Agenda item - Buses in Brighton & Hove

Presentation by Mike Best, Operations Director Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Co Ltd

39.1 Mike Best, Operations Director of Brighton & Hove Buses, gave a presentation. The national Go-Ahead Group plc owned Brighton & Hove Buses and had a policy of using local brand names, unlike Stagecoach, another national bus operator that arguably was a better known brand name across the UK. Mr Best outlined the company’s operations, services and vehicles including luxury coaches, vintage buses and City Sightseeing tours.

39.2 All the routes had to ‘stack up’ commercially, so that investment could be made into vehicles and services. Other than concessionary fares and partial rebate of fuel duty, bus routes had to ‘stand or fall’ depending on income from fares alone.

39.3 Of the company’s 35 or so routes, only five groups (including As,Bs, etc) – numbers 1,5,7,25 and 49 represented as much as half of the company’s business. The number 29, providing a half-hourly service to Tunbridge Wells and number 12 service to Eastbourne every 10 minutes, were popular routes.

39.4 Bus passengers valued most, the frequency of bus services. Along the coast road towards Telscombe Cliffs both reliability and usage had increased hugely since the introduction of bus lanes. Previously arrival times could vary by as much as 25 minutes or more. But there had been a 57% increase in the number of morning peak bus journeys and now, research showed that some 36% of travellers along that route into Brighton use only 0.7% of the vehicles.

39.5 Bus lanes had been developed piecemeal in different areas of the City starting in 1991; and that enabled better traffic management and improved bus services. Bus lanes made a ‘step change’ to the reliability of buses, resulting in increased usage and creating a system that was now ‘fantastic’ he said.

39.6 New government funding to the City Council amounting to nearly £4million would be used for further improvements, in Lewes Road from Elm Grove up to Falmer.

39.7 Working in partnership had been a key factor in progress not only on bus lanes, but also on other infrastructure such as raised kerbs and bus shelters. Early adoption of talking bus stops and real time bus information signs and systems, were prime examples of this. Joint working had led to successful funding applications to LSTF, Better Bus Area Fund and the Green Bus Fund.

39.8 Mr Best described the company’s bus vehicles, one fifteenth of which were replaced each year. He gave details of how exhaust emissions were going down in recent years amounting to 98% reduction in the case of particulates, for instance. Two hybrid buses at present ran on route number 7. The Green Bus Fund was being used to introduce 11 more hybrid vehicles, on routes 7 and 28.

39.9 The Key card system introduced first in 2011 for University students, could now be used by everyone to buy the cheapest bus fares online at www.buses.co.uk.

39.10 With regard to supported bus services, tenders were to be returned next week and the outcome was expected in June or July. Mr Best listed the current services supported either partly (such as a section of a route or at certain times) or in full. He re-iterated that commercial routes depended on income from fares. The Local Authority would look to fill gaps such as school buses and links between estates.

39.11 Mr Best welcomed suggestions for improvements to services; good ideas came from discussions with bus users, he said. In reply to a question from Kat Pearce of Age UK B&H on the level of bus fares, Mr Best said Brighton fares were ‘not bad’ in comparison with other areas of the UK. The structure of bus operations in Europe was similar to London in that the local authority designs the networks and issues contracts. More was spent per head on buses in London, albeit indirectly via taxes, than the cost of an annual bus pass in Brighton & Hove and in addition, the passenger still had to pay the fare via an Oyster card. A bus route in London was less dependent on a high level of use, he said.

39.12 He outlined the significant financial implications of a cut in the fuel duty rebate from 1 April and fuel duty rise this autumn.

39.13 The aim was to increase the number of bus passengers. It was difficult to keep prices to minimum, but by using the Key on-line, passengers would not be paying an increased fare this year. Answering a question on how to help visitors and others eg those without access to the Internet to get cheaper fares, Mr Best said this was being considered.

39.14 The Older People’s Council heard answers to questions on bus services in Bristol Estate, problems caused by road works in Ditchling Road, and traffic surveys showing whether there was a need for extra buses in Lewes Road.

39.15 The Chair Jack Hazelgrove thanked Mr Best for his presentation and for answering questions.