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Agenda item

Question to the Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for City Services: 2022/04 - Public Transport

Minutes:

Councillor R. Mogford asked:

 

"Councillor Jeavons responded:The Fflecsi bus service across Wales is a Transport for Wales (TfW) service. Any enquiries regarding its geographic coverage should be directed to TfW. However, the area you reference was already covered by the Demand Responsive (DRT) Community Transport service, prior to the introduction of the Fflecsi service and this remains the case."

 

In your response to my QAAT question December 13th 2021 regarding fflecsi bus coverage (see reminder above in italics) you simply responded by redirecting me to Transport For Wales and also mentioned the DRT which according to NCC website (see below) is a very limited service that does not operate in the Langstone area, so again a non-answer to a specific question.

 

My follow on questions..

 

Question 1: Do you not see as part of your role the need to both lobby for and facilitate better public transport services in Newport.

 

Question 2: Do you believe the fflecsi bus arranged is fair and equitable for residents of Newport as recently as today raised in the SWA for example (  https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19891062.calls-fflecsi-bus-cover-newports-rural-areas/ )

 

Question 3: What have you personally done in your combined roles of Deputy Leader, Cabinet member and Ward councillor to ensure that public transport in Newport is fit for purpose and matches public expectations?

Calls for Fflecsi bus to cover Newport's rural areas | South Wales Argus

Similarly, more rural communities to the east of Newport like Parc-Seymour, Llandevaud, Penhow and Llanvaches also fail to fall into the catchment area for the Fflecsi bus.

www.southwalesargus.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Question 4: What is the future of the very limited DRT you mention? Is there a plan to expand/contract the DRT service that perhaps we are not aware of?

 

 

Attachment below: DRT

 

cid:2bf339d2-b5f1-416f-9a8c-ff73367ed5d9

 

The Deputy Leader responded:

 

Q1  I continue to lobby for better public transport at a local, regional and national level, particularly through my role in the Cardiff Capital Regional Transport Authority and engagement with the Burns Delivery Unit.

The authority’s powers to directly deliver bus services were removed in the mid 1980 following deregulation under the government of the day; however we continue to provide supporting facilities and have recently secured additional funding to address Real Time information provision in the bus station and extend the programme of bus shelter replacement.

 

Q2. The purpose of the Fflecsi trial is to identify opportunities for more responsive public transport. The learning from the pilot is already helping to identify latent demand and potential revisions to services. An example being the introduction of a morning service for Newport residents employed in Magor.

The pilot is wholly funded and procured by TfW, who defined the area of operation in this trial phase.

 

Q3. As I’ve outlined in my response to Q1 we have secured and continue to secure Welsh Government funding to support the bus network.  Whilst there is an aspiration to provide the highest level of coverage, we have a duty to balance needs and expectation within finite resources, whilst considering value to the public purse.  There is also a national, well-publicised shortage of bus drivers which adds further complexity to the provision of public transport.

 

Q4. All supported services are kept under review to reflect demand and value for public money.  Local authorities across the region have recently established a review of bus network requirements, including service hours, frequencies and network coverage. DRT services will be included in this review. The results of the Fflecsi pilot will provide invaluable evidence to inform the review.