Running the buses with the trains - 100 years out of date, or time for a rebirth

[whole diary]

[grahame]

100 years ago, the railways ran a network of buses.   Since then, we've been through a mixture of joint owneship, state ownership and private ownership.  Is there are argument - 100 years later - for running the railways and buses as a part of the same operation, with integrated fares, ticketing, network and timetables?  Can members suggest any examples of where this is done?

From Wikipedia

Western National Omnibus Company was founded in 1929 as a joint venture between the Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) and the National Omnibus & Transport Company. The National company had originated in 1909 as the National Steam Car Company, started to run steam bus services in London. The London services ceased in 1919, when the company was renamed National Omnibus & Transport Company. The company expanded outside London, into Essex (1913), Bedfordshire (1919), Gloucestershire (1919), Somerset (1920), Dorset (1921), and Devon & Cornwall (1927).

The GWR had developed an extensive network of bus services in Devon and Cornwall. These services, and those of the National Omnibus in Devon and Cornwall, were transferred to Western National. A few months later, the new company bought the operations of the National company in south west Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, and also the GWR bus services around Trowbridge and Stroud. The result was an operating territory stretching from Cheltenham to Penzance, in five areas: Gloucestershire (based in Stroud), Wiltshire (based in Trowbridge), south and west Somerset (based in Taunton), south Devon (based in Plymouth) and Cornwall. Western National's operating territory was interspersed with those of three other major operators: Bristol in south Gloucestershire and north Somerset, Southern National in north Devon and north Cornwall and Devon General in south and east Devon.

[Lee]

100 years ago, the railways ran a network of buses.   Since then, we've been through a mixture of joint owneship, state ownership and private ownership.  Is there are argument - 100 years later - for running the railways and buses as a part of the same operation, with integrated fares, ticketing, network and timetables?  Can members suggest any examples of where this is done?

Well, there is the organisation that I work with for a start - see https://www.breizhgo.bzh/se-deplacer-en-bretagne

I have previously covered how specification of the network and timetables works:

Our 2016 Option 24/7 proposals for bus franchising in Wiltshire included a proposal that bus services would be specified by a committee that brought together passengers, local authorities and bus companies. Unfortunately, Wiltshire Council were not ready at the time to accept what they considered to be a radical plan, and the proposal did not go ahead.

One of the reasons I moved to France in September 2017 was the opportunity to help shape the future of public transport in Brittany, as the specification of the local bus network transferred to the regional level and was placed under a unified structure with the local rail network which had been already specified by the region for several years. This unified structure came into being in September 2018 under the Breizhgo brand.

I am pleased to say that since then, bus and rail services in Brittany have been specified in a very similar way to that envisaged by us in Option 24/7. There are 7 Comités De Lignes each corresponding to a particular area of Brittany, bringing together passengers, regional and local authorities, SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) and bus companies to specify their local bus and rail services.

My local Comité De Lignes covers the Saint Brieuc-Lannion, Saint Brieuc-Morlaix, Guingamp-Carhaix and Guingamp-Paimpol local rail services, and all the local bus services in the area shown in the map below:



Each Comité De Lignes has an annual "listening exercise", where the views and ideas of the public on a wide range of issues are sought, and we are currently in the middle of ours, which runs from 1 February-14 February 2021. Normally we would accompany this with public meetings in various towns and villages, but this year due to coronavirus it is being conducted online and by post.

This doesnt mean though that the public only have a 14-day window each year to send in their ideas and suggestions. Far from it - These are welcomed by the committee all year round, and all are considered for the next upcoming timetable change. These happen 3 times a year in July, September and December, with bus and rail services changing together on those same dates. This aims to balance both the flexibility and the stability of the timetables, whilst allowing for their integration. However, just as we envisaged with Option 24/7, there is a mechanism that allows urgent or particularly no-brainer changes to be made at short notice if required.

Finally, in normal times, several public meetings all year round in towns and villages are organised, along with sessions in rail and bus stations that are very similar to the way "Meet the Manager" works in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). There is also a regular newsletter published by each Comité De Lignes, detailing the latest news, project updates, and including passenger numbers and performance figures for each rail and bus route in the area.

I have also previously covered how we have attempted to simplify and integrate our fares and ticketing:

Over here in Brittany we have a system on the local/regional trains of single fares at the following rates:

From 0 to 29 km: € 5 one way
From 30 to 69 km: € 10 one way
From 70 to 149 km: € 18 one way
Over 150 km: € 28 one way

Trains are shown in the timetable as either white or green depending on how busy they are expected to be. If you used your single ticket to travel outbound, then you can use that same ticket to return on a green train at no extra cost within 7 days.

For those under 12, their tickets will be free regardless of the route if they are accompanying a paying traveler. This free rate is valid for up to 4 children per paying traveler. If the child is traveling alone, they will pay half the adult fare.

During school holidays, the above single rates are halved on Tuesday-Thursday.

First Saturday of the month, all singles cost € 5.

Carnets of 10 tickets are available at the following rates, with one free trip granted per book:

From 0 to 29 km: € 45
From 30 to 69 km: € 90
From 70 to 149 km: € 162
More than 150 km: € 252

Rail passes are available, valid for unlimited travel for up to 5 people per pass. € 55 for 2 days, or € 110 for 7 days.

Various reductions are available for the usual societal groups you would expect.

On the interurban buses that operate within a single department (equivalent of UK county), a flat fare of € 2.50 is charged, with a carnet of 10 journeys available for € 20.

Those interurban buses that cross departmental boundaries are charged at € 2.50 for journeys under 30 km, € 5 for under 70 km, € 7.50 for under 110 km, and € 10 for over 110 km, with 10 journey carnets available at € 20, € 40, € 60 and € 80 respectively.

Once again, various reductions are available for the usual societal groups you would expect.

Duplication/Competition between bus and train services is kept to a minimum, and integration between the two maximised where possible as part of an overall network approach.

A number of towns/cities have their own municipal bus operator networks. All those that are rail-served will have a PlusBus style ticket  available, and a single unit ticket valid on all buses and train services within the municipal boundary, as well as Metro (Rennes) and Tram (Brest) services.

There is also the Employer Transport Premium, which has been a key factor in keeping our commuter traffic up to reasonable levels despite the pandemic. From the Breizhgo website (translated) :

With the employer transport premium, benefit from -50% on your home-work subscription

Goodbye traffic jams, hello savings! The employer (private or public) is required to cover half of the cost of the public transport subscription taken out by its employees for their home-work journeys. These subscriptions can be annual, monthly, multimodal ...

50% of the transport ticket is paid for on the basis of a 2nd class fare and the shortest route. To benefit, a photocopy of the proof of purchase must be provided to the employer. The company's participation in the form of a transport bonus must then appear on the employee's pay slip.

Passes for which the period of validity is annual are subject to reimbursement distributed monthly during the period of use.

I noted earlier how our ethos over here is similar to that we put forward in our Option 24/7 proposals in Wiltshire. This extends to our marketing as well.

One of our current campaigns recently had a "grand casting" at Rennes bus station to find the 9 future faces that will represent our regional bus network. All network users were invited to participate: women or men, from 12 years old, regular or occasional users, with all participants receiving a bag full of freebies. Those chosen for the actual campaign will get one year of free transport, in the form of an annual subscription for the BreizhGo bus route of their choice.

The idea is to show it's not just about the buses - it's about the people who use the buses, just as we advocate with our Option 24/7 ethos in Wiltshire - see http://option247.uk/people.html

[eightf48544]

The obvious answer for GB^▸ (Great Britain) is TfL^» (Transport for London - about) in London. Fares are certainly integrated not so sure about timetables but the frequency of most services makes timetables uneccesary. Andy Burnham said on any questions he wants a TfM.

Germany is the obvious example for local services with fare zones arounf large towns. Buses trains (not ICE or IC^▸ (Inter City)) trams have common fare structure. Connections tend to be provided e.g. In Erfurt the last trams to edge of the city have guaranteed bus connections to places not served by the trams. In Dresden in the evenings many services meet at the Postplatz and wait for connections.

The trouble with GB we are obsessed with the Market and Competition.