A range of delegates came to Manchester University to discuss the continent’s bus industry. We cover the main points
Air quality, ticketing and ‘disruptive’ competitors were some of the main themes to emerge from this year’s conference. But against this was the backdrop of modal shift and threats to bus usage.
Rather than so-called disrupters, such as Uber, congestion was once again cited as the number-one threat, in the UK at least.
It was therefore not lost on attendees that gentle rain in Manchester made its morning rush hour even worse than usual; with live traffic apps showing nothing but a sea of red – indicating severe congestion – along all of the main arteries into the city centre.
This is despite Manchester’s tram network, and modest network heavy rail commuter lines.
Politicians who back a change of control, i.e. franchising using the powers in the Bus Services Act, might want to ponder how changing the delivery model will solve congestion.
Manchester’s position
Opening the conference, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) CEO Dr Jon Lamonte confirmed that the body is preparing a strategy for the way forward of which “franchising is but one option.” He stressed that there will be a consultation before the mayor makes a decision on what the plan will be.
Observers note that Mayor Andy Burnham has a relatively short time – just three years – before he stands for re-election, and that other avenues, such as a deep partnership, may well produce positive outcomes more quickly.
On franchising, former Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) President John Birtwistle observed: “What can we afford? Local authorities and bus operators don’t have pots of money.”
Talking about the Act’s new power, he used the analogy of a child given new toys; it does not ignore the existing toys. He advocated that partnership can deliver key outcomes that politicians want.
Air Quality
Much of the conference was occupied with new technology, driven by air quality issues. John Birtwistle argued that Euro 6 diesel is very clean – despite the ‘bad rap’ it has as a result of the VW scandal. “Heavy vehicle standards for Euro 6 are more stringent than for Euro 6 cars, emitting 20-30% less NOx – and that is an on-the-road figure due to the testing regime for buses and coaches.
“We need a basket of options,” he said in relation to clean vehicles, but signalled that the cost of zero-emission vehicles remains very high, and beyond the affordability of what passengers are prepared to pay in fares.
Nicolas Pocard of Canadian hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer Ballard charted the growth in buses powered by his firm’s equipment, and noted that the cost is now reducing in actual and real terms.
Emerging trends
A panel discussion revealed that full-size autonomous vehicles – whose chief saving would be the removal of the cost of the driver – are still some way off.
David Sidebottom of Transport Focus said 27% of passengers say that their journey is delayed by congestion, which rises to 30% in Manchester, and this is “strangling growth.”
He added: “Punctuality, reliability and value-for-money remain the top three drivers of passenger satisfaction.”
New ticket systems and cheaper fares for young people were agreed to be positive drivers for growth, especially as fewer young people now drive, in contrast to older people who continue to drive for longer before switching to buses.
MaaS
A new acronym has joined the pantheon of transport jargon: Mobility as a Service (MaaS). The idea is that people buy a monthly transport package for a fixed sum, giving them access to certain amounts of transport. It’s aimed at younger people who are ‘mode agnostic’.
Like a mobile phone contract, packages would range from basic (cheap), for example unlimited bus, tram and rail, plus a limited amount of taxis and one day’s car hire, up to more comprehensive (and expensive) options.
A pilot for MaaS system called Whim is due to launch in the West Midlands later this year, supported by Transport for West Midlands, although run as a commercial venture.
Here and now
The growth created by mobile ticketing (m-tickets) – provided via smartphones – is a technology that’s already in use. First UK Bus MD Giles Fearnley said: “Being an early adopter has been a great decision. Now 30% of passengers on some of our networks use m-tickets, with speed of boarding and passenger convenience being big wins.”
He added that being close to customers means feedback is rapidly incorporated. “Because of this we introduced five and 10 carnet m-tickets; the five carnet are particularly popular. They are the second most popular after day tickets.”
A new feature is that parents can now buy and send m-tickets to their children, avoiding the snags of online payments for non-bank account holders.
The system has also enabled differential pricing to be introduced, with m-tickets frozen and cash fares raised.
In Bristol the difference is 50p, which means m-tickets are 33% cheaper. “Nobody likes fare increases, but we did a lot of marketing to say ‘you do not need to pay more for your bus fare – it’s your choice’. But we don’t see cash being replaced by m-tickets. It’s simply another choice of payment, alongside contactless and smartcards.”
And, as the conference heard, it’s choice – whether in network delivery, payment or vehicle propulsion options – that will continue to evolve over the coming year.
