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Why we need a Fair Deal for Housing and Communities
Government childcare announcement: More Conservative chaos hurting families
The case for a radical, liberal left
Talks continue over controversial NXWM revised service proposals
by Ian Shires on 28 April, 2016
Bus users are patiently awaiting the outcome of ongoing talks with National Express West Midlands (NXWN) about their controversial proposals for revised bus services across Willenhall.
There was a public outcry recently when NXWM announced plans to withdraw their 28 Willenhall to Wolverhampton and 40 Walsall to Wolverhampton services. At the same time they announced the withdrawal of the 41 Willenhall to Walsall service from the Allens Rough Estate, to be replaced by the 69 Walsall to Wolverhampton which in turn would not connect with The Square at New Invention and bypass the Wood Lane Estate in Short Heath.
Commenting on the issue Lib Dem Cllr Ian Shires said:
“One of the main issues here is that Walsall Council needs to change its attitude to public transport. The current Tory administration does not recognise the importance that it plays in helping to regenerate the borough and improving the environment in our town and District Centres. It’s common knowledge that the Leader of Walsall Council has said on many occasions that the best shopping trolley is a Mercedes Benz.”
There is a strong case for positive proactive partnerships or even bus franchising in order to protect local services and support strong economic growth through an integrated local transport policy. Franchising in particular already exists, 48% of buses across the UK are franchised. The only problem is that they are all red and are in and around London.
The evidence is clear, over the last 10 years bus journey’s made are up 31% in the London are whilst in Metropolitan areas such as Walsall they are down on average some 7% over the same period.
Increased regulatory powers could further cohesive transport services. In the London area, Transport For London (TFL) sets the routes, the frequencies, fares and vehicle types. The bus operators compete with each other by tendering to run the routes. Outside of London, in extreme cases, rival buses race each other on the busier routes (services like the 301 spring to mind) whilst the quieter routes languish unserved. This all came about following deregulation of bus services outside of the London area in 1985.
Meanwhile NXWM are continuing to consider the arguements put to them by Cllr Ian Shires following the meeting weeks ago. We’ll update you as soon as we have their response.
6 Comments
Hi, very interesting blog. The same here exists in Sandwell where busy routes have high frequency and unprofitable routes have poor service especially sunday and by me a number of routes are part or fully Centro run which are more reliable. An all powerful body setting routes and fares etc would be better as currently ‘unprofitable’ routes are took off or ignored yet msjor routes are full. Centro run services often are amended quicker when a change is needed. Often you have to go where NXWM wants to go not where people need to go. By me its often 2 buses to major centres and shopping and we live on a hill and need to get to major centres e.g. for Merry Hill buses. They took a perfectly decent bus off although it was too long and a body working out a simplier route would have been better. Cheers for reading
Hi Michael
One of the more positive aspects of the Combined Authority being worked on for the West Midlands is that transport may take on the same role as that in the London area. As you probably know Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for the transport system in Greater London. It has responsibility for London’s network of principal road routes, for various rail networks including the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and TfL Rail, for London’s trams, buses and taxis, for cycling provision, and for river services. The underlying services are provided by a mixture of wholly owned subsidiary companies (principally London Underground), by private sector franchisees (the remaining rail services, trams and most buses) and by licensees (some buses, taxis and river services). In 2015-16, TfL had a budget of £11.5 billion, 40% of which comes from fares. The rest comes from government funding (23%), borrowing (20%), other income (9%) and Crossrail funding (8%).
When you consider that use of public transport in the Greater London area has increased by up to 33% whereas there has been a decline of some 7% in places like the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Tyne and Wear the advantages to the West Midlands speak for themselves.
Hi Ian,
Yes what this will do is change big companies like National Express West Midlands who currently set routes look at things from a narrow perspective and often for self interests this will mean somebody independent looking at these routes and seeing what works. Currently most services by me are subsidised (although the NX service is still poor) anyway and it does work and is used more however some buses going to the same places on the same roads it does need sorting
Hi Michael
Even though NXWM have chosen to do their own thing up to a point, we will continue to talk with them and other bus operators until such time as the West Midlands Combined authority take over transport policy.
As a bus user I use buses like the 4M all the time the main reason is they are frequent and more reliable, although I love nowhere near it. I also gravitate towards buses like 120 as they go to where I want them to go are reliable and more frequent (as they are more frequent you know another will turn up) I end up ignoring buses by me which are less frequent and more unreliable. Bus companies go by numbers but fail to realise numbers are down in some parts due to less frequent unreliable buses so end up using taxis or cars. Of coarse more frequent buses link lots of places up directly and efficiently really there needs to be more of them rather than spliting routes or have so many services. We are on a hill also so avoid buses dropping us at the bottom as we have to carry shopping up them. most bigger roads simply need buses going to all places and major centres so by us Oldbury Cape Hill West Bromwich and Bearwood however currently we havr links just to two places and struggle to the other two. Cheers for reading
I hope the TFWM can improve the situation I’m sure it will. It will certainly help for people who live in the residential areas not nearer the main roads whose concerns and needs often get ignored and individual route and road issues that are some of the main issues which currently are not looked at.