Bus Service Improvement Plan Public Engagement Survey

We wanted to hear from as many people as possible to help shape a Warwickshire Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

As well as the general public we asked for views from bus operators, public transport  user groups, rail stakeholders, business groups, voluntary groups, hospitals and emergency services, Borough and District Councils, Parish and Town Councils, Warwickshire MPs, Highways England and neighbouring local authorities.   

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) also collaborated with bus operators to develop a Warwickshire Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) aimed at encouraging more people to travel by bus in alignment with the objectives set in the National Bus Strategy (NBS) published by the government in March 2021, setting out a framework for recovery from the pandemic and a vision for future bus service improvement across the country.

The NBS has £3 billion of funds available towards improving bus services throughout England.  The Warwickshire BSIP sets out Warwickshire's ambitions for bus service improvements and will be used by Government as the basis on which to award funding which, if successful, will benefit people living, working and travelling in Warwickshire. 

The public Engagement Survey received a good volume of response in general, with the views of both regular and irregular bus users well represented, albeit with some under-representation of residents aged 24 and under, residents with a Black and Minority Ethnic background and residents living in North Warwickshire Borough, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough and Rugby Borough.

Supporting Focus Group activities were also carried out to capture feedback from under-represented groups, i.e., ethnic minorities, young people and the mobility impaired.

A range of barriers to travelling by bus were highlighted by survey respondents, the most powerful of which were perceptions of slower journeys by bus relative to other modes (particularly the car), a lack of direct services going to where people want to travel, when they want to travel, unreliable and inconvenient bus services and the fact that the bus was judged to be a relatively expensive and less straight forward method of transport.

In addition, the Survey indicated that the Covid-19 pandemic had created a relatively uncertain picture of future bus use, particularly for the commute, although with some indication of quite significant peak spreading for future journeys to and from work.

The main findings in terms of setting priorities for the Warwickshire BSIP were that more comprehensive services (particularly more frequent bus services serving more destinations), better journey information (including provision of real-time information provision at bus stops, better journey planning websites and apps, better provision of static timetable information and greater provision of on-bus information), faster and more reliable services, greener services and better connecting bus services were the main measures most likely to encourage Warwickshire residents to use local buses in Warwickshire more frequently.

It should be noted, however, that the relative importance of these (and other factors) varied according to variables including user type, age and disability. In order to encourage non and irregular users and younger residents on to bus services in Warwickshire, the Survey indicated that the provision of cheaper and easier to understand fares was a key priority in addition to all of the above mentioned factors, with more of a focus on at stop and on bus facilities as a priority for improvement amongst disabled residents.

• To read the full Engagement Response Report clicking on this link.
• To read the report considered by Cabinet click on this link.
• To view a webcast of the Cabinet discussion click on this link. 

Warwickshire County Council has reacted to the government’s National Bus Strategy by producing the county’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The plan sets out the improvements that are needed to transform bus services in Warwickshire, as well as being a document which will support the council in its bid to central Government for a £150million share of the £3bn funding available to local authorities to help boost bus travel over a three-year period (2022-2025).

The plan has been developed collaboratively with local bus operators following engagement with the local community and other partners. This included a county-wide survey with a total of 1,563 responses, engagement with user groups and interviews with stakeholders.

WCC and the bus operators will now start work on an Enhanced Partnership (EP) Plan and Schemes based on the content of the Warwickshire BSIP by April 2022. Once agreed, the programme of high and medium priority schemes will be delivered within a three-year timeframe (2022-25).

To read the Bus Service Improvement Plan for Warwickshire please click on this link.

The public will once again be invited to have their say, with a consultation likely to commence in December 2021 allowing local people to provide further comments on bus services to shape and finalise the Enhanced Partnership Plan and the first EP Schemes, which must be formally agreed with bus operators by 1 April 2022.