DRAFT BUS REGULATION (SCOTLAND) BILL CONSULTATION

SWESTRANS RESPONSE

Q1. Do you support the general aim of the proposed Bill ? Please indicate “yes/no/undecided” and explain the reasons for your response. Undecided. SWestrans currently procures and subsidises some 85% of network in Dumfries and Galloway and has good working relationships with the small number of bus operators providing services existing level of control over bus services and the proposed, may increase this service provision. With regard to the proposed use of local authority fleets to provide services where there are gaps in provision, SWestrans works closely with Dumfries and Galloway Council who use their existing bus fleet to provide a number of socially necessary local bus services SWestrans has taken steps in recent years, primarily Review”, implemented in April 2012, to rationalise local bus services. This has resulted in the cost of overall provision being controlled, and the available budget being directed to highest priority travel criteria. Commercconcentrated primarily on routes within and out of Dumfries, as there is insufficient population or demand in the more rural areas of Dumfries & Galloway. The main issues in relation to the provision of local bus services in Dumfries & Galloway relate to the funding available for these, and the willingness or otherwise of operators to enter and / or remain in a lowpopulated rural area. Q2. What would be the main practical advantages of the legislation What would be the disadvantages? Practical advantages may be the increase in controlof network design and the ability to seek redress for the cost of tendering.power for the Traffic Commissioner Disadvantages are likely to be the profitability and sustainability of existing commercial market regulation, such as Londonhigh subsidy levels.

DRAFT BUS REGULATION (SCOTLAND) BILL CONSULTATION

Do you support the general aim of the proposed Bill ? Please indicate “yes/no/undecided” and explain the reasons for your response.

SWestrans currently procures and subsidises some 85% of in Dumfries and Galloway and has good working relationships with the small

providing services in the region. SWestrans has alevel of control over bus services and the introduction of regulation, as

increase this level control but not necessarily see improvements in service provision. With regard to the proposed use of local authority fleets to provide

here there are gaps in provision, SWestrans works closely with Dumfries and Galloway Council who use their existing bus fleet to provide a number of socially

services in the region.

SWestrans has taken steps in recent years, primarily through the “Route and Branch Review”, implemented in April 2012, to rationalise local bus services. This has resulted in the cost of overall provision being controlled, and the available budget being directed to highest priority travel criteria. Commercial provisioconcentrated primarily on routes within and out of Dumfries, as there is insufficient population or demand in the more rural areas of Dumfries & Galloway.

The main issues in relation to the provision of local bus services in Dumfries & lloway relate to the funding available for these, and the willingness or otherwise of

operators to enter and / or remain in a low-volume market covering a sparsely

What would be the main practical advantages of the legislation What would be the disadvantages?

be the increase in control, flexibility and interand the ability to seek redress for the cost of tendering.

Traffic Commissioner may also be an advantage.

likely to be the unknown consequences of imposing regulation profitability and sustainability of existing commercial routes. In areas with

such as London, enhanced service provision is associated with

Do you support the general aim of the proposed Bill ? Please indicate “yes/no/undecided” and explain the reasons for your response.

SWestrans currently procures and subsidises some 85% of the local bus in Dumfries and Galloway and has good working relationships with the small

SWestrans has an egulation, as

see improvements in service provision. With regard to the proposed use of local authority fleets to provide

here there are gaps in provision, SWestrans works closely with Dumfries and Galloway Council who use their existing bus fleet to provide a number of socially

through the “Route and Branch Review”, implemented in April 2012, to rationalise local bus services. This has resulted in the cost of overall provision being controlled, and the available budget

ial provision is concentrated primarily on routes within and out of Dumfries, as there is insufficient population or demand in the more rural areas of Dumfries & Galloway.

The main issues in relation to the provision of local bus services in Dumfries & lloway relate to the funding available for these, and the willingness or otherwise of

volume market covering a sparsely

What would be the main practical advantages of the legislation proposed?

, flexibility and inter-connectivity and the ability to seek redress for the cost of tendering. Increased

of imposing regulation on In areas with existing is associated with

Q3. In what ways do you envisage reregulation being used to improve bus services? As indicated above, SWestrans already exerts a reasonable level of control over local bus provision and quality, and additional powers to bundle routes may not provide improvement or sustainability to network design or provision. Q4. How can community transport be better utilised to serve local communities and particularly low passenger volume r outes? SWestrans currently seeks, in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council, to actively encourage the use of Community Transport to deliver such services. Q5. Do you agree that the Traffic Commissioner shou ld be able to impose greater financial penalties on operators who a) fai l to meet the terms of the franchise or b) walk away from the franchise altoge ther? Yes, this would appear to be reasonable. Q6. What is your assessment of the likely financial implications of the proposed Bill to you or your organisation? What oth er significant financial implications are likely to arise? A large investment has been made by the commercial sector in providing a modern fleet and regulating the market may lead to these costs becoming the responsibility of the public sector in the future. There is also the risk that greater control and longer franchise agreements could impair the flexibility of commissioning bodies to react to market and industry pressures in terms of both revenue and capital costs. Q7. Is the proposed Bill likely to have any substan tial positive or negative implications for equality? If it is likely to have a substantial negative implication, how might this be minimised or avoided ? From the information provided, the Bill would appear to have a neutral impact on equality. Q8. Do you have any other comment or suggestion tha t is relevant to the need for or detail of this Bill? There is an existing issue in attracting new operators to the market to provide additional and sustainable competition. At present, this lack of new blood is being exacerbated as established small to medium operators leave the industry or cease trading.