Letter to MP about bus franchising in Birmingham

Dear ,

I read a report in the Birmingham Post today:
http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/birmingham-business-news/businesslatest/2011/06/30/rail-coach-and-bus-sales-drive-national-express-rise-65233-28969859/
which states in very factual terms that National Express have had a
good year and driven up profits 6%. It then goes on to say that they
did this primarily by charging passengers more (increasing the price
of travelcards 20% at a time of great financial uncertainty for the
people who rely most on the bus) and by cutting rural or less-popular
services (again, hitting the poorest hardest).

However, NXWM can get away with this as they run the vast majority of
bus services in Birmingham and commercial competition is practically
zero. Buses are important to people in this city (up to 1 million
journeys per day according to NXWM's own literature) and those without
access to cars, such as students, pensioners, and poorer households,
rely on them the most. Surely the operator of such a vital public
service shouldn't be allowed to hold the city to ransom for the sake
of increasing its profits?

Labour introduced the Local Transport Act in 2008 which allows
transport bodies such as Centro to specify the routes and fares which
should be run in an area, and to allow bus operators to bid for the
exclusive right to run services on these routes. Bad operators can be
fined if they fail on punctuality or fail to bring in agreed
improvements. London was spared the disastrous deregulation of buses
which occured during the Major years, and bus travel has continued to
increase in that time far beyond the growth levels seen in Birmingham
and other deregulated areas. However, Centro have continuously ignored
these powers, preferring to work on a voluntary partnership basis
which has led to a monopoly commercial operator holding the city to
ransom, and frustratingly slow take-up of new technology (which is now
standard in other areas of the country) such as smart card ticketing,
reliable real-time bus information, and audible announcements of the
next stop.

Franchising of bus routes in Birmingham would be fairer for
passengers, and fairer for other bus operators who are currently
effectively shut out due to NXWM's monopoly. I would urge you to look
further into this issue and do whatever you can to ensure the people
of Birmingham can travel to work, college, and the hospital without
being held to ransom by an out-of-control monopolistic operator.

Best regards,

Mark Rowan

Birmingham Oyster cards on their way!

According to Centro the roll-out of smartcard ticketing machines on all the West Midlands buses* is now complete. Currently the card readers can only be used by national Concessionary passes, but plans for paid Oyster-style ticketing are apparently in the pipeline.

Optimistically, it looks as if Centro might even be implementing some of the policies which I called for in my previous post: "passengers [will] pre-load their card with cash which is then deducted as it is used on the public transport network, regardless of which bus company’s service they get on", indicating that the card will indeed be an integrated Network West Midlands-branded product rather than simply directly deducting different amounts electronic cash depending on which bus operator's vehicle a passenger gets on. The other piece of good news is that Centro "are also looking at giving Smartcard holders discounted fares" just like in London, which will be a massive boost for the ever-increasingly squeezed West Midlands public transport users.

Let's just hope the roll-out occurs trouble-free, and before the short-sighted Tory cuts to bus services drives a critical mass of passengers away from public transport forever.



*Except for the smaller companies with rather dodgy-looking and shabby buses who, presumably, are just there to make money off the Concessionary scheme by under-cutting the established bus operators.

West Midlands Smartcard

According to this story, now one third of the buses in the West Midlands are fitted with Smartcard machines as part of the project to get the bus, metro and rail networks all onto Oyster card-style ticketing systems. This is fantastic news for passengers in the region, but at the moment in this trial phase the readers only accept free national concessionary passes.

When the times comes for letting the wider public use paid-for smartcard technology, there are some serious considerations which Centro must make regarding how the issue of pay-as-you-go fare charging will be tackled.

Obviously the easiest solution in terms of implementation of a fare structure would be simply to use the smartcard as a stored-value ticket, and subtract each journey's current cash fare from the balance on every use of the card. However I would strongly encourage against this for a number of reasons:

• This does nothing to address the current unacceptable situation where bus fares are different, and unpredictable, depending on which operator a passenger uses and at what time of day, and which leads to passengers avoiding catching certain buses simply because they are run by the "wrong" operator. I strongly believe that individual operators' fares should not be taken into account for the smartcard; the product should strictly be a "Network West Midlands" travel smartcard, as this will present a much more coherent product to potential passengers.
• Fares should be capped more intelligently than simply at a daily limit. e.g. A day's usage should be capped at the price of an nBus/nTrain/nNetwork daily smartcard rate, but if sufficient days' travel are undertaken during a week, the daily caps within that week should be replaced with the equivalent weekly ticket. Similarly, if enough days/weeks are used in any given month, the monthly rate should be charged instead. This will enable infrequent passengers to truly feel they can trust the smartcard product to give them value for money, instead of worrying in advance whether or not they need to purchase a one-off weekly/monthly ticket and whether they will get full usage out of it if they do so.
• Use of public transport in the region is liable to increase with the added convenience of using a smartcard instead of requiring potential passengers to hunt for change or queue to buy tickets. Additionally the requirement to swipe a smartcard rather than flash a strip of paper to the bus driver will lead to a reduction in the current high levels of fraud seen on the region's buses. Incorporating the above recommendations will also lead to much greater uptake of the product by people who would not otherwise consider using the transport network (just look at the number of pay-as-you-go Oyster cards now in use in London). This increase in passenger volume should be reflected in lower overall fares for smartcard users, just like in London, with cash fares remaining as the most expensive option.

At the moment I fear that Centro will just take the easy option and give us a poor excuse for an integrated smartcard ticketing system which basically just replaces cash with an electronic card and gives passengers no other benefits. What is really needed is a London-style universal fare structure and, ultimately, proper franchising of bus services to ensure that operators are not competing against each other and the trains and metro in a free-for-all at the basic passenger level, but at the more appropriate level of bidding against each other to run pre-determined routes.

Petrol prices

Petrol prices set for record high, says AA  (BBC News).

Petrol prices are not too high if they encourage people to get out of their cars and walk, cycle, or use public transport wherever possible. This country needs a sustainable transport future. Blindly following the American way with 30+ million drivers simultaneously exercising their "right" to use their cars on this small island for every little trip will lead to spiralling congestion, pollution, and numbers of road accidents, not to mention fuelling the obesity problem.

Rant over -- discuss :)

Cyclestreets

Here's a fantastic website for searching for safe, quiet alternative cycling routes between any two points in the country. It's based on OpenStreetMap so the coverage for Birmingham is very good, and much better than Google Maps as it takes into account footpaths, cycle tracks, traffic levels, and even gives you a 'hilliness' overview: http://www.cyclestreets.net

I've tried a few of my usual routes to various places on the journey planner and already found a number of alternatives or small adjustments I can use, to make my commute that little bit less hellish and avoid some of the worst motor traffic blackspots.

Now all I'd like is a GPS-enabled version as an application on my Nokia... please? :)

Bus regulation is back

Hooray! I had no idea this was even in the pipeline, but according to The Times our local authorities now have the power to force bus companies into line through quality contracts for routes, fares, timetables, and technological enhancements (including introducing cashless smart cards such as Oyster) in a move which "reverses the deregulation of the bus industry by the Conservative Government in the 1980s" -- much like the current system in London where routes and the contracts to run them are drawn up by the council, and operators bid to run the services under their terms.

Hopefully now we'll finally begin to see some joined-up bus networks which truly integrate with each other and with other transport modes, and we can finally leave behind the ridiculous situation where passengers have to stand back and let buses going to their destination pass by simply because they're the wrong colour!

Oh, and Oyster cards for the rest of the country would be nice too :)

Metro Development

After my post on the new Midland Metro extension proposal I asked Centro about their confidence in the new proposals. Judging by their response they seem pretty up-beat about the chances of success this time around. Maybe after 10 years of swimming upstream against Government policies which discriminate against trams it looks like we may at last be on the cusp of achieving a tram network to be proud of in the West Midlands.

Metro Development

Thank you for your email regarding the future Metro development projects to bring more tram services to the streets of the West Midlands.

It was very encouraging to read that you fully support our proposals.  Please follow the link below to our press release earlier this year, which sets out exactly what Centro is proposing:

http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/
A6C15BB3-13D3-97AA-
2D049A95F30F7EA0/cnt/1/ref/main/type/news%20releases/ses/1.cfm

The decision to give this scheme the go-ahead is due in the new year and this decision will be taken by the Department for Transport (DfT). Centro are confident that the bid is extremely robust and that we have done everything possible to explain the benefits to the DfT of this scheme.  Once a decision has been reached, I can assure you this will be widely publicised and full details will be available from Centro at the time.

I hope the above information is helpful and would like to thank you for taking the time to contact Centro and for your interest in this project.

Midland Metro extension finally to go ahead?

It looks like the Midland Metro Line 1 extension plans are back on the table! The Metro has been running for 10 years but currently suffers from low usage, which therefore makes it appear unattractive to extend it and to give Birmingham a world-class integrated transport system such as Zurich's. This is in no small part because "Midland Metro Line 1 currently terminates at Snow Hill, short of (and beneath) the heart of the city centre. [...] Midland Metro is therefore not seen by many city centre visitors as the preferred public transport option to access city centre destinations. Indeed for many, Midland Metro is not seen at all. Being within Snow Hill Station and down an escalator the stop and the trams, the most obvious visual signal for the system, are out of sight from street level and out of mind for many." (Centro Metro Strategic Case document).


Having spent time in Zurich and other European cities I am firmly convinced that trams should form the backbone of a city's transport network, with buses and heavy rail providing the secondary support network. This is due to the tram's high visibility, which encourages people simply to hop-on and off as needed, as even when a tram is not present the tram lines in the street indicate very clearly that "this is a tram route". This makes it far easier for passengers to plan their journeys, as buses by their nature follow the winding roads of a city and its suburbs and it can be difficult to work out which buses go where, or the best locations to change buses.

With trams, passengers benefit from a relatively low (and therefore simpler) number of high-capacity routes [compare a 200-passenger tram with 50-80 seats on a bus] which are clearly denoted both on maps, due to the non-requirement to follow winding suburban roads, and of course on the streets themselves.

Centro have updated their website with details of the city centre extension we've already heard before, but with a brand new (October 2009) business case and strategy, showing a very clear proposal to bring the Metro right into the heart of Birmingham, thus making it a visible and attractive option for pedestrians and shoppers in the city centre to travel towards Wolverhampton, and indeed fulfilling the long-missing option of a transport link between Snow Hill station and the soon-to-be-redeveloped New Street station.

 
This should hopefully increase usage of the Metro by quite large levels, and in turn make future extensions along the Hagley Road, to the Airport, and elsewhere in the region more commercially viable.

The Strategy document also shows an intriguing map of a proposed "West Midlands Rapid Transit Network". It denotes the existing rail network in green, as well as the proposals for re-opening links through Kings Heath and Moseley. But also, in purple, are new 'Rapid Transit' links which appear to follow the other proposed Metro extensions on Centro's site (such as the Quinton and Brierley Hill extensions). The proposed rapid transit network appears fairly comprehensive and it will be exciting to see a modern metro system finally running on the streets of Birmingham to destinations such as the University and hospital, M5 park and ride, Merry Hill, and the Airport.

All we now have to hope is that Centro can indeed raise the required money from the Government -- never an easy task at the best of times.

(Images in this post courtesy of Centro).

High Speed rail

Muchos respect for Lord Adonis (Transport Secretary) with his very clear and convincing case for European / Japanese-style high-speed rail in the UK, as recorded at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/8361131.stm

The crux of his argument is that, to provide sufficient capacity for future generations, the UK has three options:

1) High-speed rail links between the major cities in England and Scotland, to put UK cities directly within reach of the rest of Europe
2) Massive increases in the motorway network [and therefore a massive increase in private car ownership, yet more traffic jams, and a further general decrease in the standard of living in congested cities]
3) Massive increases in domestic aviation travel

Of course, the fact that in each of the various high-speed route proposals "London to Birmingham is a given" is most welcome as well ;)

The only downside is that it's unlikely we'll see any physical progress on this before 2025 or so, which is leaving it rather late to catch up with [poorer] countries like France, Spain, and even the Netherlands, who opened their first high-speed link only recently. Despite this, the long-term nature and benefits of the project are also its strengths.

Hooray for long-termism!

Owning a car

Fuel tax, road tax, insurance, MoTs, maintenance, repairs, car park fees, resident parking permits, parking fines, congestion charges, constant surveillance, speed cameras, aggressive tailgaters, ever-rising petrol prices, road rage, stress, traffic jams in searing heat, mobile phone bans, no alcohol on a night out, tedious hours spent on motorways, and the realisation that if I lose concentration for just half a second, I could kill someone...

No, I'm giving up my car, thank you.

Bike, bus, train, and hire cars/car clubs for the times it's really necessary. Surely the better options?

Birmingham bus network map

I recently spent a lot of time searching for a definitive map of the multitude of bus services available in Birmingham, and finally came across Network West Midlands' site, which contains some very useful dowloadable bus network maps covering the entire of Birmingham and the other West Midlands bus networks.

If these are available in hard-copy pamphlet form as well, that would be very useful for planning journeys around the city!

Birmingham Oyster

Following a story run earlier in the year in the Birmingham Mail announcing that "Birmingham commuters [are] to get London-style smart cards", I wrote to Centro to enquire about the current state of this project. This was their response:

Thank you for your further email regarding the introduction of Smartcards within the Network West Midlands area.

Centro is due to implement a Smartcard system across the Network West Midlands area by December 2009 that will record journeys in a similar manner to Oyster Cards used in London, for Concessionary Travel Pass Holders Only. The current arrangement is that we provide a subsidy to operators for each journey concessionary pass holders make.

Once this system of travel has become firmly established Centro will carry out a review of their integrated ticketing strategy which will involve looking at best practices occurring across the globe, and significant market research, in order to assess local demand for this type of product. We recognise the need to introduce a simpler and flexible ticket product and are taking positive steps in order to achieve this goal.

However I must point out that fares in London are set locally by Transport for London who finances public transport in the Greater London area. Birmingham operates within a de-regulated environment and operators receive commercial income from fares charged to consumers. Agreement will have to be reached beforehand with all operators (Bus, Train & Metro) before the introduction of this
style of tickets can be considered.

Although it sounds like the powers-that-be want to see this sort of system eventually introduced to Birmingham's public transport system, I also detect hints that it's a much larger task than initially reported, and it could be years before we see anything on the scale of London's Oyster system, if ever. Although I remain hopeful, I can't help but feel pessimistic about the prospects for a truly integrated system in West Midlands, short of the council stumping up the cash to buy out all of the various operators currently fighting for fragments of the market and imposing it from the top down. Damn privatisation.

Integrated transport in Birmingham

I'm a real believer in fully-integrated public transport systems, like that found in Zurich or even London. In Zurich, trams and trains make up the bulk of people-carrying capacity on a number of main lines, and strategic bus routes link the ends and mid-points of these lines together. All fares are based on paying for the zone in which you're travelling, regardless of the mode of transport used. It's a fantastic system, and it really works, as evidenced by the incredibly low numbers of cars on the roads of the Swiss financial capital. London's system adds the highly-successful Oyster smart-card ticketing solution, meaning you can hop from one mode of transport to another at will and know that you will always pay the lowest possible fare for your journey or journeys.

Move up the road a bit to Birmingham, however, and unfortunately the picture is very different. Although the system of main train lines exists and is reasonably well-used, and bus coverage of the city is practically complete, the two modes of transport are completely separate, even in competition with each other in places.

A student living in Selly Oak has the choice of three bus routes or the train to get into the City Centre and back; at £3.30 return on the bus (with a TWM daysaver) or a faster journey for £1.10 on the train (with a 16-25 railcard; £1.70 without) the choice is obvious; so why is so much resource on the buses being diverted to duplicate the train route on the road? As another example, travelling from point to point in the city will cost more and require different tickets if you have to go by both train and bus for some of the route, if you have to change to a second bus, and if your bus journey is two fare stages or less in length.

In short, the system is totally fragmented and running in competition with itself, to the ultimate detriment of the passengers of Birmingham. This isn't even taking into account the 50-odd different bus operators in the region, none of whom accept each others' tickets. It's a bit of a mess, and the transport authorities realise this (see my next post for an email on the subject from Centro's customer relations executive). Centro are doing their bit for the moment to bring in an 'integrated' ticket which they're calling the nnetwork, valid on buses, trains, and trams in the West Midlands. But even this has its issues -- the one-day nbus card costs more, at £3.60, than the biggest bus operator's daysaver (£3.30), so unless your journey absolutely requires the use of two or more operators' services, there is no incentive whatsoever to purchase it. The ticket for all three modes of transport costs a whopping £6.50 a day. And again, the very fact that the transport system is so segregated into "bus, train and tram" goes against the whole principle of an integrated, well-thought-out transport system as we've seen in Zurich and many other European cities.

Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go in Birmingham to achieve a truly integrated public transport system which will actually tempt people out of their cars.