21st March 2025 - TravelWatch SouthWest General meeting

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

Rail travel to Taunton is disrupted by a line closure ~Bridgwater. The 06:00 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-PNZ has been turned at Bristol and will run via Westbury.

Mark

[infoman]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) tweets saying its a points failure at Weston-s-m and trains are unable to call at WSM.

[JayMac]

Trains are now running Bristol - Taunton following an earlier incident at Highbridge, but are not serving Weston-super-Mare due to a points failure unrelated to the incident at Highbridge.

Also, my apologies. I won't be attending as I'm feeling a little under the weather.

[grahame]

Excellent meeting .. not quite the usual full house due to rail (and motorway!) issues.  I have typed in my notes and being gone through for the worst of typos / will summarise too.

[ChrisB]

Congratulations to TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) - it was one of the best meetings - good speakers & excellent content!
The space wasn't bad either!

[Trowres]

... however I found those seats to be inferior in comfort when compared to the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) seats encountered on the way home. 

[Mark A]

Congratulations to TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) - it was one of the best meetings - good speakers & excellent content!
The space wasn't bad either!

It was so helpful to hear examples of good/best practice + clear identification of what's needed to make a success of something, especially with regards to buses - and the value of identifying customer needs and also of partnerships. It's something that shone a glaring light on a couple of the current issues with buses local to me and it would be good to see the local operators (and local authority) more involved in Travelwatch Southwest.

There was some really good stuff coming from the audience too, particularly the person at the back towards the end of the day who spoke up on the need to ensure that people under, say, 26 years old were treated a lot better - yes, a minority are taking a complete liberty as far as public transport goes, but then, some public transport staff are leaning heavily into tarring the whole cohort with the same brush.

Mark

[Chris from Nailsea]

Trains are now running Bristol - Taunton following an earlier incident at Highbridge, but are not serving Weston-super-Mare due to a points failure unrelated to the incident at Highbridge.

Also, my apologies. I won't be attending as I'm feeling a little under the weather.

Thanks for posting that, JayMac. 

To explain my own non-appearance at the meeting:

The train I was planning to get from NLS, the 09:06, was horribly delayed - eventually arriving some 70+ minutes down.

While I was standing on the fairly basic platform at NLS still waiting for it, I felt increasingly unwell, so I decided to abort my journey.  I was sick when I got home, so I'm glad I didn't travel on that train to Taunton - which apparently arrived there 90 minutes down, despite skipping Weston-super-Mare.

I'm glad to read that the meeting still went well without us. 

CfN.

[grahame]

Excellent meeting .. not quite the usual full house due to rail (and motorway!) issues.  I have typed in my notes and being gone through for the worst of typos / will summarise too.

Slide set (66 pages) at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/mirror/TWSW_autumn_2024.pdf (for members)

[grahame]

Slide set (66 pages) at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/mirror/TWSW_autumn_2024.pdf (for members)

These are the main elements in that slide set:

A New Era for bus users - Melanie Watson

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Local Transport Forum - presented by Dan Okey, Mark Utley, Andy McRae
Includes December and May timetable and fleet changes
Inlcudes Engineering posessions at Christmas and for 2025

Delivering One Public Transport for the Peninsular - Nigel Blackler


Here are my notes - please forgive some of the truly shocking typos - all done live during the sessions

David Northey
Stakeholder engagement going to be key
INFO at station / challenged
For me to struggle - ouch

Bryony
Big challenge - where we sit in the landscape
What use are we as passengers?
Our input to timetable changes
Cornwall joining
Become too much better
Message to whoever is running GBR^▸ (Great British Railways)▸
Is it healthy that we only have one organistion
What to say to your MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) - panel at end of day
Tim Davis / active but retired from TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website)» . GE welcomed back
Lunch at 12:40

9 online - Just a minute

David R - JAM
GW^▸ (Great Western) & SW coming off franchise
Integrating bust and train. Loss of 503 and Megabus
Making interchange effective.   Mention Padstow

David N
Thought pattern for bus users
Voice needed consider with car
Bryony - accessibility, female users.

Derek Beer / Dorset and CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership)▸
We need detail as to how it will be done.
People scare to death - confidence in use

Chris Hilditch
Problem dealing with local authorities planning towns
NA - 12 being pushed out
About to elimitage bus toutes
Example - Stourbridge has become a desert
Same happening in Torbay
BC - Health based services in high street

Kit Harbottle - Tavistock
Disagree against pedestrianisation
What allows Exeter to allow but not NA▸ / few tavistork
CH - Access all modes needed

Mick Lowry - Bridgwarea
Huge fringe devleopmentg
DN - Town Grown exponentially but lost links

Saltash / tunnel works / 60 minute dealys
DO - looking. DN - short term planning.

Barry West - Padstow
New bus terminal up hill not suitable for less mobile e.g. elderly
DN - Public engagement does help

Barry Clark - Ivybridge
Concern / what is bus for?  Beware - train competition
Bus / long distance where

John Hamley
Buses on very narrow roads past cars.
DN - to good design

-----------------

** Mel Watson
Chose to drive. Sorry - stuck on M5
25 years public transport. Director MW associates
A new deal for bus users.  Both Mcr and Cornwall
On cusp of new ere?

Challenge - how to make bus desirable and the norm
Who is the customer what do they aent?
Get basics right and bigger poicture
Join things up
Make it happen

Some simply not on the radar
How do we get people to think on this?
TF and Cornwall research expmples.
More using bus, more part of routine
NOTE - awareness of lower bus fares lacking

Role of BSIPs
"We all know what local authorities are priritieisng"
"Should have mechanisms in place"

Cornwall - ONE network, timetable, map, website, ticket
Remove barriers to customers ..
do we care who operates?
Just want it to be simple!
Tried and tested in London.
Nearly there in Cornwall, Coming in Manchester.
Pooling the resources we can deliver.

Ticketing - need simple and afforbable
Return element on any opertor.
Operators were resistant.
"The standardisation of accepting tickets has been a gamechanger"
30% down ENCTS^▸ (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme)▸ & P&R^▸ (Park and Ride)▸ but 12% up overall. Shift of behaviour

Transparency for customer
Are we overcomplicating the need to drive revenus
Night time economy 2 - 4 a.m. consistency?
How many names for a ticket?
How many single ticket bands?
Poised on government input

Bigger picture - see beyond public transport
Incentives.

---------

Dan Okey

Same issue with train rather than bus
Need to look at customers
Network
2 x central region TW.
Mark Utley and Andy McRae
Lots changing. Money very tight.

Mark Uttley - Long term plnanning
December 15th
TfW major changes so adjudgements to GWR are minor
Weekday Minor GWR changes

Fleet constrained on BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)» -OXF^» (Oxford - next trains)» resumed next Sept
No fleet chsngs
80 IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)▸ diagrams

-----------

Mark Utley moving to Canada ...

Andy McRae - "Interface Team".
HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) update - 2024 and 2026 to 2031 HS2 possessions
17.11 + 27-29.12 ... TAU^» (Taunton - next trains)» and SWI^» (Swindon - next trains)» last stop before EUS
(op stops RDG^‡(resolve)‡ & Ealing)
120 customer assists/ day
SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)» want services only half full ex RDG.  May funnel to Ealing

No trains  WSB^» (Westbury - next trains)» , DMH^» (Dilton Marsh - next trains)» , WMN^» (Warminster - next trains)» , MM

------------

Giles Feearnley
"To franchise or not" - it depends
Changed - travel needs have changed
Commercial element still vital
Political rhetoric that ops are bad boys and franchise will cure all is a worry
Vital is to increase passenger use.

Also franchising won't (?) work on smallest areas
Public expect it instant - very real
Mcr up 5% year one - but what would that have been without franchising?
Costly and ongoing cost
Go-Ahead had announced investment in electric bsues

Most / many franchising exiting services and will struggle bavuase networks live
Madness - "some service carrying 1s and 2s and that's madness"
Principle same as pre1980s PTEs^▸ (Passenger Transport Executive)▸ - difference is that franchises are competed
Spiral issues in those days - prices up, fewer passengers, services down

Mayor said "thank you" to first for taking the hassle off.
Franchising overkills. Better examples these days - cornwall
operators want to work with.

BC - Has it been used to get outcomes?  Answer - Jersey and Guernsey.
Q: Would it work WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about)» area. A: Yes potentially, Impetus for a north where things join.
Q: Exeter bus users / competition.  A: Looking to move to be more sensible co-operation. Fearnley / Hilditch discussion. Said to be sense off camera but then "ned to look at legal issues - that;s why we're here.

---------

Nigel Blackler

STBs - key functions
Work with local authorities / reduce duplication / share best practisce
Do a lot with Western Gateway

A strategy for the user
2030 ... Easier to use / going electric / connected peninsular
2035 on ... completing the transport network

New DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)» Strategic priorities (see slide)

Talk about "one" for Cornwall
Franchising from 2015, given powers. Discussions with First, Go-ahead etc
Customer outcomes (slide)

Challenge in translating legislative principles into achievement. Could be better if done in co-operation

Delivery - support in principle
Belefirt - use, safeguard, deliver improvements

Q: How did you do it / relationships. Even getting all timetables together
Why bring old buses?  Move to 8 year contracts - brought new buses.

Also - need to reach the people we haven't engaged
- linking up with school transport
BC - Total transport / hot subject

Having franchising power brought ability to persuade operators to co-operate.
Devolution was a game changer.

---------

Dan Okey

Lot of structural changes. Bill (1) brings back power to take control ans (2) much bigger one for GBR.

Government CAN bring back next June but (?) may not. Strange atmosphere at present so all focused on delivering performance. Govt wants subsidy reaction, money is tight. Just received DfT request for next year business plan.  Concentration on service delivery. DO - may not have "road tested" services in the past. Assistive sequesters are record high. Also why people are travelling ans still getting used to new flows.  Strong demand where new services come in.

How do we move to integrated tickets?  Proposal Cornwall and West of England.


--------- Panel ---------

GP: The extend we focus on digital?  "Selling out of timetables" ... still valued in hard copy. Mel:  Yes, split it out. Whole printout.  Need to be responsive; 2 changes a year.

Q: Reliability of bus services. How do you overcome.  Mel: Bus training is key for advocacy. BSIP has targets for performance and reliability.

TW: Paper v digital. Mel: 16 to 25. Bus stop needs to be preseneted

NB: Changing. Concern should be improving public transport. Not just wait while local government deckchairs are moved around.  We need to move on now - concerned that we make progress.

Mel: Don't get stressed - plough on with local promotion to

[ChrisB]

Dan O *thinks* that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) can give 12 weeks notice of contract termination once the sore date end next June has passed. I asked about early notice being given such that termination on core end date, but he thought not, wasn't sure & would check.

[TaplowGreen]

Excellent meeting .. not quite the usual full house due to rail (and motorway!) issues.  I have typed in my notes and being gone through for the worst of typos / will summarise too.

Slide set (66 pages) at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/mirror/TWSW_autumn_2024.pdf (for members)

Slide 2 is intriguing......I'm fascinated as to why Pubic transport worked better for Cornish passengers!

[grahame]

Slide 2 is intriguing......I'm fascinated as to why Pubic transport worked better for Cornish passengers!

Slides 58 onwards - especially slide 58 - tell you how. And listening to Nigel Blacker telling how and why - with everyone working together for the same goals, prepared to step into a new situation discarding some old conventions and with an inspirational but modest "can-do" lead and team, it has worked.

[grahame]

To be held somewhere in Taunton. A diary date for a representative of each of the many user and specialist public transport groups across the South West.

Confirmed to be at the Firepool Innovation Centre - where we met last time, and just across from the station.

Also 24th October 2025 - probable date for the Autumn General Meeting - just being "pinged" around the TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) team