Agenda item

Update from Gordon Grant, SBC Transport Services on Pingo, a new, on-demand bus service brought to you by Borders Buses. Pingo allows customers to book a shared journey not served by bus at that particular time. It currently operates within the Berwickshire area.

3.1       The Chairman welcomed Mr Gordon Grant of Scottish Borders Council to the meeting.  Mr Grant explained that he is the Principal Transport Officer, and has responsibility for local bus services and community transport.  Regarding the PINGO service, a bid had been to the Community Renewal Fund to carry out a Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) trial across the region, the application was unsuccessful.  Scottish Borders Council had then funded a DRT solely in the Berwickshire locality which had been named PINGO.  The aim of the trial was to ascertain the effectiveness and operational realities of operating a DRT service within the Scottish Borders.  The PINGO service consisted of two mini buses that did not operate on a fixed bus route schedule, instead users would book via app or telephone the service, with a route being plotted following the receipt of bookings.  The feedback of the trial had been positive, with a steady increase in the number of under 22s that had used the service.  Mr Grant explained that a key aim of the service was to allow people to travel from areas that were not on the passenger transport network to somewhere they could then pursue onward travel on public transport.  The feedback and results of the trial would be fed into the major passenger transport network review.

3.2       In response to a question regarding the licences which drivers needed to operate the bus, Mr Grant explained that the buses were operated by Borders Buses, and that the licence to operate the bus was similar to the normal licence required to operate a mini bus.  Regarding the replacement of printed timetables at bus stops across the region with QR codes to scan, Mr Grant explained that throughout Covid there had been huge, ongoing changes to bus services across the region.  Weekly changes to the timings of services had rendered printed timetables obsolete on a regular basis, and the decision had been made to use a QR code service to cater to the approximate 1000 bus stops in order to avoid continual confusion and resource deployment.  Regarding funding for the trial, Mr Grant confirmed that Scottish Borders Council funded the pilot, and that because Reston Station was due to begin operation the decision was made to carry out the trial in Berwickshire.  In light of the comments regarding the use of QR codes for bus timetable access, the Community Co-ordinator, Mr Kenny Harrow, invited anyone to get in contact with the Communities and Partnerships team if they were struggling with issues regarding digital access.  In response to a question regarding whether communities could operate their own mini bus to tie in with the Network, Mr Grant explained that it would be challenging for a community to set themselves up as an operator.  Their buses would require a ticket machine and would have to operate as a registered service.  Particular focus of the ongoing transport network review was on future proofing, and the need to provide a holistic network that was fit for purpose rather than individual solutions to problems facing the network.  Regarding meeting with user groups and communities in Tweeddale to discuss the transport network, Mr Grant stated that he was happy to meet those groups in order to help gain an understanding of users’ needs and requirements, and was happy to allow groups to contact him via email or through the Communities and Partnerships team.  In response to a question regarding the 101/102 bus service, Mr Grant explained that the contract to provide that service had gone to tender, and that the cost had risen significantly beyond what had been expected.  The DRT pilot ongoing, and DRT in general, was not a viable solution to the ongoing issues related to the 101/102 service.