Agenda item

1)    First Group

2)    Stagecoach

3)    South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive

4)    Rotherham Community Transport

5)    Arriva (Northern Rail)  (pages 9 to 33)

6)    Robin Hood Airport – Information note and Consultative Committee meetings - minutes of the meetings held on 14 July 2016 and on 20 October 2016 (pages 34 to 49)

(1) First Group – issue relating to the closure of the maintenance depot at Midland Road, Masbrough, Rotherham (as detailed below).

(2) Stagecoach – specific concerns remain about the impact upon service punctuality of the traffic congestion affecting the bus routes between Rotherham, Parkgate and Rawmarsh;

(3) South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive – the following information was received:-

: Rotherham Passenger Transport Interchange – the proposed refurbishment and repairs to damage caused by fire will take place during late 2017 and early 2018;  temporary bus stops will be positioned on roads within the Rotherham town centre due to reduced capacity within the Interchange whilst works take place;  a specific concern was raised about the lighting within the Interchange needing to be brighter;

: the Tram-Train project is still subject to formal approval by the Department of Transport; in the meantime, the new vehicles are being tested on the existing Supertram network;

: Christmas and New Year holiday period 2016/17 – bus services will operate in accordance with the pattern used in recent years, which is generally a Saturday service; on Boxing Day, a trial by First buses is also being undertaken of services X1 (between Maltby, Rotherham, Meadowhall and Sheffield) and X5 (between Dinnington and Sheffield), to establish the extent of passenger demand on those routes;

: Brightbus, which provided a number of school bus services in the Rotherham area are making cuts to some services in January 2017.  Impacts are being discussed with the local education service.

: several service changes will be effective from 28 and 29 January 2017;

·  The SYPTE has removed funding for service 45 (Rotherham to Herringthorpe) due to alternative services being available and very low usage.  A new bus stop is being provided for some residents to reduce walking distances to bus stops to 170 metres.

·  The SYPTE has agreed to use some spare time in the 44 timetable to provide, on the basis of a twelve months’ trial period, two trips per day to Wentworth Road and Celandine Rise in the Swinton Ward.  These journeys will be numbered 106.

·  Stagecoach changes to services 218 and 220 following changes to SYPTE contracts after European Union procurement of services.

·  First buses punctuality improvements (minor timetable changes) for services 7/8, 14, 39/40/41/42, 70, 72, 73, X5 and X78.

·  First buses and the SYPTE will include an additional stop on the BRT service in the Sheffield City centre, in response to feedback from Rotherham users of the service.

: a response had been provided to a question from a member of the public (via a Ward Councillor) about the changes to the 13/13a services affecting the Bramley and Sunnyside area;

: the First Group maintenance depot at Midland Road, Masbrough, Rotherham is to be closed, with the fleet operating from either the Doncaster or the Sheffield depots; it is anticipated that performance levels in terms of punctuality and vehicle reliability will be maintained, especially as many new and modern vehicles are in use;

: Barnsley Bus Partnership – this new partnership received approval from the Barnsley MBC Cabinet on 16 November, 2016;

: South Yorkshire County-wide review of the bus network – this review and accompanying public consultation process is expected to begin during the Summer, 2017.

(4) Rotherham Community Transport – no report.

(5) Arriva Rail (Northern Rail) – Consideration was given to the Northern Rail Customer Report for October 2016. The report included details of rail service performance between April and September 2016. Also included were details of the programme of transformation until the end of March 2017, which will be the completion of the first year as Arriva Rail North Ltd. The contents of the Customer Report were noted.

(6) Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport – Consideration was given to the minutes of the meetings of the Robin Hood Airport Consultative Committee, held on 14th July, 2016 and on 20th October, 2016. The contents of these minutes were noted. Additionally, Members noted the following information about the Airport:-

: the Airport Transport Forum is being re-established;

: the updated Airport Surface Strategy will be published for consultation;

: the Airport shuttle bus (X4 service) is now in operation;

: passenger figures are increasing, with August 2016 as the busiest month on record for the Airport.