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1. BUS PLANNING

1.1 This section offers specific actions for public transport authorities to consider in encouraging people out of their cars and onto more sustainable transport. These are:

• engaging bus operators earlier in the development planning process to better integrate land-use and transport planning ;

• giving early consideration to the provision of Park and Ride facilities to increase bus use and relieve congestion;
• encouraging bus use through the development of Travel Plans for their employees;
• developing policies for the development of corporate Travel Plans across their areas;
• working in partnership with Transport Scotland and other key stakeholders to implement integrated ticketing within their areas;
• establishing Strategic Bus Planning Forums at local and/or regional levels to help improve key stakeholder involvement in bus planning;
• integrating the planning and delivery of education, health and community bus services to increase service efficiency and quality;
• increasing the flexibility of school transport times to achieve more efficient use of school buses and of the education budgets which support them; and
• setting minimum bus quality requirements and/or vehicle age specifications for the school run to raise pupils' experience and change parental perceptions of buses.

BUS AND LAND-USE PLANNING

1.2 Good planning and transport integration is fundamental to place making in our cities, towns and rural areas. It also has a pivotal role in achieving the five Scottish Government objectives of a wealthier and fairer, healthier, safer and stronger, smarter and greener Scotland.

Transport Policy

1.3 As underlined in the Scotland's National Transport Strategy ( NTS) published in December 2006, an efficient transport system is essential to our economy, communities, environment, health and general well being. Transport is important to us all - it gets us to our place of work and to our schools. It allows us to access shops and services, to visit friends and family, for tourists to visit us and for us to enjoy leisure activities, and provides accessibility for those who do not have access to a car.

1.4 The NTS also identified a number of key challenges facing transport in Scotland. We need to provide an efficient, integrated and reliable transport network that successfully promotes economic growth, protection of the environment, health and social inclusion. We need to reduce journey times, tackle congestion, provide attractive alternatives to the private car and improve connections and accessibility, while at the same time reducing the impact of transport on the environment. We need a public transport system which is attractive, efficient and affordable with proper integration and through ticketing.

1.5 Bus is pivotal in its potential to bring about the changes outlined in the NTS and is the focus of Moving into the Future: An Action Plan for Buses in Scotland - the 'Bus Action Plan' - its sister document. The aim of the Bus Action Plan is to develop a comprehensive bus network where sustainable services are delivered to a high quality. This guidance is a key output of the Bus Action Plan.

Planning Policy

1.6 To ensure it is planned effectively and that the bus networks of tomorrow are fit for purpose, it is essential that strategic bus planning is undertaken seamlessly as part of the long-term spatial development at local and regional levels. Scottish Planning Policy ( SPP)17: Planning for Transport is supported by a range of Planning Advice Notes. The key policy messages they contain are that land-use planning:

• should help to reduce the need to travel and reduce dependence on the car;
• create the right conditions for greater use of sustainable travel modes;
• should avoid or mitigate adverse environmental impacts; and
• ensure that new developments should connect to local services by walking, cycling and public transport.

1.7 Achieving a significant shift to more sustainable modes of travel will be dependent on the availability of public transport services which meet the need for mobility, offer good connections and facilities for interchange, supported by integrated ticketing and good passenger information systems. Public transport should be fast, reliable and affordable. Increased use of buses can be encouraged through:

• high quality infrastructure, quality of vehicles and waiting areas;
• integration with walking and cycling networks;
• park and ride schemes;
• bus priority measures on main public transport corridors to and through development sites;
• good on-site access, stops and shelters and bus service information;
• integrated ticketing;
• demand-responsive services to fill gaps in public transport coverage; and
• discounts on travel passes and other fares initiatives.

Strategic Bus Planning

1.8 The relationship between transport and land use is central to this agenda. Early engagement by bus network providers in the preparation of development plans is more than ever beneficial as we seek to build sustainable futures for our communities. Under secondary legislation arising from the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006, development plan authorities will be required to prepare a development plan scheme including a participation statement indicating when and with whom consultation will take place. There may also be potential investment benefits from the early involvement of bus operators in the development plan process; an outcome largely denied when the views of operators are only sought later on in the planning process. Co-operation is the responsibility of all groups.

1.9 In planning bus services, public transport authorities might wish to have regard to the close interdependence between good bus networks and community health and well-being. The same close interdependence should be recognised by colleagues involved in planning health service provision, with good practice involving early consideration between transport interests and the health service on potential issues. For example, while sustainable transport can have a positive impact on the health of individuals and communities, bus can also play a key role in community access to healthcare facilities. In education transport planning, making bus times more flexible might lead to more cost effective and efficient use of school buses, while the setting of minimum bus quality standards for 'school run' buses might have the effect of raising pupils' experience and changing parental attitudes to bus travel. Again, close and early joint working between transport and education interests is important.

1.10 Public transport authorities might also wish to consider the potential benefits of further integration of health, education and community bus services, and take into account potential integration with services which they also subsidise.

STRATEGIC BUS PLANNING FORUMS

1.11 The following guidance on the establishment of strategic bus planning forums was developed after taking account of developing best practice in Scotland and the advice of the key stakeholders involved. It outlines their aims and objectives, their management and resourcing, appropriate representation within them and, of course, the benefits they should provide. A stakeholder task group established under the auspices of the Bus Action Plan concluded that as bus services, and their client groups, often cross local authority boundaries, strategic bus planning forums might be most appropriately established at regional level.

Aims and Objectives

1.12 The aim of strategic bus planning forums is to bring together those people with a key interest in the development and efficient and integrated delivery of bus services (including Demand Responsive Transport) to discuss and inform how services and their support infrastructure might be better planned to meet the needs of individuals and communities, the economy and the environment. By involving all key stakeholders, strategic bus planning forums encourage a partnership approach to meeting the following objectives:

• developing a good understanding of the current bus network;

• auditing bus services, whether commercial or public sector to identify scope for efficiencies and improved integration;
• identifying unmet needs;
• delivering an agreed vision of the bus network;
• improving bus planning, taking account of new land-use developments and the needs of, for example, health, education and community related services;

• raising bus service quality by acknowledging where and when bus services should operate and for this information to be made available to at least a minimum agreed standard; and
• agreeing realistic and achievable actions that provide clear social, economic and environmental benefits.

1.13 The above list is intended to be illustrative rather than comprehensive. It is for sponsoring public transport authorities to decide upon the specific objectives for any forum having regard to the priorities for action in any area. Nevertheless, strategic bus planning forums provide effective planning platforms in which to agree and deliver solutions to local priority issues.

Stakeholder Representation

1.14 To be most effective, strategic bus planning forums need to be inclusive and will likely benefit from the involvement of decision makers from among bus operators, land-use planners and education, health and community service planners. In addition, community representatives and representatives (local and/or national) of high bus dependence groups might be included. Achieving a balance between inclusion and effective group management might be addressed by establishing smaller core working groups focusing on specific objectives of the forum.

Resourcing

1.15 Public transport authorities will also wish to ensure that the work of the forum is adequately resourced through provision of a secretariat and appropriate meeting venues.

First Steps

1.16 After its establishment, a strategic bus planning forum might first wish to agree with participants:

• its terms of reference;
• the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders represented within it; and
• the frequency and location of meetings.

1.17 Once the priorities the strategic bus planning forum has agreed to address are identified, an action plan of deliverable outcomes might be drawn up and implemented.

Publicity, Monitoring and Evaluation

1.18 Publicity might be considered as a means of raising the strategic bus planning forum's profile amongst stakeholders. Monitoring will help to ensure that the Forum is focused on its objectives. Evaluating outcomes will help measure the forum's effectiveness.

Park & ride

1.19 The benefits of Park & Ride facilities featured prominently at a high level bus forum held in March 2008. Chaired by Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change and addressed by John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, the forum comprised senior leaders from the bus industry, local government and the regulatory bodies.

1.20 Industry leaders identified Park & Ride as one of the most important innovations in transportation policy and fundamental to modal shift. Communities want transport to take them where they want to go, quickly and efficiently. Park & Ride enables that. Operator experience is that they change attitudes to bus use and make a significant impact on passenger growth, in turn leading to a reduction in congestion in our towns and cities. However, industry leaders emphasised the benefits from them being involved with public transport authorities earlier in the development planning process and before major decisions are taken.

1.21 The forum concluded that public transport authorities should give early consideration to providing Park & Ride facilities and to more collaborative working with bus operators. The Scottish Government is committed to working with public transport authorities to develop a national strategy for Park & Ride, and is currently scoping the task.

TRAVEL PLANS

1.22 A Travel Plan is an integrated package of measures by employers to encourage sustainable travel choices for staff. It encourages walking, cycling and use of public transport. It is normally tailored to the specific needs of the organisation's staff, clients and visitors. It may cover either a single business site or a cluster.

1.23 The exact measures identified in any Travel Plan will clearly depend on existing travel patterns and facilities but may include some of the following:

• Promoting the benefits of public transport. Reminders to staff that, if they take the bus or the train, they could spend the time reading and relaxing or preparing for meetings.
• Providing incentives to staff. Subsidisation of employees' commuter travel by public transport and/or provision of 'salary sacrifice' schemes to enable staff to purchase travel season tickets. A salary sacrifice schemes is an income tax and national insurance exemption for bus travel to and from the workplace via an employer's staff benefits scheme. Within a scheme, the employee gives up the right to receive part of the cash pay due under his or her contract of employment. Sacrifice schemes enable the employee to save in the region of 20-40% on the cost of annual bus passes (providing the majority of the use is for travel to/from work).
• Providing reliable information. Provision of reliable timetable, route and bus stop information on local bus services to staff in a way that is easily accessible - for example, on notice boards (electronic and conventional) and computer desktops. Additionally, Traveline Scotland is able to provide batch journey planning for all employees. Use of this could also help to establish a case for extended or new services (see case study below).

• Reliable information could be provided to visitors too. Use could be made of Traveline Scotland's free 'Landing Wizard'. This journey planning tool can be downloaded and inserted onto the homepage (or other convenient page) of any organisation's website. Accessing this service, visitors would be able to enter the postcode of their starting point and be given detailed information on travel to the organisation's premises.

• Choosing appropriate external venues. When considering venues for meetings and conferences, organisers could choose those that are well served by buses and circulate clear details of nearby transport links to all participants. Start and end times for meetings could be set with bus travel in mind.

• Improving routes and facilities. Improved walking routes between sites and bus stops and provision of shuttle buses to key destinations could be considered for inclusion within a Travel Plan. The provision of new or redesigned bus stops would allow passengers to wait in pleasant conditions, while negotiation with operators could lead to changes in existing routes or the introduction of new ones.

1.24 The success of any Travel Plan will ultimately depend on its implementation rather than the plan itself. Evidence and experience show that to be effective a Travel Plan must:

• be based on a recent assessment of travel patterns;
• set out clear objectives, target and indicators;
• have a consistent monitoring programme;
• contain a commitment to future review and renewal; and
• be delivered in partnership with staff and bus operators.

1.25 Further advice and guidance on delivering a Travel Plan can be found on the www.chooseanotherway.com

INTEGRATED TICKETING

1.26 This section outlines briefly the benefits of the introduction of integrated ticking schemes within public transport authority areas. Public transport authorities and bus operators are encouraged:

• to engage fully with policy as it develops following Transport Scotland 2008 consultative paper; and
• to commit to partnership working with key stakeholders to achieve the introduction of integrated ticketing across Scotland and within local and regional areas.

1.27 The advent of smartcard technology provides significant opportunities for the introduction of new, user-friendly integrated ticketing products that make travelling by bus a more attractive proposition to a wider range of potential users. It addresses many of the themes within NTS concerning integrated travel networks and more attractive services in support of modal shift. The arrangements for the 2014 Commonwealth Games will benefit considerably from the implementation of Integrated Ticketing.

1.28 Integrated ticketing will allow bus users to access different services - including train and ferry - without the need for additional ticket purchases or the need to carry cash for them. Transport operators, on the other hand, will benefit through revenue protection and the marketing potential of the ticketing products. Significantly, for modal shift, it will also ensure greater integration of our public transport network.

1.29 Transport Scotland is therefore developing an Integrated Ticketing Strategy for Scotland. A key aim of this strategy is to set a common operational framework for integrated ticketing schemes throughout Scotland. Responsibility for the establishment and implementation of Integrated Ticketing schemes within their areas will lie with the relevant public transport authorities.

1.30 Successful implementation of this strategy will therefore necessitate strong partnership working between Transport Scotland, transport operators and public transport authorities. The strategy was the subject of consultation with those key stakeholders. The consultation phase ended in June 2008. To complement the consultation, there have been discussions on pilot schemes in Orkney, South Lanarkshire, Dundee (see case study above), and the Glasgow to Edinburgh rail route.

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