Town centre services need rates support
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by Martin Watkins7
THE POLICY of both central and 'local government to relieve city centres from unnecessary intrusion by private cars has in recent years encouraged the provision of city centre bus services.
Most of the Passenger Transport Executives run these services, entirely within city centres, and many municipal authorities which do not yet have them are either starting one or thinking about it. These centre routes are undoubtedly popular with those passengers who regularly use them—the problem can be that not enough do so.
But are they viable from the bus operator's viewpoint ? CM has surveyed the scale of these different operations, and two points stand out : ID Where the public need is clear, and the local authority is willing to foot the operational bill, the service must be a success.
0 But no transport department can hope to make a profit out of the operation.
Although all such services incur a loss, the general managers were confident that they performed a necessary service. In every case the losses are either covered by a specific subsidy or by a general operating subsidy out of the rates.
New schemes
In many towns where city centre services are not yet operating managers disclosed the existence of schemes to start one—often dependent on the completion of city centre development or pedestrianisation. Many expressed worries about how the proposed services would be financed. In view of the number of city centre services that have been started only to fold because of cash difficulties, these worries seem well justified.
Typical of these managers is Mr Neil McKenzie, general manager of Chesterfield : "We have a scheme to operate a town centre service covering a route of 1.2 miles," he wrote. "It is proposed that the service would be free and the annual running cost of some £27,000 would be entirely subsidised by the county council. Unfortunately, the Department is in a difficult financial situation and unable to finance a service out of its own resources." Mr McKenzie was hopeful that the service would be financed by the 1976 TPP grant to Derbyshire.
The problems of Chesterfield are perhaps typical of small towns where the layout prevents the operation of through services. But here the distance between the rail station, town hall and health centre make a centre bus service necessary from the human angle.
In cities such as Cardiff the financial arrangements a r e more concrete. Here a service is planned to commence this year. "South Glamorgan County Council will pay us the cost of operating the service less fares collected," wrote general manager Mr D. R. Smith. "They will also pay us a sum to allow for abstraction of traffic from our other services."
The fare in Cardiff will be 2p. The service is being introduced as part of the county council's policy of discouraging the use of private transport for the journey to work. It will be introduced with further bus priority measures as well as further restrictions on commuter car parking in central Cardiff.
In Glasgow, proposals to start a city centre service are at present being considered. Director of operations Mr William Murray wrote: "These proposals would provide a circular service of about three miles in length. A frequent service is planned, but actual hours of operation are still under discussion. The principle regarding fare level to be charged is still outstanding." As in Chesterfield, cash is preventing a city centre service in Southampton from getting under way. Manager Mr Bill Lewis wrote : "The principle of a city centre service has been accepted by Hampshire County Council, but at the moment no funds are available. It therefore seems unlikely that one would be started within the next year or two."
Cancelled service
While some managers are still pressing for cash to start services in their towns the plans drawn up for Eastbourne have been cancelled. "It was clear that even with a limited period of operation the service would not have been viable," wrote transport manager Mr D. Sissons. "The transportation committee were not prepared to introduce a loss-making service which would have been paid for indirectly by our other bus passengers."
In other towns proposals to operate city centre services have been turned down for reasons other than financial. In Northampton some normal bus services are to be routed via the eastern inner perimeter road and some via the western inner perimeter road, "This carefully planned routeing will achieve the same objects as the proposed inner circle service, but will utilise other essential services and reduce the overall cost of the operation," wrote transport manager Mr C. Mahoney.
Successful city centre services have been operating in Bournemouth, Derby, Chester and Nottingham. In Bournemouth the idea for the service was born when the council began to prepare for pedestrianisation in some parts of the town centre. General manager Mr Ian Cunningham then put forward proposals for a service because he feared that regular bus services might be excluded from the pedestrianised areas. In 1974/75 the service operated at a direct loss of £8,750, which was made good from the rate fund. An average of 4,000 passengers per week were carried at the flat fare of 3p. The service became so popular that the two 16-seat Ford Transit minibuses originally used had to be soon replaced by two Bedford VAS 27-seaters.
Although suggestions have been made for the services to be extended, Mr Cunningham thinks this could be detrimental.. "In my view any extension of the present service with the existing vehicles could result only in poorer frequency and increased journey times which would lead to reduced patronage," wrote Mr Cunningham. "An additional service may well be socially desirable but could not be justified in present financial conditions."
Flat fare
In Derby a 5p flat fare service is run using one singledeck Fleetline to link the railway station, the main shopping areas, the town centres and the central bus station. About 3,000 passengers per week are carried. The idea for this service was conceived within the transport department and it operates with the co-operation of British Rail.
In Chester experimental city centre summer services operated in both 1974 and 1975. Here Chester County Council agreed to finance the service and make good the deficiency between marginal running costs and revenue. Chester City Council agreed to meet all overheads such as vehicle cleaning, servicing, repairs, maintenance and garaging.
"The fares in Chester were fixed in line with the present Chester City fares scale," wrote transport manager Mr David Clark. "The routes were so arranged as to reduce traffic abstraction from normal services to a bare minimum."
During the 12 weeks of summer operation in Chester revenue from the service totalled £535 leaving a net deficit of £895; and 19,000 passengers were carried.
Mr Clark expressed some doubt about the future of the service. He wrote : "It will be up to the councils concerned to decide whether a service such as this merits the infusion of public money rather than the other facilities for which the councils are responsible. My own view is that the service provides a useful function in bringing shoppers and visitors by coach into the heart of the city."
Free service
Nottingham has recently become noted for its policy of promoting public transport and restricting the use of the pri vate car. Here, both the citycentre services operated are free; a condition of the road service licence grant was that Nottingham County Council met all the operating costs.
Another difference is that the services are operated by Leyland Nationals in contrast to the mini and midibuses used elsewhere. About 75,000 passengers per week are now being carried.
In some cities where city centre services did initially get off flu_ ground these were compelled to close because of lack of patronage.
In Oxford although the Parkand-ride services are successful the experimental Centrebus service tried this year was a flop. The Park-and-ride services are operated in conjunction with Oxford City Council, which makes up differences between receipts taken and the cost of operation, "A basically similar arrangement was in force with the Centrebus service," wrote general manager Mr David Meredith, "but it may well be that the centre of Oxford is just not big enough to support such a service."
In Gloucester, the first minibus service was withdrawn on February 15, 1975, after only nine weeks of operation, but was subsequently reinstated on an extended route to bring in more money. "Support is still extremely poor and withdrawal is again contemplated," wrote Mr R. G. Roberts, general manager of the Bristol Omnibus.
Only about 200 passengers per week are carried in Gloucester compared to the 3,000 per week carried in Bristol. Even the Bristol service loses about £175 per week and has been truncated from its original full circle, discontinuing the section between the City centre and Canons Marsh coach park.
Christmas inevitably gives a boost to bus traffic in city centres as shoppers pour in. Special services will be run this year in Birmingham and Aberdeen. In Edinburgh a special Christmas service was started in 1970 to relieve pressure on existing longer routes and in 1971 this was reintroduced as a permanent service with a six minute service frequency. This ran until December 1974 when staffing difficulties made it necessary to withdraw the service. General manager Mr Charles Evans wrote that he had no plans to reintroduce the service.
In Glasgow a city centre service was operated for several weeks over Christmas and the New Year holiday in 1970 and 1971, but this proved unprofitable and was not continued in subsequent years.
The formation of the Passenger Transport Executives with their integrated transport policies probably gave citycentre services in some towns a big boost.
In Birmingham, following criticism of the original service its purposes were analysed and an extended route with 16 instead of 10 stopping places was introduced in 1974. Although the service continued to be financially unsuccessful the modifications benefited so many people that 37-seat vehicles had to be introduced.
Peripheral parks
In Leeds the original project was adopted by the Department of the Environment as a bus demonstration project. A further service serving peripheral car parks was started a year later in 1972. At present the performance of these services is under review, but no firm plans have yet been made.
In Liverpool the present 5p service was started as a Christmas service in 1965. In 1974 this was operated as a " freeride " service, while the passenger loadings doubled. During this time the losses were made good by the city authorities.
It still seems that setting up a city centre service is no guarantee that it will be extensively used. But past failures in some towns do not deter others from planning to introduce such services.