captain cab wrote:
Taxis to replace rural buses?
RURAL buses which tour villages with almost no passengers should be scrapped and replaced with publicly funded taxi services under plans set out by the Government's transport advisors.
Limited demand for commuter routes and the need for time-sensitive services for hospital visits or dental check-ups make it almost impossible for commercial operators to make a profit in the countryside.
As a result, most people rely on their own car and those who do not drive are left stranded.
The Commission for Integrated Public Transport (CfIT) is now urging ministers to launch a pilot of a shared taxi scheme, which allows travellers to pre-book transport instead of subsidising regular bus services.
The body, which advises the Government, suggested the trial could run in Cornwall next year, once the new unitary council is up and running.
The CfIT claims the scheme would not work if restricted to small district council areas.
The pilot would offer subsidised, on-demand, door-to-door services linking in to other forms of transport such as railway stations and airports.
The service could be provided in a normal car or minibus, depending on demand. It could also fill-in services at off-peak times on core bus routes.
It is hoped passengers would be able to purchase one ticket for an entire journey, even where the journey involved changing modes of transport.
Experts believe the project, if successful, could see more people give up their cars in rural areas, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr Lynn Sloman, chairman of the CfIT working group, said: "Dispersed, small populations are hard to serve using conventional buses, and in many rural areas bus services are infrequent, stop early in the day, and don't run at all at weekends.
"Not surprisingly, people feel they can't rely on public transport and instead use private cars. But the evidence shows this leads to real hardship, with low- income households forced into car ownership when they cannot really afford it.
"What we want to see is more flexible public transport services that can link people back into local facilities and core bus and rail networks."
The report singles out a scheme already run in Devon where Fare Car runs services in 11 areas, serving around 17,000 passengers-a-year. Each service is provided by a local taxi operator under contract to Devon County Council.
It showed the taxi system was significantly cheaper that a conventional bus service to run. The Fare Car scheme cost between £672 and £30,450 to provide individual services, while the traditional bus service in the same area cost £80,000.
While a relatively new idea in the UK, similar schemes have run successfully in the Netherlands and Switzerland, where the service operates both on a fixed route and at a fixed time, alongside a door-to- door service.
It is hoped provisions in the Local Transport Act will make it easier for councils to work together across a wider area to make the system viable – possible even across several counties.
A Department for Transport spokesman insisted good rural transport was "essential".
"We have been working with passengers to improve the flexibility of local services, and have given them powers to change their services through the Local Transport Act," he said. "In addition to this, we have given more than £500 million funding to support transport through the rural bus subsidy grant and the rural bus challenge."
RURAL buses which tour villages with almost no passengers should be scrapped and replaced with publicly funded taxi services under plans set out by the Government's transport advisors.
Limited demand for commuter routes and the need for time-sensitive services for hospital visits or dental check-ups make it almost impossible for commercial operators to make a profit in the countryside.
As a result, most people rely on their own car and those who do not drive are left stranded.
The Commission for Integrated Public Transport (CfIT) is now urging ministers to launch a pilot of a shared taxi scheme, which allows travellers to pre-book transport instead of subsidising regular bus services.
The body, which advises the Government, suggested the trial could run in Cornwall next year, once the new unitary council is up and running.
The CfIT claims the scheme would not work if restricted to small district council areas.
The pilot would offer subsidised, on-demand, door-to-door services linking in to other forms of transport such as railway stations and airports.
The service could be provided in a normal car or minibus, depending on demand. It could also fill-in services at off-peak times on core bus routes.
It is hoped passengers would be able to purchase one ticket for an entire journey, even where the journey involved changing modes of transport.
Experts believe the project, if successful, could see more people give up their cars in rural areas, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr Lynn Sloman, chairman of the CfIT working group, said: "Dispersed, small populations are hard to serve using conventional buses, and in many rural areas bus services are infrequent, stop early in the day, and don't run at all at weekends.
"Not surprisingly, people feel they can't rely on public transport and instead use private cars. But the evidence shows this leads to real hardship, with low- income households forced into car ownership when they cannot really afford it.
"What we want to see is more flexible public transport services that can link people back into local facilities and core bus and rail networks."
The report singles out a scheme already run in Devon where Fare Car runs services in 11 areas, serving around 17,000 passengers-a-year. Each service is provided by a local taxi operator under contract to Devon County Council.
It showed the taxi system was significantly cheaper that a conventional bus service to run. The Fare Car scheme cost between £672 and £30,450 to provide individual services, while the traditional bus service in the same area cost £80,000.
While a relatively new idea in the UK, similar schemes have run successfully in the Netherlands and Switzerland, where the service operates both on a fixed route and at a fixed time, alongside a door-to- door service.
It is hoped provisions in the Local Transport Act will make it easier for councils to work together across a wider area to make the system viable – possible even across several counties.
A Department for Transport spokesman insisted good rural transport was "essential".
"We have been working with passengers to improve the flexibility of local services, and have given them powers to change their services through the Local Transport Act," he said. "In addition to this, we have given more than £500 million funding to support transport through the rural bus subsidy grant and the rural bus challenge."
Our mostly council Flirted with this Idea using a TAXI or PH vehicles a couple of years ago...Anyone needing to travel had to phone up by 2pm the day prior to travelling to book a seat and if no one required the Vehicle it didnt set out on its route...the Downside was an Adequate Ticketing machine was required in the vehicle and a Large route Sign on top of it....it would nearly take a bus Size vehicle to carry the damn thing and the Equipment price prohibitive.
Had a written receipt sufficed it would have been fine and where was the need of Route signage if the Vehicle was to be pre booked anyway??
All this was to be priced as Total operation for the route and if fares fell short of the Operators Tender then the Council paid the Balance...dunno what happened to the Idea..may still be in operation
Besides i would think if it were a Scheduled route it would need to run on a regular basis and not on days when needed only..then it becomes a Bus service...sooooooooo complicated!!!!
