DEPARTMENT FOR
TRANSPORT News Release (185) issued by COI News Distribution
Service. 27 November 2008
Bus passengers
will have a new champion fighting their corner thanks to the Local
Transport Act, Transport Minister Paul Clark confirmed today.
Royal Assent for the Bill paves the way for Passenger Focus to
represent bus users in England, who make over 4 billion journeys a year.
From April the watchdog, which currently represents rail users,
will begin to take on its new role as "bus passenger
champion". One of its first tasks will be to conduct a
review into how bus passengers' complaints are handled.
Transport Minister Paul Clark, who saw the Bill through its final
Parliamentary stages, said:
"More than two thirds of journeys made on public transport
are by bus, playing a vital role in easing congestion and
providing a green alternative to the car. We are committed to
encouraging as many people as possible to consider switching to
buses. The Local Transport Act will ensure services meet the needs
of passengers more than ever before, as well as guaranteeing users
are properly represented by a new Passenger Champion. I urge
local authorities and bus operators alike to work together to
maximise services in their area, using the provisions of the Act."
The Act has also been welcomed by Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus
chief executive:
"Passenger Focus is delighted to be representing bus and
coach passengers in England. Combining independent passenger
research and focussed advocacy on behalf of passengers will start
to drive improvements in bus and coach services. Passenger
Focus's experience at working on behalf of rail passengers
will help England's bus and coach passengers get the best deal."
The Act will equip local authorities with a comprehensive toolkit
aimed at giving them greater scope for working together in
partnership with operators to enhance the standard of services in
their areas. The Act will also make it a more realistic option
for local authorities to introduce quality contracts schemes.
These are similar to the system of bus franchising which exists in
London and will help ensure networks are designed with the needs
of passengers at the forefront.
The Act will also help bring all modes of transport together, by
strengthening the role of the existing Passenger Transport
Authorities - to be renamed Integrated Transport Authorities
(ITAs) - and by enabling new ITAs to be established. These will
help major urban areas outside London to improve coordination of
the road network and public transport.
Notes to Editors:
1. The Local Transport Act 2008 secured Royal Assent last night.
2. The Secretary of State announced on 8 April 2008 that
Passenger Focus (formally known as the Rail Passengers'
Council - the statutory rail passenger watchdog) would widen its
role to become the bus passenger champion in England. The Act
enables the Secretary of State to extend the remit of Passenger
Focus through secondary legislation.
3. The Department expects to consult on the secondary legislation
early next year, with a view to it being fully in place no later
than April 2010. As the Department wants Passenger Focus to take
on this role as soon as possible an implementation plan has been
agreed that would see Passenger Focus playing an active role in
the bus sector from April 2009, in ways that they are able to
without specific additional statutory powers, until those powers
are formally conferred on them.
4. London transport users are represented by the statutory London
Travelwatch Committee, while bus passenger representation in
Scotland and Wales is a matter for the devolved administrations.
Passenger Focus will continue to represent rail passengers
throughout Great Britain.
5. The Act provides a range of options for local authorities to
have greater influence over the provision of bus services in their
areas. The 'toolkit' will include voluntary partnership
agreements, statutory quality partnership schemes, and quality
contracts (bus franchising) schemes. Quality contracts schemes
are essentially the same as the London model of bus franchising,
whereby the bus network is planned by the local authority and the
services are operated by private operators under contract to that
authority. Although the statutory powers to make quality
contracts schemes have been in place since the Transport Act 2000,
they have not so far been used; the Act makes these a more
realistic option for local authorities where they are in the
public interest.
6. The existing six Passenger Transport Authorities will be
renamed "Integrated Transport Authorities" (ITAs) from
early in the new year. They will take on full responsibility for
local transport planning across their areas. The Act also creates
the opportunity for local areas to review their existing
arrangements, and to propose reforms (including enhanced powers
and boundary changes). The Act also paves the way for the
creation of new ITAs in areas where they do not already exist.
7. The various elements of the Act will be implemented in phases
over the coming months. Many provisions in the Act will require
secondary legislation and guidance, and the Department is planning
a programme of consultations (some of which have already taken
place). Key milestones are likely to include:
Early 09: A new round of Kickstart bidding - inviting local
authorities in partnership with bus operators to bid for a share
of £25 million to 'pump prime' new or improved services.
Schemes which will utilise the powers in the Local Transport Act,
including the revised voluntary partnership agreements and the new
statutory quality partnership scheme provisions, will be
particularly encouraged to apply for the funding. We hope that
Kickstart will allow us to build up good practice examples on the
use of these powers.
Amendments to competition law as it applies to voluntary
partnership agreements, to help ensure that it does not prevent
local authorities and bus operators from coming together at the
partnership table
Enhanced Traffic Commissioner powers to tackle poor reliability
or punctuality.
Spring 09: Passenger Focus will begin representing passengers in
shadow form.
Enhancements to quality partnership schemes, to enable them to
include requirements about service frequencies and timings, and
maximum fares.
Deregulatory measures to benefit the community transport sector,
by relaxing existing restrictions on the sizes of vehicles that
may be used under community transport permits and allowing drivers
of community bus services to be paid.
Summer 09: Successful Kickstart applicants announced.
Late 09: Legislative reforms about quality contracts schemes come
into force, following consultation on the necessary secondary legislation.
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport
Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk
ANNEX A: STAKEHOLDER REACTION
Local Government Association (LGA)
Cllr David Sparks, Chair
of the Local Government Association's Regeneration and
Transport board, said:
"Many councils across the country will be pleased to see the
Local Transport Bill receiving Royal Assent.
"If the bill works the way the government envisages, it
could mean that councils have real power when it comes to
providing people with better public transport. Bus operators and
councils need to work together better to provide good public
transport, and the bill could help that happen.
"Councils will always be at the centre of a good public
transport system and if this bill means more buses going to the
places where people need them, at the times they want to use them
and at prices people are willing to pay, that can only be a good thing."
CONFEDERATION OF PASSENGER TRANSPORT (CPT)
Simon Posner, Chief Executive Officer of the Confederation of
Passenger Transport UK said:
"We broadly welcomed the Bill when it was first introduced
to Parliament last year and we remain of positive mind now that it
has become an Act. We particularly welcome the elements of the Act
designed to promote partnership working. We strongly believe that
bringing together the skills and expertise of operators and local
authorities is the way to deliver passenger growth. We look to the
Local Authorities and PTEs to come with us to really make this
aspect of the legislation work."
PASSENGER TRANSPORT EXECUTIVE GROUP (PTEG)
Chair of PTEG, Neil Scales said:
"The Local Transport Bill has been a long haul but we are
very pleased with the constructive dialogue we have had throughout
with Ministers, officials and MPs of all political parties. The
end result is legislation which strikes the right balance between
national government setting out its ambitions for urban transport
policy - and local determination of how that is best achieved on
the ground in each of our very different city regions.
"We are particularly pleased that we now have a far more
effective set of options and powers to improve bus services. The
bus dominates public transport provision outside London yet for
too long it has been allowed to slip into decline. Now we - and
the Traffic Commissioners - have more of the powers we need to
work with operators to get to grips with more of the problems
behind this decline. This ultimately includes Quality Contracts -
the power to franchise networks of bus services in the same way
that buses in London, and trains throughout Britain, are currently provided."