.uk

Title of proposal	National Bus Strategy
Brief description of proposal	The National Bus Strategy sets out some requirements for local transport authorities: •           By the end of June 2021 all Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) (except MCAs which have started the statutory process of franchising bus services) to commit to establishing Enhanced Partnerships •           By the end of October 2021 all LTAs to publish a local Bus Service Improvement Plan The proposals considers North Yorkshire County Council’s response.
Directorate	Business and Environmental Services
Service area	Transport, Waste and Countryside Services
Lead officer	Cathy Knight
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the impact assessment	None
Date impact assessment started	April 2021

Options appraisal

Were any other options considered in trying to achieve the aim of this project? If so, please give brief details and explain why alternative options were not progressed.

At the council’s 22 June Executive meeting a report was presented that proposal considered North Yorkshire County Council’s response to the National Bus Strategy.  The report contained a number of options for consideration:

•           Franchising

•           Enhanced Partnership

•           ‘Do Nothing’

•           A combination of two of the above

The meeting approved the option of Enhanced Partnership as the preferred option and agreed Notice of Intent to Prepare an Enhanced Partnership Plan and Schemes could be published.  As detailed in the National Bus Strategy the council now must prepare a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) by the end of October 2021.  The North Yorkshire BSIP is expected to set out how the Enhanced Partnership will deliver an ambitious vision for travel by bus, meeting the goals and expectations in the National Bus Strategy.

This Climate Change Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.

What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?

Please explain briefly why this will be the result, detailing estimated savings or costs where this is possible.

There are no financial impacts to the council in relation at this stage.  Further financial information will be set out in a future report, seeking approval to submit a Bus Service Improvement Plan to Government.  To date, the Department for Transport have provided a £100k flat payment to assist local authorities towards progressing an Enhanced Partnership or franchising arrangement.

This Climate Change Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.

How will this proposal impact on the environment? N.B. There may be short term negative impact and longer term positive impact. Please include all potential impacts over the lifetime of a project and provide an explanation.		Positive impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant)	No impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant)	Negative impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant)	Explain why will it have this effect and over what timescale? Where possible/relevant please include: · Changes over and above business as usual · Evidence or measurement of effect · Figures for CO2e · Links to relevant documents	Explain how you plan to mitigate any negative impacts.	Explain how you plan to improve any positive outcomes as far as possible.
Minimise greenhouse gas emissions e.g. reducing emissions from travel, increasing energy efficiencies etc.	Emissions from travel	X			The North Yorkshire BSIP is expected to set out how the Enhanced Partnership will deliver an ambitious vision for travel by bus, meeting the goals and expectations in the National Bus Strategy.  This could result in modal shift from car to bus therefore reducing emissions from travel. This Climate Change Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.
	Emissions from construction		X		No impact at this stage.  This Climate Change Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.
	Emissions from running of buildings		X		No impact anticipated at this stage.
	Other		X		No impact anticipated at this stage.
Minimise waste: Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost e.g. reducing use of single use plastic			X		No impact anticipated at this stage.
Reduce water consumption			X		No impact anticipated at this stage.
Minimise pollution (including air, land, water, light and noise)		X			The North Yorkshire BSIP is expected to set out how the Enhanced Partnership will deliver an ambitious vision for travel by bus, meeting the goals and expectations in the National Bus Strategy.  This could result in modal shift from car to bus therefore reduce air and noise pollution.
Ensure resilience to the effects of climate change e.g. reducing flood risk, mitigating effects of drier, hotter summers			X		No impact anticipated at this stage.
Enhance conservation and wildlife			X		No impact anticipated at this stage.
Safeguard the distinctive characteristics, features and special qualities of North Yorkshire’s landscape			X		No impact anticipated at this stage.
Other (please state below)			X		No impact anticipated at this stage.

Are there any recognised good practice environmental standards in relation to this proposal? If so, please detail how this proposal meets those standards.

Not currently aware of any good practice environmental standards relating to this proposal.

Summary Summarise the findings of your impact assessment, including impacts, the recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.

As part of the council’s response to the National Bus Strategy a number of options were considered at the council’s 22 June Executive meeting:

•           Franchising

•           Enhanced Partnership

•           ‘Do Nothing’

•           A combination of two of the above

The meeting approved the option of Enhanced Partnership as the preferred option.  The council will now need to prepare a BSIP and Enhanced Partnership Plan and schemes.  The BSIP is expected to set out how the Enhanced Partnership will deliver an ambitious vision for travel by bus, meeting the goals and expectations in the National Bus Strategy.  This option should have the potential for no adverse impact and could result in modal shift from car to bus therefore reduced car use and therefore reduced emissions from travel, and reduced air and noise pollution.

It is anticipated that there will be minimal, if any, impact on waste, water consumption, resilience, conservation and distinctive features and special qualities of North Yorkshire’s landscape. 

This Climate Change Impact Assessment will need to be reviewed and refreshed throughout the proposal work.

Sign off section

This climate change impact assessment was completed by:

Name	Cathy Knight
Job title	Commercial Sector Service Development Manager
Service area	Transport, Waste and Countryside Services
Directorate	Business and Environmental Services
Signature	Cathy Knight
Completion date	14/07/2021

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature):

Date:

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[1] Community Transport Association (2019) Community Transport and Shared Mobility https://como.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Martin-Higgitt_community-transport-and-shared-mobility_issue27031.pdf

[2] BBC News North Yorkshire coast 'among most visited destinations' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-36459746

[3] North York Moors National Park Tourism https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/looking-after/advice-and-grants/tourism

[4] Yorkshire Dales National Park Tourism Facts and Figures https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/park-authority/living-and-working/tourism-in-the-dales/for-local-businesses/tourism-facts-and-figures/