Issue - meetings

That it be agreed that Wokingham Borough Council publish the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) document by 31 October 2021.

[Note:  In accordance with Rule 6.3.35a) of the Constitution this decision is not subject to call-in]

The Executive considered a report relating to a proposed Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which sets out the Council’s high-level ambition for future bus services to meet local need.

During her introduction the Executive Member for Highways and Transport explained that this was the next phase of the BSIP which was being driven by a statutory timetable and was required to maintain the Council’s current bus service funding from the Government.  This phase required the Council to produce and approve a BSIP, which was a high level document that contained some aspirational and ambitious polities, by 31 October 2021. It was noted that discussions had been held with bus companies and other providers to find out the extent of transport that was available in the Borough and what these providers intended to include in their improvement plans.  

Councillor Jorgensen advised that by having a BSIP the Council would be able to bid for future funding opportunities as part of the £3bn transitional plan for bus services and other funding may be available based on how ambitious it was felt the BSIP was.  The intention was to enable local bus services to recover to pre-pandemic levels and then facilitate continued growth in bus passenger numbers as well as providing the right level of bus provision in the right place that would support continuous economic growth of the whole Borough and the wider Thames Valley region.  To this end the Council would be looking at end to end routes rather than between individual towns and villages.  Improving accessibility to transport services and local bus networks and achieving a greener bus network to provide an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions was also due to be considered.

Councillor Jorgensen further advised that the BSIP also included some ambitious targets in relation to journey times, punctuality, passenger growth and customer satisfaction.  The delivery policies contained in the BSIP, and set out in the report, were also highlighted.

RESOLVED:  That it be agreed that Wokingham Borough Council publish the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) document by 31 October 2021.