Meeting report for Tuesday, October 1st 2013 at Halesworth Town Council Chamber, London Road. Follow-up information and comment in italics.
Attending:
MS Malcolm Smith: Halesworth Town Council Transport Officer
AD Cllr Annette Dunning: Chair of Halesworth Town Council
TG Trevor Garrod: Chair of ESTA
DA Derek Abbey: Bungay Town Council Transport Advisor
ST Cllr Simon Tobin: Mayor of Southwold Town Council
NB Cllr Nat Bocking: Halesworth Town Council, HACT, Halesworth Bicycle Team (chair)
1. Apologies were received from Peter Aldous MP, Sue Doy: Southwold Town Council, Nicky Elliot: Beccles Town Council, Brenda Roberts: Southwold bus user
4. Situation reports:
a. The ESTA public transport service complaint log will be collated by Peter Cogan and so a summary report of issues/trends could be available by ESTA's next meeting on 12/10/13.
ESTA MONITOR - If your train or bus does not do what it says in the timetable - such as not waiting for a connection or (in the case of a bus) taking the wrong route let ESTA know by e-mail monitor@eastsuffolktravel.org.uk or write to ESTA Monitor, 3 Bury Hill, Woodbridge, IP12 1LF
b. Derek Abbey reported general good news from Bungay. The 88 service has been restored to a level it was before the cuts. Shelters for the stops near the pool, serving the large numbers of schoolchildren from Halesworth on the 88 are being installed. DA has discussed ongoing improvements with Philip Eden (new operations manager Anglian Buses) and flagged to them errors in new timetables but is pleased to notice that route timings suggested last year appear to be incorporated in their new timetables. DA is designing map/timetable for the one bus stop owned by the town council. NB suggested that DA contact ITO World in Ipswich who can cheaply produce maps and graphics from the Naptan and timetable databases.
Passenger Transport magazine had a report on this tool: http://www.passengertransport.co.uk/2013/09/a-shop-window-for-bus-services/
c. Councillor Simon Tobin, mayor of Southwold, gave an update on the impact of the Southwold Shuttle service. It started on the 4th May 2013 and is now serving around 42 passengers per day, six days a week with a 7 passenger van with volunteer drivers and occasional 'bus buddy' to support passengers. Anecdotal evidence is that some elderly residents (one is 92) are now getting out more. It has enabled Reydon residents to access services in Southwold and vice-versa. Usage is likely to increase with opening of the Healthy Living Centre on the route and changing to a 16 passenger vehicle is contemplated. Residents of Oaklands residental home have asked for the shuttle bus to call regularly on Fridays. NB suggested it should be checked if a timetable variation has to be registered but it may not be necessary. Timings to connect to the 520 bus service meeting trains in Halesworth will be maintained as usage by tourists is encouraged. Fare is £1 or £3 all day and bus passes are accepted.
Members from Halesworth noted that this service joined with the hourly 520 makes a good offer to tourists and it could positively impact intermediate stops such as Blythburgh and Wenhaston as visitors (esp. with bus passes) might stop off to visit churches or pubs or take walks on their way to the Southwold pier or harbour entirely on public transport.
NB gave ST feedback which Southwold residents had made to him as GGTP chair that after the demolishing of the bus shelter at the market place, passengers are unsure of where they should wait for the shuttle bus. This also applies to the Harbour area. ST responded to a suggestion of 'lollipops' that it has been already actioned by STC with an approach to a disability employment charity to make signs.
d. General discussion: While there had been complaints about the Anglian Bus timetable changes (such as those brought to Halesworth Town Council on September 2nd) but across the board, those at the table reported there had been service improvements in other areas too. The replacement of roadside timetables by SCC does not appear to have happened yet on many stops.
It was noticed that some of the drivers notorious on certain routes for a poor attitude towards passengers appear to have been assigned elsewhere but there still one or two on buses serving Halesworth. One elderly passenger well known to GGTP has become very reluctant to use a particular bus because of a particular driver known to many. But in cheerfulness and politeness, the new drivers now on the 88A route are a great improvement.
It was reported there were some failures of Anglian's school buses to turn up early in September but that seems to have settled down now.
GGTP will welcome the information of people's complaints because it may be able to collectively advise on actions that can be taken but specific service issues ought to be raised by first writing to the operators and also copied to ESTA to become a matter of record. Where infrastructure is concerned (such as shelters) that should also be sent to town clerks for the benefit of the councillors. It is harder for GGTP to take up service complaints with operators if those operators haven't been informed in the first instance. In cases of an employee's general demeanour, or an unreliable service, consistent documentation is essential.
There was also discussion about the publishing dates of SCC combined timetables being out of sync with the operators and the distribution of new timetables taking time to reach the various outlets so adding to confusion. Derek Abbey checks on stocks at the library and the Chocolate Box in Bungay and finds that SCC and Anglian do send them out on request and any civic-minded people should be encouraged to do so in their locality.
e. Cllr Dunning and Malcolm Smith, transport officer for Halesworth, reported the creation of a bus station at the Angel Link in Halesworth was expected to begin in October with the addition of four cycle stands. The stops on Saxon's Way would be moved with the Jubilee shelter re-sited. The walking distance from there to the Thoroughfare would now be shorter and safer. Buses could wait there on breaks and the drivers would have access to the public conveniences of the Angel Hotel, thus reducing the nuisance of drivers taking breaks parked up elsewhere without such facilities. Coach operators need to be advised there is parking now.
5. Nat Bocking described the proposed HACT application for grant funding for ‘Handy Bus’ service to Halesworth for outlying villages. This application needs expressions of interest and evidence of need from communities/hamlets around Halesworth who can't access the services being provided in Halesworth such as the Halesworth Day Centre and other essential services tackling social need or rural isolation, which the grant funding wants to target. This would refine and build upon trials of a service model previously operated in Peasenhall in 2010 and Laxfield in 2011 to fill a gap between the community car services and unassisted public transport. It would enable better distribution of resources to reach those in need and also enable communities to provide transport for themselves on a charter basis, as is done in Walberswick. Cllr Tobin offered to investigate whether there were people in Southwold that could have their needs met in Halesworth. The discussion moved into merits of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) and what evidence there was that it served rural areas successfully and was giving good value. Nat Bocking pointed to research http://oro.open.ac.uk/19345/1/ that found systems integration across operators was essential but the current booking system often required passengers to book two separate journeys to cross service boundaries.
TG offered to write to SCC on behalf of ESTA to enquire further.
SCC councillor Colin Hart (then with the transport portfolio) reported to Cabinet in May 2012 the SCC Scrutiny Committee had concluded that the DRT service is doing very well and that they had had good feedback from users.
However, on referral from SCC in August 2013, a Community Action Suffolk CDO dealt with a lengthy and detailed complaint about DRT from a parent of 4 children solely dependent on DRT to get them to school. They were unable to make bookings more than a few days in advance and felt the operator was ‘rationing’ service to them and not providing the two trips a day they needed for four passengers, whom they felt should get priority.
According to the SCTF meeting of September 11th, SCC has now withdrawn its support of the Mobisoft booking system (adoption for DRT announced in 2010).
9. A.O.B.
a. Derek Abbey reported on the Car Free Day on 22nd September organised by Sustainable Bungay where Anglian buses carried 21 passengers on a special Sunday service and there were cycling and walking activities. Many at the meeting were aware of this event through social media but apparently there was some sort of foul-up with press advertising the free bus service.
b. Cllr Bocking reported on his twitter dialogue with Greater Anglia. Two weeks ago he found their website offered a new print-at-home ticket option which has since disappeared. He has raised with them that Halesworth station only has 2000 less passengers boarding per year than Beccles but did not get a ticket machine installed in a recent round of improvements though Beccles did. Cllr Dunning reports that Halesworth passengers have been able to take the online email confirmation with them to board the train and collect the ticket at their destination i.e. Ipswich or Liverpool Street. Cllr Bocking considered these ad-hoc and unpublicised arrangements do not serve the tourist nor those without access to a computer printer (those going online in a cafe or hotel) or those without internet access to obtain advance purchase tickets.
Telephone buyers for Greater Anglia tickets pay 10p per minute or up to 40p per minute on mobiles and have an additional £6 delivery charge and require 2 working days.
Railwatch magazine reported issue 136 July 2013 that the Office of Rail Regulation has published station usage statistics for 2011-12 which show significant usage increases on the East Suffolk Line since the introduction of hourly services, 27% at Melton, 8% at Saxmundham. A footfall count at Halesworth will be carried out (or has been?) by the local branch of Railfuture later this year.
Date of next meeting, December 3rd, 2013, 10.30 am in the Halesworth Town Council Chamber, London Road.
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