Five years’ worth of passenger, fare, staff and other data required of Greater Manchester operators
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has wasted little time in beginning the preparation of an assessment of bus franchising in the city region by informing operators that it requires them to provide a large volume of data from as far back as 10 July 2012.
Required is information concerning passenger numbers; revenue; fares; vehicle distance; staff; and forecasts.
“This assessment will assist the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) in assessing the alternative options for bus reform available to it now that the Bus Services Act 2017 has commenced,” says TfGM Chief Executive Dr Jon Lamonte.
GMCA confirmed at a meeting on 30 June that it intended to prepare an assessment of a proposed bus franchising scheme and TfGM is undertaking the work on the Authority’s behalf. The Bus Services Act’s powers commenced on 27 June.
Operators have been given six weeks to satisfy TfGM. Ticket machine data is required of both commercial and tendered services despite TfGM acknowledging that it already has access to data for supported routes.
The Transport Act 2000 (as amended) allows local transport authorities to require operators to provide various information relating to passenger numbers, fares and vehicle mileages, but there are strict conditions on what it may be used for and to whom it may be disclosed.
Data relating to staff goes into such detail as wage structures, pension schemes, and terms and conditions.
Additionally, TfGM is asking operators to voluntarily provide additional information concerning the fixed and variable costs that they incur operating local services in the franchising area, and concerning the vehicles used, including age, emissions and type of fuel consumed.
The cost data that TfGM is requesting includes route profitability reports, depot profit and loss reports, and others. All data, compulsory and voluntary, will be stored on encrypted storage devices provided by TfGM.
