T9

Legislation Committee No.3

Response to the Consultation on the National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Transport) Order 2010

The South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium (SWWITCH)

Consultation - Legislation Committee 3 - The National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence)(Transport) Order 2010 relating to learner transport and concessionary travel.

The South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium (SWWITCH) is pleased to respond to the request for evidence to the Legislation Committee.

SWWITCH supports the general principle that legislative competence in the areas identified in Matter 10.2 be conferred on the National Assembly.

SWWITCH also supports the terms of the order in principle but wishes to offer the following comments in relation to the concessionary fares scheme and Learner Transport covering questions 3 and 4 of the consultation document.

1. Concessionary Fares:

1.1 Local authorities currently administer the All Wales Concessionary fares scheme devised by the Welsh Assembly Government which determines the methodology and rate to be applied for the reimbursement of operators.   Local Authorities have worked closely with Welsh Assembly Government Officials to develop and amend the existing scheme.

1.2 In terms of the powers, the fundamental determinant of cost is the level of patronage of local bus services by concessionary pass holders and whilst the changes to the reimbursement formula will control cost in the short term, cost will continue to increase in the long term as the population ages and people live longer.   

1.3 The Concessionary fares scheme supports social, economic and environmental objectives and aspirations which are consistent with the SWWITCH Regional Transport Plan. The Concessionary Fares scheme is intrinsically linked to other support mechanisms for local bus services such as  Local Transport Services Grant and Bus Services Operator Grant. All are critical to the support of socially necessary services for communities, particularly in rural areas, where in South west Wales up to 80 percent of the local bus network is subsidised. It is therefore essential that future work on the development of a more specific measure should take a more holistic account of :

• The strategic role of the concessionary fares scheme in safeguarding the long term sustainability of local public transport networks.

• The social , environmental and economic implications for any changes to the scheme.

1.4 SWWITCH wishes to emphasise the importance of partnership with local authorities and operators in the development of the specific Measure in relation to concessionary fares and that any proposals are thoroughly evaluated and resourced before a Measure is passed.  

2. Learner Transport.

2.1 The proposals to introduce an order covering the description of vehicles to be used on contracted transport will support aspirations on improving the safety of school transport contracted vehicles and are generally supported. The better the transport experience at a young age the easier it will be to persuade people to use more sustainable forms of transport in the future.  

2.2 However there is a concern that the proposals will raise the expectations of the public as there will be no powers over the type of vehicles used on scheduled public transport services that a large number of school children use each day to access education and training. It may also limit opportunities for the integration of services and networks, particularly in urban areas, due to the different vehicle descriptions specified for each particular service area. This could result in pressure for more capacity. It is a complex service area with significant financial and capacity implications.

2.3 SWWITCH would again wish to emphasise the importance of partnership with local authorities and operators in the development of the specific measure in relation to Learner Transport and that any proposals are thoroughly evaluated and resourced before a Measure is passed.