FREE TRAVEL SCHEME

* Facts and Figures
* bus companies and partner authorities deserve fair deal

The introduction in April 2006 of free travel after 9.30am for over-60's meant an overnight change in the world of bus travel. As expected, more people are travelling, but surprisingly these are not brand new customers but mainly existing users making extra journeys.

Contrary to popular belief, the rules of concessionary fare schemes are that bus operators can actually be no better off - and there are already worries that there are not enough seats for other customers.

The scheme was announced out of the blue in the run up to the 2004 General Election - now bus companies and local authorities are trying to assess the impact.

In the first 6 months, trent barton has recorded a 30% increase in the overall number of journeys taken by customers over 60.

Now independent research commissioned by the company reveals:

• Most extra journeys are being made by existing bus users. Only 4% of our survey sample of over 400 people turned out to be brand new 'converts'
• These existing customers are travelling more frequently and are travelling further
• One free journey in four now involves at least one change of bus
• The free scheme has encouraged pass-holders who used to set off earlier in the day to travel after 9.30am (it is still half fare up until that time)
• Some pass holders are also making journeys much later in the day, including during the afternoon rush hours. This may be because they are starting out later and making longer journeys
• Pass-holders are now tending to go out by bus as couples rather than by themselves; this is reducing car use slightly. 30% of those surveyed had a car available
• People spoke in glowing terms of the service provided by trent barton, (especially our drivers, clean modern buses and clear information). We also scored better than any rival bus companies in 98% of cases.
• But even although their journey was free, and not made at the busiest time of day, people still voted timekeeping as a downside of bus travel.

This research shows how popular our services are, but it also reveals how important it is for the bus to keep to time - even when it is FREE.

Those who say that buses are all about price have to get it firmly into their heads that there will be no wholesale switch to public transport until timekeeping can be guaranteed. Indeed this survey demonstrates that there has been no major shift from the car - just existing bus customers using the product more.

Readers will have heard it said that bus companies must be making more money under the new scheme. That isn't true; the legislation says that we must be no better off, so the amount of top-up we receive for each pass holder will be reduced.

But the same law also says that we must be no worse off - and the industry's case to Government will be that the new scheme is leading to overloading which is already starting to dissuade other customers. We are not opposed to the scheme, all we want is a fair deal - and to be fair to our partners in local authority, that's what they deserve from Government too. After all, they were not consulted for the April change, and it is vital for us all to be fully prepared for what is now being called a 'National Free Scheme' - planned for 2008.