Ticketing and Concessionary Travel on Public Transport - United ...

Ev 78 Transport Committee: Evidence
Revenue Protection <strong>and</strong> The Powers of Ticket Inspectors
GMPTA/E has no comments to oVer on Q6–Q9.
Q6. Is the legal framework within which ticket inspectors’ function appropriate?
Q7. What appeal mechanisms exist for passengers <strong>and</strong> are they adequate?
Q8. Are the rights of passengers <strong>and</strong> the powers of ticket inspectors well-balanced?
Q9. Do operators of public transport take adequate measures to protect fares revenue?
<strong>Concessionary</strong> Fares—The Right Strategy?
Q10. Is the Government’s concessionary fares strategy, including the proposed scheme for concessionary bus
travel, adequate?
10.1 The Government’s decisions to firstly introduce a local free bus fares scheme for pensioners <strong>and</strong>
disabled people from April 2006 <strong>and</strong> then, from April 2008, to make this available on a national basis has
been widely welcomed by concessionaires. In Greater Manchester we have taken the decision to also make
free travel available on local tram <strong>and</strong> rail services. This scheme is undoubtedly leading to greater use of
public transport <strong>and</strong> a reduction in car use, particularly among younger pensioners amongst whom car
ownership <strong>and</strong> car use has been rising over recent decades. The local scheme is simple <strong>and</strong> well understood
by users. The extension of the scheme next year will provide additional benefits <strong>and</strong> will be particularly well
received by those who need to make cross boundary journeys on a regular basis or who are visiting other
parts of the country.
10.2 However, the 2008 scheme presents huge financial risks to authorities that have high visitor numbers
such as Greater Manchester. The <strong>Concessionary</strong> Bus <strong>Travel</strong> Bill requires the authority in which a travel
concession journey begins to reimburse the bus operator. This means that whilst the large number of visitors
who travel in to Greater Manchester by bus will have their incoming journey reimbursed by their originating
authority, GMPTA will have to pay for the return journey <strong>and</strong> any journeys that take place within Greater
Manchester during the period of that visit. Similarly, large numbers of visitors will continue to travel to
Greater Manchester by car or by train <strong>and</strong> once within the county boundary they will be able to travel by
bus. In such circumstances, the journey will have originated within Greater Manchester <strong>and</strong> it will fall to
GMPTA to reimburse the operator.
10.3 There is also a contrast between the national scheme which is available for pensioners <strong>and</strong> disabled
people <strong>and</strong> the lack of any equivalent scheme for children <strong>and</strong> other potentially vulnerable groups. In
Greater Manchester the recent decision of the Government assessor to accept the arguments of the local bus
operators that they should receive additional re imbursement for participating in the national scheme has
meant that, in order to balance its budget, the PTA has reluctantly had to increase the child concessionary
fare from 50 pence to 70 pence. In addition we, along with other transport authorities, do not have the power
to grant concessions to unemployed people or others on low income. It should also be noted that many
authorities, including all our neighbours, oVer a significantly less generous scheme for children than Greater
Manchester with half fare schemes being commonplace. In Greater Manchester we estimate that a half fare
scheme would mean that the average child fare would increase to 85 pence.
10.3 We would argue that there is a case for reviewing the categories of people who are entitled to
concessions <strong>and</strong> also for considering whether available national resources should be more evenly allocated
<strong>and</strong> enabling local transport authorities to balance the needs of diVerent groups in a more even h<strong>and</strong>ed way.
Given that children <strong>and</strong> young people are potentially the public transport users of tomorrow concessions
which help to develop the public transport habit could be seen to be a good investment. There is therefore
a need for greater clarity about the overall objectives of the Government’s strategy in these terms. If modal
shift <strong>and</strong> promotion of public transport is an objective then some degree of support towards the transport
costs of children <strong>and</strong> young people is likely to deliver positive outcomes.
Q11. Are concessionary fares schemes suYciently integrated across diVerent modes of transport <strong>and</strong> diVerent
geographical areas?
11.1 Greater Manchester has a history of oVering concessions across all modes of public transport. As
mentioned above the recently introduced free scheme is available across the bus, rail <strong>and</strong> tram networks.
We recognise however that not all authorities oVer similar schemes <strong>and</strong> the oVer to concessionaires on local
rail <strong>and</strong> light rail networks is likely to continue to vary significantly across diVerent areas after April 2008.
The present problems that arise for pensioners <strong>and</strong> disabled people making cross boundary bus journeys
are likely to be alleviated once the national scheme is introduced next year but anomalies are likely to persist
for other groups of concessionaires who are not subject to the national scheme.
March 2007