County council could face £600,000 black hole over concessionary bus fares

North Yorkshire County Council could be left facing nearly £600,000 of financial pressure if concessionary bus passenger volumes return to pre-pandemic levels, it has emerged.

Leading North Yorkshire councillors have pushed forward proposals for a new North Yorkshire and York English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, under which a host of local bus service operators will be paid for the fares of elderly and disabled people until April 2024.

Under the national mandated scheme bus pass holders can travel free on all local buses anywhere in England from 9.30am until 11pm on weekdays and all day at weekends and on bank holidays.

In North Yorkshire, the council covers bus pass fares from 9am to 6am, and concessions are accepted on certain morning rush hour journeys, particularly from rural areas.

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Such exemptions are considered on a case by case basis and granted for cases such as where a passenger is not likely to reach their service centre, GP, hospital before 11am on a direct service without the exemption.

A council officer’s report states the overall financial impact of the proposed changes to the scheme is that forecast expenditure is expected to increase by £216,000 in the coming year based on last year’s passenger numbers.

It states:

“If passenger numbers increase to pre-pandemic levels based on 2018/19 passenger numbers then expenditure could increase by up to £581,000.”

‘More people visit us’

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the authority’s executive member for access, said the reason council could face financial pressures was because it had made “small savings against budget” over the past 24 months.

He said: 

“We simply did not foresee a marked decrease in the number of people using buses. We did continue to pay bus operators far beyond what they should have been given based purely on passenger numbers because we wanted lots of bus operators to still be around and financially viable after covid was over.

“Any increase back up to pre-covid levels will have an impact on the budget because we have pared the budget by relatively small amounts due to reduced usage by bus pass holders.

“It is a pressure, but would be a relatively small percentage of what the bus concessionary fare scheme costs us, about £7 million a year.

“Concessionary fares have always cost North Yorkshire more than we get from government because it is an attractive place to visit and use their bus passes and we pick up the bill for that.

“Clearly, some of our residents go to other parts of the country and use their bus passes, but we do have more people visiting us than most parts of the country simply because it is a very beautiful county.”

When asked if the funding of concessionary fares would be fairer if it was calculated by the number of concessionary fares used in an area, Cllr Mackenzie replied: 

“I think the system’s pretty fair. We have in the past lobbied for additional funding because of this surplus of bus passes.

“It does give older and disabled folk an incentive not to use their cars and to get out and about, which is good for public health, it’s good for mental health and it’s very good for the environment too.”

Revealed: route for Harrogate’s free Christmas road train

A free road train will take visitors around Harrogate from Friday, just in time for the two town centre Christmas markets.

The Candy Cane Express will stop at James Street, St Mary’s Walk and Crescent Road. It will also pass Montpellier Hill, Cheltenham Parade, Station Parade and Victoria Avenue.

Face masks are advised on the road train, which will operate from December 3 to 12. Face masks are also advised around both markets.

The train route will take in the sights of the Christmas lights, Christmas shop window displays, Christmas rides and Santa’s postbox.

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It’s all part of the council’s drive to get people into the town centre to support the new fayre and the artisan market in Valley Gardens, which will also stimulate high street businesses.

Excitement has been building since the Christmas rides started in the town centre last month. This week stalls for the Christmas fayre appeared in the town centre.

A map of the Christmas road train.

When are the town centre Christmas markets?

Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which the council is running in partnership with Market Place Europe, will be open between 10am and 7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am and 9pm Thursday to Saturday, and 10am and 4.30pm on Sunday.

The market will take place on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent and will provide gifts and mouth-watering treats for people to enjoy as they wander around, taking in the sights and sounds.

Around 50 traders will take part in the fayre.

In addition, Little Bird Made is set to hold a festive artisan market in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens this Saturday and Sunday, with times to be confirmed.

The artisan market will feature approximately 60 local and regional traders and producers who will sell a variety of festive arts and crafts, clothing, homeware, jewellery, as well as food and drink.

Improving county bus services an ‘enormous challenge’, says transport boss

Improving bus services with more regular and reliable journeys across Harrogate and North Yorkshire will be an “enormous challenge”, the county’s transport boss has said.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, made the statement on Tuesday when the authority approved its £116 million Bus Service Improvement Plan, which aims to boost passenger numbers and cut car use.

The plan asks for £116 million of government cash over the next eight years to fund support for existing and new services, a simpler ticketing system, better information on journeys and other measures.

The aim is for services to cover the whole of England’s largest county – something Cllr Mackenzie said will be an “enormous challenge”.

He said: 

“Bus services are very important to us – we as a council spend over £24 million on buses to get our pupils to schools.

“We spend £1.5 million every year subsidising rural bus services, which are not commercially viable and would not run without us.

“We also spend over £7 million a year on providing 127,000 bus passes for free travel for people because of age or disability, or because they are carers.

“But the challenge we have today to provide regular and sustainable bus services throughout the vast geography that North Yorkshire County Council covers with its sparse population is enormous.

“That is why I welcome the national bus strategy.”

Under the government’s bus strategy, £3 billion is to be made available to make buses across the country cheaper and easier to use.

It is hoped these targets will be also met through so-called enhanced partnerships where councils agree to infrastructure improvements in return for better services from bus companies.

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Other proposals in North Yorkshire County Council’s improvement plan include half-price fares for job seekers and apprentices, a new website with information on services and more zero-emission buses.

Pannal park and ride

There is also talk of a park and ride scheme in Harrogate, which officials are looking into but have yet to bring forward any detailed proposals for.

There are two potential sites for this: land near Pannal Golf Club and another site near Buttersyke Bar roundabout, south of the village.

The Harrogate district has more zero tail-pipe emission buses than most places in North Yorkshire and it is hoped more will be provided through a £20m bid for government cash.

If approved, the cash will be used to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet zero-emissions, with 39 new buses coming to the district.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Transdev in the north of England, which owns Harrogate Bus Company, has expressed his support for the bid, saying it comes at a time when he believes Harrogate is “ready to embrace more sustainable forms of travel”.

Mr Hornby is also one of several business leaders who will speak at a net-zero conference at Harrogate Convention Centre on Friday when the vision of a greener transport future will be high on the agenda.

Another aim of the improvement plan is to expand the rollout of the council’s on-demand bus service, YorBus, which allows app users to book and track services in Ripon, Bedale and Masham.

There have, however, been questions over why the service has been hailed a “success” after it emerged it has only attracted about three passengers per hour.

In response to this, Cllr Mackenzie said the council would listen to all feedback, but added the number of those praising the service exceeded the number of critics.

He said:

“We may or may not introduce it elsewhere, but so far the signs are very good.”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Al bringing you all the updates on the roads and rail this morning. There is heavy traffic on the A658 between Follifoot and Calcutt, following an accident earlier this morning, with the traffic building on nearby Wetherby Road.

Give me a call on 01423 276197 or get in touch on social media if you spot anything on the roads or your bus or train is delayed.

The morning blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

Roads

The A658 is still very busy, with traffic also building past the showground on Wetherby Road.

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8:30am – Full Update 

Roads

There are a number of areas looking busy this morning, especially around the A658.

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8am – Full Update 

Roads

Things are starting to get busier on the roads this morning.

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7:30am – Full Update 

Roads

There is heavy traffic on Skipton Road on the approach to the roundabout with Knaresborough Road.

Traffic is also moving slowly near Follifoot, on the A658 up to the roundabout with Wetherby Road.

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7am – Full Update 

Roads

There’s heavy traffic on the A658 from Calcutt to Follifoot due to a minor accident. Traffic is moving slowly.

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6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

It’s still early so as you’d expect, the roads are pretty quiet. There are a few hotspots that have caused issues this week though, so do plan ahead.

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On-demand bus service launches around Ripon

North Yorkshire County Council has launched its pilot on-demand bus service called YorBus, allowing travellers to book public transport at times to suit them.

People who live in Ripon, Masham, Bedale and the surrounding villages can use the YorBus app to chose a pick-up and drop-off bus stop and travel within the service area at their leisure.

There is a flat fare: adults will pay £1.20 and children aged five to 17 will pay 65p. Those under five travel for free.

YorBus

Those living in the blue area can access YorBus to travel around it

The service will run from 6.55am to 6pm during the week and 9am to 6pm at weekends. There is no service on bank holidays.

The app allows the customers to keep track of the bus’s location and gauge how long it will take to arrive.

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Customers can download the YorBus mobile phone app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Those who do not have a smart phone can book their public transport over the phone on 01609 780780.

The council has assured those who struggle with mobility that the service will be fully accessible with low floor and ramp access.

This service is going to be regularly reviewed and, if successful, will inform its decision for a wider rollout within the country.

 

 

Bank holiday weekend train travellers face delays and replacement buses

Northern will be running a limited service this weekend, despite the bank holiday and forecasts for better weather.

Passengers wishing to travel to Leeds this Sunday will need to use a replacement bus service between Horsforth and Leeds.

This is expected to add 20 minutes to journey times.

Engineering work on the York – Harrogate – Leeds line will take place on Sunday May 30.

Timetable changes across the Northern network this weekend are the result of engineering improvement works around Leeds, Manchester and Warrington. Full details are available on its website.

The company asked passengers to be “flexible with their journey”.

A spokesperson said:

“We’ll be adding extra carriages where possible but, with amended timetables in place in many areas, we will have fewer trains operating than on a normal weekend.

“We need our customers to plan carefully for any rail travel this weekend and be prepared for services to be much busier than they have been recently.”

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No open top bus celebration for Harrogate’s Wembley heroes

Harrogate Town have decided not to hold an open top bus parade to celebrate the club’s FA Trophy success.

Discussions had been taking place about a parade after Town beat Concord Rangers 1-0 last week to take home the silverware at Wembley.

Despite support from the bus company Transdev, the club said today released a statement saying it would not happen. It said:

“Due to lockdowns in 2020 the players only had a two week break before embarking on pre-season training in preparation for our first English Football League campaign.

“In effect they have played back-to-back seasons. After the match against Cheltenham they will be going their various ways for well-earned planned family breaks.

“Despite our socially distanced and covid-compliant parade after the promotion final last August, the club came under unwarranted criticism from some elements of the media.

“We are guarded against similar criticism as we all emerge from the latest lockdown.”

The club added “we sincerely hope our loyal supporters understand and appreciate our decision not to hold a parade”.

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New Harrogate to Skipton bus service on Saturdays

The Harrogate Bus Company is to introduce a new service connecting Harrogate and Skipton.

The 59 service will run four times each way on Saturdays, starting on May 22.

Buses will depart from Harrogate bus station at 0945, 1145, 1445, and 1645, and from Skipton bus station at 1040, 1240, 1540, and 1740.

The bus will stop at The Millstones, Blubberhouses for Fewston reservoir, the Devonshire Arms for Bolton Abbey, Bolton Abbey station for the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway, and terminate at Skipton bus station.

The journey will take just less than 50 minutes in both directions.

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This is the first bus to link Harrogate and Skipton since the X59 service was cancelled in 2013. There has been no direct public transport link between the two towns in the eight years since.

The price of a single or return ticket is not known yet, but a daytripper ticket to allow further connections with other Transdev services costs £10.

The news comes as local councils are considering plans to reduce car dependency and encourage active travel and use of public transport in the Harrogate district.

Harrogate bus passenger worried by lack of face masks

A Harrogate bus passenger has complained to the bus company after finding that more than half of people on board were not wearing face masks.

Chris Hill had just paid his fare on Monday when he realised that only two people out of five on the bus were wearing face masks.

It has been the law to wear face mask on public transport since June but there are some exceptions to the rule.

When Mr Hill questioned the driver he said that drivers do not have to enforce any rules or question anyone.

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Unhappy with that response, he took his complaint to the parent company of the Harrogate Bus Company Transdev and the Stray Ferret. He said:

“I think that if you drive around with a sign saying the buses are clean and safe then you have to enforce this. It’s not a problem on trains.

“When someone gets on the bus they should be able to prove that they have an exemption. If not the driver should refuse entry.

“If the bus driver cannot enforce the rules then they should make that clear to other passengers who may feel at risk. It’s difficult but more can be done.”

Frank Stanisauskis, the general manager of The Harrogate Bus Company, said:

“Since the rules came into place in June we’ve taken several steps to make sure all our customers know that, unless they are exempt, they need to wear a face covering.

“That includes giving away free face coverings, selling our own reusable ones in our bus station shop, adding notices visible when customers board and alongside every row of seats on the bus, as well as including information about face coverings to our audio announcements on board.

“Because the Government has allowed some broad exemptions to the face covering rules, many of which relate to disabilities or difficulties which are not visible, we do still expect to see customers on board who aren’t wearing one.

Buses are clean and safe – reported as ‘the safest places on earth’ by leading scientists, and backed up by national and international studies into covid-19. We can reassure any customer, that when they are on board our buses we’ve taken every precaution to ensure their safety and that of our driving and cleaning teams.”

Knaresborough gets first electric bus

Knaresborough is to get its first electric bus, in a move that will reduce carbon emissions in the town.

Harrogate Bus Company announced on Clean Air Day today it will trial the number 1 route from tomorrow for a week.

The number 1 is one of the company’s busiest routes and it is hoped the electric bus will become a permanent feature on Knaresborough’s roads within 12 to 18 months.

Air pollution at Bond End in Knaresborough, which is one of the stops on the route, remains at illegal levels.

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade said the trial was a positive step in becoming a greener town.

Steve Teggin, president of the chamber, said:

“It’s a perfect run because there is an enormous amount of traffic from Harrogate to Knaresborough to shop.

“We are very excited to encourage a greener environment and this is a great step forward. We hope this will encourage people to come and support our shops.”

Knaresborough electric bus

It is hoped the trial will be successful and further funding for the initiative in Knaresborough can be approved within 12-18 months.

The bus will run off one charge overnight.

The Harrogate Bus Company has said the trial will allow it to test the technology and ensure customers are happy with the new service.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Harrogate Bus Company, said:

“We have committed some investment for next year and we hope to make it as successful as the Harrogate electric buses. It’s the main route to connect Harrogate and Knaresborough so it seems like an obvious next step to bring this technology into Knaresborough.”

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