Agenda item

Consider report by Director Infrastructure and Environment. (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Director – Infrastructure and Environment which provided an overview of the bus network review and proposed a number of recommendations to amend bus services across the network.  The Scottish Borders had a large number of bus services, set over a wide geographic area with a dispersed population. The routes had remained largely unchanged for many years.  Only a small number of the services operated commercially, and Scottish Borders Council invested significant revenue funding each year to keep 80% of the network operating.  Scottish Borders Council had commissioned a full bus network review in 2022, with the support of the City Deal Workforce Mobility Project.  It sought to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing commercial and supported bus services, and make recommendations, where appropriate, that could improve the network in relation to better meeting potential outcomes and/or improving service efficiency.  A wide scale community and business engagement exercise was undertaken to identify the needs of communities and to assess new travel demand that was not currently met by the existing public transport network.  That information had been used to design a new network that was focused on key trip attractors, such as the Borders General Hospital, rather than servicing key road corridors across the region.  The review found that overall, the majority of the network operated well and provided sufficient coverage but there were opportunities to increase the frequency of inter-town services and town services, whist looking at improving the operational durations and the timing of services to key employment, education and healthcare sites.  The review highlighted the opportunity for more demand responsive services to be introduced across the Scottish Borders to link remote rural communities into key towns.  An economic assessment undertaken had identified that the bus network provided significant economic and social value to the region, and that SBC’s support for non-commercial services provided a good rate of return. The recommendations in the report would be delivered as existing Service contracts expired. However, due to the return of some service contracts by operators in the last six months, the Passenger Transport team had already utilised the analysis and recommendations of the Bus Network Review to implement changes to mitigate the loss of services where possible and sustain the existing commercial network.   Members welcomed the report and its recommendations, highlighted the considerable work which had been undertaken, and expressed thanks to the Principal Transport Officer, Mr Gordon Grant, for his efforts. 

DECISION

          AGREED to:-

          (a)     note the comprehensive assessment undertaken by the Bus Network review to identify changes that could deliver improved bus services for the communities and businesses of the Scottish Borders;

          (b)     approve the proposed service changes set out in the report;

          (c)     approve the proposed procurement approach set out in the report. Acknowledging the benefits that longer term contracts would bring for competition and enabling operators to invest in fleet and services, whilst committing Scottish Borders Council to longer term financial commitments; and

          (d)     approve the need for a report to be brought back to Scottish Borders Council to outline options if the tender returns exceed the existing budget provision.