Part 1 – North Lincolnshire Enhanced Bus Partnership Plan
Part 2 – North Lincolnshire Council Enhanced Bus Partnership Scheme
On 23rd June 2021 North Lincolnshire Council issued its formal statement of intent to proceed with an Enhanced Bus Partnership under the 2017 Bus Services Act. The Enhanced Bus Partnership is intended to deliver the vision and ambition set out in the North Lincolnshire Council Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) 2022 – 2027.
This Enhanced Bus Partnership Plan and Scheme should be read in conjunction with the North Lincolnshire BSIP.
The North Lincolnshire Enhanced Bus Partnership Plan is made by North Lincolnshire Council in accordance with Section 138G(1) of the Transport Act 2000. It is directly and solely derived from the North Lincolnshire Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), as first published in October 2021, and is the key enabler of that Plan.
The North Lincolnshire Council Enhanced Bus Partnership Plan and Scheme will not, or is unlikely to, have a significantly adverse effect on competition, for the purposes of Part 1 of Schedule 10 of the Transport Act 2000 and therefore meets the requirements as set out in the Department for Transport (DfT) guidance.
As required by section 138F of the Transport Act 2000 (‘the 2000 Act’), the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will be consulted on the proposals to ensure that the competition test at Part 1 of Schedule 10 of the 2000 Act has been met.
The Enhanced Partnership (EP) covers the whole of the administrative area of North Lincolnshire Council, for which there will be a single Enhanced Partnership.
The EP Plan and EP Scheme are made on 15 November 2023, for implementation on 20 November 2023. The Plan is for a four-year period between 2023 – 2027.
Concessionary Fare Info
For holders of English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) passes issued by other authorities who may board buses in North Lincolnshire, the scheme applies between 9.30am and 11.00pm Monday to Friday and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
For holders of passes issued by North Lincolnshire Council, the scheme provides free travel as above, but may offer additional discretionary entitlement journeys beginning within the boundary of North Lincolnshire.
There are currently 23,003 North Lincolnshire passes in circulation. The breakdown of the passes is:
There are two prominent bus operators in North Lincolnshire. Stagecoach, which is part of a large national UK group, and Hornsbys, a local family-run business based in Scunthorpe. These are complemented by services operated by East Yorkshire Buses who operate some scheduled services as well as the JustGo Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service. North Lincolnshire are currently operating 2 community transport services one in the Wolds area of North Lincolnshire and one in the Isle.
The main bus services in North Lincolnshire are provided by Stagecoach. Other services are provided by locally based operators, who are responsive to the needs of local bus users, and the subsidised bus network contracted by the Council is designed in close conjunction with local users by officers with a detailed appreciation of the needs of North Lincolnshire.
The maps below provide an overview of the scheduled and demand responsive network in North Lincolnshire. This shows that the scheduled network is centred around North Lincolnshire’s main urban centre, Scunthorpe. The densest coverage is in Scunthorpe itself with routes extending outwards to other key settlements such as Barton and Brigg. The rural network is well-served geographically by the JustGo DRT service.
Fig 2 Just Go Service Area DRT
Fig 3 Overview of bus network in North Lincolnshire
Stagecoach is the largest operator in North Lincolnshire operating 22 different routes and
prior to the pandemic covered 1.2 million miles from its Scunthorpe depot per year. Stagecoach operates most of the principal routes serving Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire’s urban centre. Stagecoach also provides cross-boundary connectivity through a half hourly service to Hull and a service to Lincoln every two hours.
Hornsbys is the second largest operator in North Lincolnshire and operates 12 different routes and prior to the pandemic covered 275,000 miles per year.
East Yorkshire buses operate important cross boundary connections between North Lincolnshire and the neighbouring authority of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
In addition to operating scheduled services between the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire also operate North Lincolnshire’s JustGo DRT service. This is a vital service which provides connectivity to the largely rural communities of
North Lincolnshire. The DRT offers the following services in North Lincolnshire:
North Lincolnshire provide Section 22 Community Transport on two registered bus routes across North Lincolnshire which operate Monday-Friday. The routes are registered with the Traffic Commissioner and are an open service so any member of the public can use the services.
| Location | Stops with shelters | Stops without shelters | Unmarked bus stops | Total stops | % with shelters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scunthorpe | 69 | 287 | 30 | 287 | 30 |
| Other towns and rural areas within North Lincolnshire | 136 | 269 | 148 | 553 | 25% |
| Total | 205 | 556 | 178 | 939 | 22% |
There is a good level of service around Scunthorpe, which links to other towns within North Lincolnshire. This already includes a degree of integration between the two largest operators Stagecoach and Hornsbys. In the rural areas of North Lincolnshire, services are less dense with the modern DRT operations (JustGo services) providing extra coverage. The contrast between the two gives us a solid base from which to start our service enhancements, guided by the more detailed analysis of key aspects of the bus service which follows, and enlightened by the results of our survey of users and potential bus users.
In significant parts of our Council area, congestion is limited and therefore reliability should be high and journey times attractive. However, our operators have highlighted a number of pinchpoints and hotspots in Scunthorpe which may lead to punctuality and reliability issues. These areas are of particular concern to our operators as the nature of Scunthorpe means that many routes must be circular services by necessity which are more challenging to deliver operationally and more susceptible to delays.
We propose to undertake a study to identify the scale and extent of these issues and determine the most appropriate interventions:
We have therefore established ambitious targets to improve reliability, particularly in Scunthorpe where we anticipate the greatest improvements are achievable.
North Lincolnshire Council takes part in the annual National Highways & Transport Network Survey. This survey collects the public’s views on various aspects of transport in local authority areas and includes specific questions regarding local bus services.
The survey (2022) indicated that 50% of respondents were happy with local bus services overall (in this case, 5% below the national average).
| Indicator | Satisfaction rate (North Lincolnshire) (%) | Satisfaction rate Nationwide (%) | Difference (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provision of bus stops | 84% | 85% | -1% |
| Personal safety on the bus | 66% | 65% | +1% |
| Helpfulness of drivers | 66% | 66% | 0% |
| How easy busy are to get on/off | 65% | 70% | -5% |
| Number of bus stops | 62% | 65% | -3% |
The number of stops appear to meet the needs of residents however we recognise there is a need to ensure that our bus stops are high quality, well-maintained and feel safe.
Our bus stops often suffer from vandalism and are limited in amenity features. Therefore, one of the measures in this EP Plan will be to provide an enhanced programme of maintenance.
| Indicator | Satisfaction rate (North Lincolnshire) (%) | Satisfaction rate Nationwide (%) | Difference (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public transport information | 22% | 34% | -12% |
| Reliability of electronic display information | 38% | 49% | -11% |
| Information about accessible buses | 40% | 47% | -7% |
| Provision of public transport information | 42% | 50% | -8% |
| Ease of finding the right information | 42% | 49% | -7% |
We recognise that provision of public transport information across the area is poor. Information at stops is limited to paper timetables in plastic casings which are often damaged either through vandalism or adverse weather. There is currently limited real-time information at our bus stops although this has now been installed in our bus station at Scunthorpe and Ashby High Street.
Timetable information can also be found online via www.Traveline.info which is the centralised portal for journey planning. We recognise that using the internet can cause accessibility problems for some users.
It remains challenging to predict the future for local bus services as recovery from the COVID19 pandemic. The COVID19 pandemic has clearly had an adverse and continuing impact on bus patronage, as well as reducing overall levels of use.
It is highly likely that the changes to working patterns and other travel behaviours will have long-lasting fundamental impacts on the market for bus travel in North Lincolnshire.
Whilst the council and all stakeholders want to see a recovery in the market, it is unlikely that this will occur simply by funding a return to pre-COVID service patterns and ways of delivering services. We must carefully target the funding we receive through this EP Plan to measures which will make a real difference by attracting more users to our bus services and reacting flexibly and proactively to the requirements of bus users. Engaging regularly with users will be a key part of delivering our EP Plan outcomes.
24.7% of North Lincolnshire’s employed population work in manufacturing, more than three times the national average of 7.6%.
In total there are approximately 19,000 people employed by this sector in the area (ONS Business Register and Employment Survey, 2021).
Having such a large proportion of our residents working in manufacturing means that many people work shift patterns which do not align with the operational hours of our bus services meaning workers have no choice but to rely on other means of transport.
New routes or extension to routes would be welcomed.
To address the objectives outlined above and to comply with the requirements of the National Bus Strategy, a series of aims were included in our BSIP. These set out our desired outcomes for our BSIP and therefore the Enhanced Partnership.
In future, bus services in North Lincolnshire will aspire to provide:
Within each of these categories a series of interventions were chosen, in collaboration with stakeholders including operators which were included in our BSIP. These interventions were chosen to help us fulfil our BSIP targets to increase patronage and customer satisfaction in North Lincolnshire.
It should be noted that the delivery of these measures is subject to the provision of funding from external sources such as the Department for Transport.
The full list of desired aims from the BSIP, described above, has been listed below but it is expected only a selection of these methods will be able to be brought forward through North Lincolnshire’s Enhanced Bus Partnership Scheme this year.
Letter and number references assigned to the interventions e.g. A1 refer to the corresponding ‘measure’ in the BSIP.
The full list of desired interventions as identified in the BSIP are listed below:
Intervention C1: Introduce an integrated ticketing / journey planning system across all operators in North Lincolnshire.
It is expected and intended that improvements undertaken under this Plan and Scheme will benefit neighbouring areas as improvements within North Lincolnshire such as improving the quality of the bus station will also benefit cross-boundary services (both their existing passengers and those attracted to the service).
It is the intention that interventions will be brought forward through the EP Scheme, subject to funding and the governance arrangements that dictate the EP Scheme.
The North Lincolnshire Enhanced Partnership will be governed by two primary bodies:
In addition, bus users and non-bus users will be engaged via roadshows taking place throughout North Lincolnshire on a regular basis.
The Enhanced Bus Partnership Board will be the main decision-making body of the North Lincolnshire Enhanced Partnership. However, where those decisions impact or change North Lincolnshire Council policy or strategy significantly then decisions will need to have been pre-approved by Cabinet as appropriate before North Lincolnshire Council representatives on the Board can vote in favour of the proposals.
Membership of Board will comprise the representatives listed below.
The Chair of the Bus Traffic Working Group will report to the Enhanced Bus Partnership Board and provide an opportunity to discuss issues affecting bus services throughout the area, discuss performance against the Plan and allow a wider variety of stakeholders to take part in discussions.
Many of our early interventions take the form of working with our partners to identify the root causes of problems associated with buses in North Lincolnshire and the optimum solutions. The intention is that this will allow us to tailor later interventions in the form of major measures that are based robustly on the evidence collected.
The initial EP Plan and Scheme has been a collaborative effort between the Council and operators, and together we will continue to review progress against the targets set out in the BSIP. Drawing on early studies and our experience in the early implementation phases, we anticipate undertaking regular updates of the EP Plan and Scheme when we will adjust plans, bring forward additional ambitious proposals based on hard evidence, and take the opportunity to respond to any changes in external circumstances.
The BSIP, the EP Plan and any EP Schemes will be reviewed by the Enhanced Bus Partnership Board on an annual basis, to assess progress against targets and identify any remedial actions required where measures are falling short of their anticipated impact or to set more ambitious targets where progress has proved better than expected.
Large operators will be defined as operators who carried at least 50% of North Lincolnshire’s bus patronage in the previous year. Small and medium operators will be defined as operators who carried less than 50% of North Lincolnshire’s patronage the previous year. For the avoidance of doubt, a list of small, medium and large operators will be published each year. The list for the 2023 calendar year is given in Appendix B.
Membership of the Board
Role of Board members
Operator representatives will be acting on behalf of all operators in that category, not on behalf of their own company alone. Representatives will be responsible for ensuring attendance at all Board meetings and ensuring that they have:
Declaration of Interests
Panel members have an obligation to act in the best interests of their community and in accordance with the Enhanced Bus Partnership Terms of Reference. All panel members should declare any interests that may have a bearing on their role on the Board. The Enhanced Bus Partnership Board will formally review Declarations of Interests annually.
Enhanced Bus Partnership Board Decision Making
The ambition is that the Board is working on a consensus basis for decision making. However, in the event of disagreement, the Councils cabinet member will make a formal decision.
The North Lincolnshire Council enhanced partnership scheme for buses is made in accordance with section 138G(1) of the Transport Act 2000.
The EP Scheme will be implemented once the EP Plan has been made. Therefore, this document should be considered alongside the associated EP Plan.
This EP Scheme has been jointly developed by North Lincolnshire Council and those bus operators that provide qualifying local bus services in the EP scheme area. It sets out obligations and requirements on the local authority and operators of local bus services in order to achieve the intended improvements, with the aim of delivering the objectives of the associated EP Plan.
This EP Scheme includes a series of interventions to improve the quality of public transport provision across North Lincolnshire. The Enhanced Bus Partnership will work through the detail of each of the proposed measures, including detailed targets and implementation dates, to be included in the Scheme through the bespoke variation process set out in Section 5.
Description of Geographical Coverage
The EP Scheme will cover the same geographical area as the EP Plan and will support the improvement of all qualifying local bus services operating in North Lincolnshire, as defined by the administrative boundary of North Lincolnshire Council.
Commencement Date
The EP Plan and EP Scheme are made on 15th November 2023, for implementation on 20th November 2023. The Plan is for a four year period between 2023 – 2027.
The Scheme will be reviewed by the Enhanced Bus Partnership Board annually or when a variation to the scheme is required.
Exempted services
The following services are exempt from the requirements of the EP Scheme:
A list of exempted services will be regularly reviewed by the Enhanced Bus Partnership Board and any changes are made through the variation process set out in Section 5.
Delivery of the interventions will place obligations on both the Authority and the bus operators as summarised in the sections below:
North Lincolnshire Council will provide the following facilities:
Bus priority measures and Bus Stops
North Lincolnshire Council will provide and maintain the existing bus stops and existing bus lane described in Appendix A.
Real Time information has been installed at the following locations:
Bus priority study
North Lincolnshire Council intends on undertaking a bus priority study (intervention B1a) to understand the scale, cause and potential solutions for bus delay issues in the Authority.
We will work with the Partnership to develop an evidence-based assessment process to determine the need for any bus priority measures / enforcement and if required will work with the Partnership to develop a strategy for the delivery of additional infrastructure.
The assessment process and any resulting measures / enforcement will be adopted into the EP Scheme using the Enhanced Partnership Variation arrangements at Section 5.
School services
North Lincolnshire have integrated school services with fixed routes (intervention F6A). This will help younger residents to have independent travel to their place of education.
Timetable changes
Within the North Lincolnshire Enhanced Bus Partnership Scheme area, bus operators will limit significant timetable changes for qualifying bus services to three timetable change dates per annum, unless there are unforeseen circumstances.
A schedule of dates will be agreed and adopted into the EP Scheme using the Enhanced Bus Partnership Scheme bespoke variation arrangements at Section 5.
Passenger charter
All operators of qualifying bus services will participate in the establishment of and commit to delivery against a Bus Passenger Charter (intervention H2). This will be bespoke to the needs and priorities of the Plan & Scheme Area. Its purpose will be to set out what passengers can expect from bus operators delivering local bus services across the area. Aspects upon which commitments will be expected are outlined in the BSIP.
Additional measures
Many of the measures proposed in the BSIP and referenced in the EP Plan are dependent on securing funding from external sources such as the Department for Transport.
Operators will commit to working, in partnership with the Authority, other Stakeholders and with neighbouring Enhanced Partnerships, to ensure that any funding is used, equitably, to deliver an enhanced bus service network.
The bespoke variation agreements at Section 5 will allow for modifications to the EP Scheme arising from changes in the network, the operating environment or the available funding, as the Partnership evolves and matures.
The North Lincolnshire Enhanced Partnership will be governed by two primary bodies:
In addition, bus users and non-bus users will be engaged via roadshows taking place throughout North Lincolnshire on a regular basis.
The Chair of the working group will report to the Enhanced Bus Partnership Board and provide an opportunity to discuss issues affecting bus services throughout the area, discuss performance against the Plan and allow a wider variety of stakeholders to take part in discussions.
The Enhanced Bus Partnership Board will be the decision-making body of the North Lincolnshire Enhanced Partnership.
Membership of the board will comprise the representatives listed below. The number of votes allocated to each representative is also listed below:
In addition, from time to time, other representatives from the Council or external organisations may be invited to join the Enhanced Bus Partnership Board to provide specialist expertise or disseminate relevant information for fixed periods of time.
Two senior North Lincolnshire Council officers shall represent all members of the Council’s Leadership Team and ensure a response is obtained in relation to any issues raised by the EP Board.
Work Programme and Annual Report
The Enhanced Bus Partnership Board will agree an annual work programme setting out its key priorities and areas for action and improvement. A report on the activities of the EP will be presented to the Leader of North Lincolnshire Council.
Frequency of meetings
The Enhanced Bus Partnership Board will meet at least 4 times per year and as required if a variation is proposed.
Meeting Procedure
The Enhanced Bus Partnership Board meetings will be held in person or virtually by video/teleconference. Meeting dates and times will be planned annually in advance.
Agendas and minutes will be produced by North Lincolnshire Council. Minutes will be circulated within 2 weeks of the meeting.
Review of the EP Scheme
The Enhanced Bus Partnership Board will conduct an initial, mid-year review of the Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme, to assess whether any modifications are necessary following its first six months in operation. This initial review will consider the working arrangements and the monitoring and reporting procedures.
Once the review has been completed, the EP Board will identify any necessary remedial action to be taken to deliver the targets set out in the BSIP or set more ambitious targets where progress has proved better than expected.
Bespoke Arrangements for Varying or Revoking the Enhanced Partnership Scheme
Variations to the EP Scheme can be made, provided that it will contribute to the implementation of the policies set out in the EP Plan.
The EP legislation allows flexibility to introduce new scheme content, amend existing content or revoke parts (or all) of a scheme, without the need to follow the full statutory variation procedure. This will be particularly beneficial during the early years of the partnership as patronage stabilises post-COVID, the availability of funding is clarified and as the partnership matures.
Enhanced Bus Partnership Scheme Voting Mechanism
Consideration will be given to a potential EP Scheme variation, partial or full revocation, proposed by any member of the Enhanced Bus Partnership Board. All requests for consideration of a variation or revocation should be made in writing and submitted, by email, to North Lincolnshire Council at public.transport@northlincs.gov.uk .
The proposer of a variation should demonstrate how this might contribute to achieving the objectives set out in the BSIP, Enhanced Bus Partnership Plan and current local transport policies. Any variation will need to be consistent with any original Council approvals. Should the variation make a significant change, a report may need to be considered by Cabinet.
Council decisions are subject to call-ins and so decisions are not implementable until the call-in period has expired with no call-ins, or the call-in has been dealt with under the relevant Council process.
Following Council approvals, the Chair will convene the Enhanced Partnership Board, giving at least 14 days notice for the meeting, to consider the proposed variation or revocation proposal.
Any Board members that are absent, not expressing a view (either in person or in writing) or have not selected an alternative representative will be deemed to be abstaining from the decision.
Decision making
Any Enhanced Partnership variation or revocation will require a simple majority vote of the Board in favour of the same. However, in the event of disagreement, the Councils cabinet member will make a formal decision.
The Enhanced Bus Partnership Scheme variation will be made within seven working days and will be published on the Council website or a statement will be issued confirming that the scheme has been varied.
North Lincolnshire Council have been allocated £547,379 of BSIP+ funding for 2023/2024 and £547,379 for 2024/2025.
The Enhanced Partnership Board has agreed that the BSIP+ funding will be used to support the following schemes in a way consistent with the Department’s guidance on Bus Service Improvement Plans.
Measures to be delivered as part of the BSIP programme:
Additional Bus Services
By adding additional services in rural areas where there is currently no scheduled bus service, NLC will provide residents in villages with increased choice when it comes to Public Transport.
Review of ongoing maintenance, repair and servicing of Bus Infrastructure
North Lincolnshire Council currently maintains 761 bus stops and 205 bus shelters across the authority. NLC will support town and parish councils with the devolution/transfer of bus shelters, bus stop poles and flags, bus timetable cases, bus timetables to establish the level of ongoing repairs and maintenance and establish the best method of ensuring all bus facilities are maintained to the highest standard, provide the required levels of information for bus users and become places of pride in the community.
Section 22 Community Transport in North Lincolnshire
NLC will continue to provide Section 22 Community Transport on two registered bus routes in North Lincolnshire which operate Monday-Friday. This will require the continued hire of two 16-seater minibuses to provide the current bus services and the maintenance of two ticket machines in order to take payments.
Bus Disruption Survey
Bus operators have highlighted a number of pinch points and hotspots in Scunthorpe which may lead to punctuality and reliability issues. Ongoing consultation with operators through the Quality Bus Partnership will examine any changes to these hotspots.
Extension to Existing Services
These improved connections will enable residents to attend health appointments, access retail centres and increase independence. The proposed extensions cover the following locations:
Reduced Fares for Young People
The proposal is to enhance the provision of reduced fares for the youth market (ages 16 – 24) therefore encouraging independent travel from a young age enabling trips to leisure, education, job interviews and shopping facilities. It would also reduce isolation to those living in rural areas.
Further measures may be added to this EP over time, using the variation process set out in Section 5.
If any operator of qualifying bus services fails to abide by such standards, enforcement action can be taken by the registration authority – including the cancellation of individual local bus service registrations.
The facilities that are subject to this Enhanced Partnership are outlined below.
Existing facilities
Bus stops and shelters
All bus stops and shelters within the administrative boundary of North Lincolnshire Council including the following where they currently exist at each stop :
Bus priority facilities
Large operators currently operating within North Lincolnshire with over 50% of North Lincolnshire’s patronage in 2023 include:
Small and medium operators currently operating within North Lincolnshire with less than 50% of North Lincolnshire’s patronage in 2023 include: