The ArrivaClick demand responsive minibus service in Watford will be withdrawn on 31 December, ahead of the end of its four-year contract term. Insufficient patronage has have been cited as the reason.
It was introduced in July 2020 with subsidy from Watford Borough Council (WBC) under a four-year contract to expire on 30 June 2024, and with provision for a two-year extension.
WBC stated at launch that the service was part of a goal to make the borough carbon neutral by 2030. In discussing the withdrawal, the local authority says that the decision was made by Arriva, although the operator notes that the project has been “under review” by both parties for some time.
Papers hosted on the WBC website state that in April 2022, the service was carrying just 10% of projected patronage. The months before saw usage levels in some cases that were worse still. Despite the four-year contract award, over 72% of the maximum available subsidy had been spent on the project before reaching the halfway point, a report notes.
WBC had issued a KPI improvement notice to Arriva in November 2021, with the operator subsequently meeting the required standards. An efficiency notice was issued at around the same time, which saw revisions to marketing and delivery of the service. In 2022, a council officer noted that its future could be under threat despite an increase in usage.
Upon announcing the withdrawal of ArrivaClick in Watford, the operator says that it has “attracted passengers, but not at the level needed to ensure [that] it can be cost-effective for us as a business.”
As a partial replacement, WBC is looking to introduce an alternative that runs two days per week from January 2024 which it describes as a “shopper bus.”
Speaking about the end of ArrivaClick in Watford, the town’s Elected Mayor Peter Taylor says: “This news is obviously disappointing, particularly for those who have enjoyed using the service as a convenient and reliable way to travel.
“I am pleased that we will be starting a new service to help those who need a bit of extra help in getting to and from the shops. This Shopper Bus has been popular elsewhere in the county and it is good that we are bringing it to Watford.”
