Minutes. Bus & Coach Working Group. Meeting title / subject: Bus & Coach Working Group. Date: 26 November Venue: Compass Centre, Heathrow

Transcription

1 Meeting title / subject: Date: 26 November 2014 Venue: Compass Centre, Heathrow Attendees: Name Organisation Peter Bradley (chairman) TFL Bridie Sullivan HAL Geeta Odedra HAL Matthew Wooll First Berkshire Kevan Flannagan Oxford Bus Company/Carousel Buses Andy Warrender CPT Clive King Arriva The Shires Laurie James Surrey County Council Peter Nicholls TFL Michael Finn Abellio Surrey Matt Gamble Slough BC Russell Haynes National Express Heathrow Sue Reynolds L.T.C.O.A Colin Izzard Metroline Ian McAllister Metroline Nigel Harris London United Apologies: Theo Panayi HAL Alastair Willis Abellio Craig Jackson TFL Simon Heatley Morgan Sindall 1.) Introduction, apologies & minutes of previous meeting Peter Bradley (Chairman) welcomed the group to the meeting and asked everyone to introduce themselves. Apologies were noted as the above and the group accepted the minutes of the previous meeting as a true 1

2 record of the meeting. Geeta Odedra (HAL) gave an update on behalf of Simon Heatley (Morgan Sindall) who was unable to attend. She explained that Morgan Sindall (who were overseeing the proposed work at Hatton Cross) had made progress on the design from scheme to more of a detailed plan which would be completed by February. Simon would give a more detailed update on the proposed programme and phasing at the next meeting. The group agreed that they would like to receive an update before the meeting in in February. Geeta informed the group that she would request an update from Simon which would be distributed to the Working Group prior to the next scheduled meeting in February ) Sustainable Transport Plan 2014 Plan Deliverables. Bridie Sullivan updated the group on behalf of Theo Panayi who was unable to attend the meeting. She informed the group that they were on track to meet the targets and that further work on emissions was to be determined which included engaging with emission expert. The group were informed of some of the various changes that were occurring within the structure of Heathrow. She explained that she, Theo and the Commuter team had moved back into Surface Access from Sustainability and that they had forged some useful links within the Sustainability team which they hoped to keep. Surface Access are the sponsor of the STP, Heathrow Free Travel Zone and the content lies with them, so it made more sense to sit under them. Peter Bradley (TFL) queried if it was possible to obtain a copy of the organisation structure of different departments and how they all fit together within Heathrow. ACTION: Bridie to distribute a copy of the Heathrow organisation structure to the Working Group. 2a.) Surface Access Real Time Information Bridie Sullivan (HAL) gave an update on Onward Travel Zones. She began her presentation by stating that passengers/customers who travel by modes such as bus or rail; do expect to have access to some form of real time information. She went on to explain that real time information was a relatively new concept for Heathrow, whereas companies such as TFL have had this since The objective was to provide onward travel information that supported passenger s journey to and from the airport. Bridie explained that this concept had its complications in implementing the information on the screen. She explained that there were two parties involved: the Digital team and the IT team. The Digital team were the ones who came up with the visual ideas for the screen whereas the IT team were responsible for delivering the system to the mass. She informed the group that in terms of the timeline, they were on track to deliver this. The business needs would then be reflected in the digital platforms. In order to have real time information and the digital platforms that would provide this, the technology used plays a key part alongside the investment put into this. This could mean having one main source but multiple platforms in several areas. She then went on to discuss customer feedback regarding the leaflet which supports the real time information screens. It was noted that the screen did not allow for the full London underground map to be displayed, therefore having the full LUL map in the leaflet was beneficial. It was explained that the screen had the same time frame of display for each section of information, except for the LUL map which had a slightly longer time frame as there was a greater demand for this. Heathrow Express were working on promoting awareness of their products as they found that passengers were not fully aware of what Heathrow Express offered. In terms of the content displayed on the screens, it was noted that Coach real time information was still proving difficult and that it was working progress. Bridie explained that they were working alongside National Express to solve some of the problems and that once National Express had also got passed some of their own internal issues, both parties would be able to move forward. She mentioned IT developments had moved from paper to digital to real time. This would like to be developed further by making real time information more interactive. It was debated whether or not the 2

3 screen should be left in the static digital format and have smaller devices such as ipads for passengers to use more interactively. Bridie explained that the screens would run for at least 2 months and that checks would be made for stale data and any potential bugs. Changes would then be made according to customer feedback. The group then discussed the locations of the onward travel zones in the airport. It was agreed that improvements needed to made in way finding in order to create more awareness and to also make it easier for passengers to locate the zones. Next steps included the proposed re-launch of the app and to work on the feasibility of rolling out onward travel zones at other terminals. Bridie also discussed the possibility of real time information supporting Connectivity around Heathrow. Matthew Wooll (First) queried the proposed bus departure screen. He asked for clarification on real time departures and scheduled departures. The group were informed Hotel Hoppa and National Express would display scheduled departure times. Sue Reynolds (L-T-C-O-A) suggested that the screen should have a scrolling option for passengers so that they have access to a wider choice of departure times. Bridie explained the screens were static, however having an interactive two way screen was something they were looking to move towards in the future. She explained that if the proof of concept worked, then real time information and onward travel zones could be implemented in T3 and T4. Laurie James (Surrey CC) queried what the capability of the real time screen was during delays and disruptions, particularly in respect of accurate prediction of real time first stop departures. Bridie explained that it depended on the supplier and the information they provided regarding the disruption. As part of the proof of concept test, they would like to see if passengers are aware of the difference of real time and scheduled time. It was suggested that an asterix or symbol should be incorporated onto the screen with information letting passengers know that they need to pre- purchase tickets on certain routes. Sue Reynolds raised concerns that having too much information could potentially cause some issues for passengers, especially for those whose first language is not English. Bridie informed the group once the real time screen was up and running, they would be able to gain feedback from customers and stakeholders, which would be utilised to make further improvements. 2b.) Local Bus Service Improvements Peter Bradley discussed the usage of bays 1-5 at the Central Bus Station and informed the group bays were used by Tfl buses (or licensed by Tfl). The group discussed how they thought this area was coping with the flow of buses. Kevan Flannangan (Oxford Bus Company) raised concerns that this area was heavily congested and that there was no scope should something go wrong. Delays are a reoccurring issue as the Central Bus Station (CBS) currently does not have the capacity for additional services. Russell Haynes (National Express) informed the group that he was looking to have an employee available at the crossing in the CBS to support passengers around the CBS. Colin Izzard (Metroline) praised the new signage which he thought was clear and helpful. He supported the idea of a having a staff member to help at the CBS as it would keep passengers/staff safe especially with crossing over from the bus bays. Russell mentioned that he had spoken to the Police department to negotiate patrols in the CBS for additional security. In regards to bays 1-5 it was suggested that operators have a separate meeting to discuss their needs before deciding the best option of usage. Concerns were raised around the lack of knowledge/signage regarding a pick- up/drop- off point for taxi s/cars. Russell informed the group that there is a designated area but it is not well known. It was debated whether it would be a good idea to promote this as there was a potential risk with creating more congestion. 3

4 Russell suggested a tour of the CBS to look at any issues and asked the working group if they would be interested in participating. ACTION: Russell Haynes to organise a tour around the CBS to look into issues. Peter Bradley informed the group that there was going to be a revised time table from the 23 rd February 2015 on routes A40, 740 and 730. Route 203 was going to have a new schedule in mid-january which included an extra bus running Monday- Friday for reliability. There was also an enhanced service from the 30 th November th January 2015 on The Airline service. Services would operate every 20 minutes instead of every 30 minutes. Matt Gamble informed the group of Slough Borough Council s proposed work on the A4 in conjunction with the slough Mass Rapid Transit scheme. He informed the group of the recent public consultation that had taken place, where several events in various locations gave residents and businesses an opportunity to raise any concerns about the project. He informed the group that he would be able to provide a presentation at the next meeting. ACTION: Matt Gamble to provide the Working Group with a presentation regarding the proposed Slough Mass Rapid Transit Russell queried the possibility of having more announcements for buses at the CBS. He explained the potential positive impact this could have, if service providers were able to provide any additional service information that could be announced. Kevan Flannagan informed Russell that he would send service information across and requested if he could inform him of the actual wording of the announcement. Russell mentioned a new plan to have CCTV installed. ACTION: Russell Haynes to provide the Working Group with a presentation on the CBS. Ian McAllister (Metroline) raised the issue of the major infrastructure works taking place across London. He mentioned that should the Cycle Superhighways get the go ahead. These would also add to the congestion problem. The group discussed the issue for operators to maintain reliable services whilst there being several temporary road works occurring. Peter Nicholls (TFL) discussed economic growth activity and population growth having a significant impact on the increase of traffic and congestion. Peter Bradley also confirmed that route H98 currently has 4 new electric buses in service, HAL has expressed their interest in such technology as it would help to deliver significant air quality benefits due to zero tail pipe emissions. He then went on to inform the group of the all- night time tube services ( Night Tube ) that would run Friday and Saturday nights on selected lines from September This included the Piccadilly line tp Heathrow (but not Terminal 4) This would not affect the existing night services in a major manner. It was queried who could use the Night Tube to Heathrow and if it was just aimed for staff. Peter confirmed the service was for all members of the public and staff to use. This service would only run at the weekend and not during the week as there was a need to have some dedicated time for night time maintenance work during the week. ACTION: Peter Nicholls to circulate a document summarising arrangements for non- Tfl services in the Heathrow area during the Christmas period. 3.Group Travel Developments Andy Warrender (CPT) informed the group there were no issues and the new charges were to be completed as they were waiting on press release. Sue Reynolds (L-T-O-C-A) explained they were awaiting a government meeting as the prices needed to be re-confirmed. In Terminal 2, chartered coaches had recently been moved from bays 1 & 2 to bays 13 and 14 and replaced by HAL staff buses. She raised her concerns this change was not in the interest of customers as 4

5 they now had 3 lanes to cross instead of being adjacent to the terminal entrance. ACTION: Bridie to investigate the safety issues regarding the changes to bays. 4. A.O.B Peter Bradley informed the group that this would be his last meeting as the chairman. He explained that he had been involved with the group since 1997 and had been chairing the working group since He proposed that Peter Nicholls should be appointed as the new chairman but it would be a group decision. Peter asked the group if they were happy for Peter Nicholls to be the chairman or if anyone else wished to put themselves forward. The group agreed on Peter Nicholls and welcomed him as the new chairman. Peter Nicholls thanked Peter Bradley for his contribution and input into the working group and looked forward to fulfilling the duty as chairman. Next meeting: 18 th February