Flexible Transport A new generation of user friendly public transport for areas of low demand

1. Flexible TransportA new generation of user friendly public transport for areas of low demand Public transport in regional and rural areas Tuesday 26th June 2007

2. Structure of Presentation • Flexible Transport Services (FTS) – the concept • European Experience • Case Study: FTS in Tyne and Wear • Providing FTS • Other showcase research • Monitoring performance -the role of benchmarking in achieving quality/efficiency • FTS - Where next?

3. The concept European Experience Case Study Providing FTS Other resources Monitoring performance Where next? Flexible Transport Services The Concept

4. Flexible Transport Services (FTS) FTS are public transport services which cover a broad range of mobility products - usually operated by moderate and/or small capacity vehicles. Differentiating factor…. One or more dimensions of the service can be adjusted to meet the actual needs of the user

5. Components of a public transport service • Route • Vehicle • Operator • Passenger • Payment So the provision of a service is a complex activity

6. Increasing flexibility… Route Fixed months in advance Fixed up to 1 hour before trip Limited periods of availability Long periods of availability Vehicle Many types 1 type Operator Competitive tender Selected 1 hour before trip Commercial Passenger Special transport services General public only No restrictions Payment Pay on vehicle Season ticket Smart card Increasing flexibility

7. DRT as the leading form of FTS • General use services • Local and feeder services to trunk haul services • Replacing low-frequency conventional services • Replacing fixed routes in evening or weekends • Dedicated/special services, restricted to certain users • Services in low-density rural areas • Efficiencies in social mobility resources • Niche urban markets • Fuzzy line between small bus and big taxi

8. Evolution of FTS One service provider One Agency (TDC) “Dial-a-ride” Manual booking and assignment Previous day (or earlier) booking most likely Proven Basic Breakthrough in ITS technology One service provider One Agency (TDC) ITS supported services On-day booking likely Proven Standalone Breakthrough in B2B/B2C platform Multiple service providers One Agency (TDC) ITS supported services On-day booking likely Expanded and Mature Agency Proven Breakthrough in Business Model/transport organisation Multiple service providers Multiple Agencies optimise across modes & services ITS supported services: On-day booking likely Emerging Interacting Agencies

9. Multiple Agency – FAMS project Virtual Enterprise Flexible Agency for Intermediate Mobility Services B2C Services B2B Services • resource availability • trip orders • travel plans • payments • ... • booking & reservations • service information • ... WWW DRT Planning & Operation Services VEHICLE PROVIDERS, TRANSPORT OPERATORS USER GROUPS/ASSOCIATIONS REAL-TIME DATA EXCHANGE (GSM / GPRS) PICK-UP POINT DROP-OFF POINT SERVICE NETWORK

10. The concept • European Experience • Case Study • Providing FTS • Other resources • Monitoring performance • Where next? European Experience

11. European Experience • Throughout Europe, a wide range of FTS have now been established, including: • Services for general use in rural areas. • Services for general use in periurban and suburban areas. • Dedicated services for users who face difficulties using regular public transport. • Replacement of fixed-line services at low demand periods.

12. Current practice in Europe by scale – mid 2006 Only Finland has an emerging national framework for DRT

13. EU Sunrise project : demonstration sites Serving rural area with low demand Integrate DRT into urban network serving an area with low demand serving people with disabilities Extending existing DRT Car pooling

14. Other EU projects • SAMPO/SAMPLUS – early demonstrations of standalone services • E-drul – applying DRT principles to city logistics • EMIRES – linking job opportunities to public transport provision

15. Case Study • The concept • European Experience • Case Study • Providing FTS • Other resources • Monitoring performance • Where next? Flexible Transport Service Development in Tyne and Wear, UK

16. Tyne and Wear • An example of the evolution of multiple agencies working together in a single TDC • An example of integration of Flexible Services with • Urban routes • Other conventional or subsidised services

17. Evolution: the example of Tyne and Wear • 5 local authorities forming a connurbation of 540 square km • Socio-economic characteristics • Population 1.07 m but declining • Low levels of income/ Poor health • Low but rapidly increasing car ownership • 42% of households have no car in Tyne and Wear • 27.5% of households have no car nationally • Heavy industry replaced by service industry • Flexible shift patterns • Out of town business parks

18. Tyne and Wear: transport provision • Role of Nexus: Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) • Plan strategies and schemes/ Promote public transport • Procure non commercial services • Provide, manage and operate Metro and ferry • Provide special transport services • Characteristics of transport provision • Commercial operators on heavily used corridors • PTEs secure unprofitable services …. evenings and weekends

19. Tyne and Wear: Development of FTS • Experience since 1960s of dial-a-ride (Care Service) transport services • Residents who cannot use conventional public transport/Multiple trip purposes permitted • Basic scheduling software • Bus booked 24 hours in advance via Call Centre • Nexus owns and operates vehicles

20. Tyne and Wear: Development of FTS (cont) • U Call: Urban Bus Challenge Government Funding (from 2002) • No user restrictions/ Semi-fixed routes • Trapeze telematics-based booking and scheduling system • On-board Mobile Data Terminals • Bus booked up to 30 minutes in advance • 4 dedicated low floor vehicles – owned by Nexus, competitive tender for operation

21. Tyne and Wear: Development of FTS (cont) • Combined TDC and Traveline Call Centre • Additional Nexus services • Dial-a-ride added to Call centre • Rural Bus Challenge U Call … same provision as Urban • Link to business parks • Taxibus service booked through transport operator • New clients • Scheduling services for other statutory authorities • Beginnings of Regional Call Centre?

22. Tyne and Wear: Development of FTS (cont) Nexus U Call: Outer West Newcastle Semi-fixed – Bus No restriction Nexus U Call: Sunderland Semi-fixed – Bus No restriction Nexus Care Services: Tyne & Wear Fully flexible – Bus Disabled and Elderly Nexus U Call: Western Gateshead Semi-fixed – Bus No restriction Nexus U Cab: South Tyneside Fully flexible – Taxi No restriction TDC at Nexus Special Needs Education Services Tyne and Wear (scheduling) Fully flexible – Bus Special needs education North Tyneside Council Adult Services North Tyneside Fully flexible – Bus Adult learning disability Age Concern Newcastle Fully flexible – Bus Elderly Northumberland Co Council Shilbottle Taxibus Semi-fixed – Taxi No restriction Durham County Council Cross border Semi-fixed – Bus No restriction Patient Transport Services Sunderland Hospital Fully flexible – Bus Renal dialysis patients Nexus financed service Non Nexus financed service

23. Tyne and Wear – Route 19 • Against a background of declining public transport use • Success of flexible service linking business park north of river to workers in south of river (via Ferry) • Service started as FTS • Patronage grew as part of aggressive travel planning in business park • Now a regular service

24. UK: Viability of DRT • Many DRT services require subsidy to meet gap between Revenues – Costs • Authorities need arguments to justify a Cost and Benefit Comparison • Many benefits not yet quantified: • User benefits (although this is progressing) • Non-user benefits

25. Providing Flexible Transport Services User Needs Technologies Service Design Marketing and Promotion – in particular awareness raising Longer term strategies – multiple services and partnerships • The concept • European Experience • Case Study • Providing FTS • Other resources • Monitoring performance • Where next?

26. A Flexible Transport Service • Is the provision of a public transport trip in the same way as a conventional public transport journey provides trips for its passengers BUT • Flexibility introduces elements that • May not be used in a conventional service • May have greater/less importance in the provision of a flexible transport service

27. User Needs

28. User Needs • Essential in the planning of the service • Works best as a ‘bottom up’ approach Flexibility of booking method Flexibility of pre-booking period Flexibility of route

29. Methodologies for establishing user needs • Informal • Historical knowledge • Ad hoc feedback • Formal • Semi-structured interviews • Surveys (on-street, on-vehicles, household) • Public meetings / Focus Groups • Web based information

30. Technologies

31. Use of technologies Source: Brake et al (2006)

32. Implications of choice • Can have an implication for costs (eg IVRS can give staff cost savings at TDC) • Institutional factors may have implications for eg multiple agency working • Using technology in fare collection eg smart cards can provide for fairer distribution between operators and authorities (if involved) • Interoperability is improved when using compatible equipment eg ITSO compliant

33. Service Design

34. Service Route Concepts Examples Source: Brake et al (2006)

35. Awareness Raising

36. Awareness Raising • The more flexible a service becomes the less visible it is to the end user. • Conventional marketing techniques need to be supplemented by aggressive marketing of the FTS product.

37. Who and how to inform • Most marketing at present is aimed at direct users. With FTS better to both: • Target potential users directly • Target organisations that can identify potential direct users • Different approaches are needed at different stages in service development • Before need to explain the character of the service • After starting users need motivation to continue whilst carefully targeting new ones

38. Examples of posters

39. Longer term solutionsManaging multiple servicesandPartnerships

40. Decisions for long-term sustainability Geographical aspects Centralised or Dispersed management? Organisational aspects Management resources Level of telematics Exit strategy

41. Partnerships • Not all transport services are fully utilised • Sharing capacity can bring overall savings in many different elements • Dispatching costs • Purchasing and operation of vehicles • Revenues need not be affected so with lower costs services become more viable

42. Partnership: a Good but Impossible Idea? • Managing multiple services shows how resources can be shared • Sharing on a wider basis means • Management sharing • Sharing of dispatching • Brokerage of vehicles • Establishing common pool of resources – not ‘mine’ or ‘yours’ but ‘ours’. Savings then belong to partnership not ‘my budget’ or ‘your budget’ • Recognising that governance issues are all important and will need hard work to resolve

43. Benefits of Partnerships • Partnerships offer the opportunity to ‘share’ thus reducing both avoidable and non-avoidable costs • Partnerships offer real long run savings • Can be used to make better services OR • maintain more marginal services

44. The concept • European Experience • Case Study • Providing FTS • Other resources • Monitoring performance • Where next? Other Resources • CONNECT project – free access web based portal with information and training packages • UK Good Practice Guide

45. CONNECT Project www.flexibletransport.org Main activities of CONNECT (CONcepts for NEw Collective Transport) • Web-based Knowledge Base / Virtual Library • Development of skills and training • Guidelines and recommendations for supporting business development • User Communities Workshops • Training modules available for download and to be rolled out across UK

46. Connect Portal

47. Training Modules • Module A: Systems and operations for FCMS • Module B: Technologies for FCMS • Module C: Vehicles and vehicle technologies • Module D: Impacts of FCMS • Module E: Business development • Module F: Best Practices

48. UK Good Practice Guide • Web downloadable from www.ceg.ncl.ac.uk/research/transport/projects/goodpractice.htm • Designed to assist in the provision of telematics based FTS • To demonstrate role of DRT to citizen mobility within budgetary constraints • Contains practical experience and a series of ‘Be aware of….’ • A mixture of experience dissemination and innovation

49. UK: Good Practice Guide Sections on: • The concept • Economic framework • Technologies • Service Design • Managing multiple services • Marketing/Promotion • Partnerships – the future

50. UK: Good Practice Guide - innovations Economic Framework • Discussion of viability • Introduction to economic decision making based on avoidable cost – ‘those costs which can properly be attributed to a service and are outlays which are avoided if the service is withdrawn’ • The relationship between revenues and fares • Issues about costs and how services are procured – including the role of risk