Agenda item

Following the start of the Autumn term and the improvement programme, Members will be updated on home to school transport provision

Contributors:

Cllr Steve Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport

Sara Turnbull, Service Director Transport

Neil Beswick, Head of Client Transport

The Chairman welcomed Councillor S Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport, to the meeting and invited him to present the Home to School Transport item to the Committee. There were three types of school bus transports: council contracted buses, public buses and private coaches. At the start of September 2021, 14 new commercial school routes had been set up which were met positively by parents. A number of key changes were highlighted, one of which was that the Spare Seats scheme was now reviewed every term rather than annually. The SEND transport arrangements were also outlined. One of the key changes was the introduction of Personal Transport Budgets which had received a strong take up of 260 parents.

The Committee received an overview on the Client Transport Improvement Programme which had been established in February 2020. Five work streams were focused on:

·         Improving the customer experience;

·         Ensuring the service managed its resources within budget;

·         Ensuring the service’s operating model is sustainable, effective and efficient with robust contract management;

·         Reducing demand for transport provided by the council.

The budget for this service had been moved from Education to Transport Services which allowed improved budget accountability and the establishment of a robust monitoring framework. Some routes had been adjusted following their recent implementation and any resolutions that were required would be carried out as quickly as possible.

In response to questions, the following points were noted:-

·         All bus passes were dispatched on time and parents had been contacted early on to communicate any change of schedule.

·         Around 1,500 process queries had been received in August 2021 via the call centre and most of these were resolved quickly. The number of formal complaints had reduced over the past two years (2019: 64, 2020: 8, 2021: 2). Further work was required to categorise customer contact and monitor customer experience to improve the service.

·         The budget for Home to School Transport was £23m and was demand led. The national trend was for a significant increase in this expenditure and this trend was reflected in Buckinghamshire. The work on tenders would assist in controlling these costs. The budget for the 260 Personal Transport Budgets would be provided to Members separately.

Action: Ms Sara Turnbull

·         There was merit in the suggestion of a cycling to school scheme similar to the ‘Crocodiles’ organized walking bus initiative. Officers agreed to investigate this idea with a view to including it in the next Home to School Travel update.

·         New bus routes were being monitored to ensure they maintain their timetable. Adjustments had been carried out following traffic returning to roads in September (e.g. a route being split). The service also liaised with schools to monitor routes and did have inspectors on routes. Additionally there was a team to monitor compliance and contract manage. Where poor performance was identified by the provider and actions not taken to correct issues then the Council may withdraw the contract and re-award to another supplier.

·         Each procured contract related to a specific route that varied in how many children used it. The tendering process had been robust and had also been reported to the Audit & Governance Committee. The tender had been in a competitive market so the service was confident that best value had been obtained.

·         Members acknowledged the work carried out by the service during the busy August period and thanked the officers for supporting residents and Members.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for the update to Committee.