Press News
£4.2m bid for better bus services in York
9:30am Wednesday 22nd February 2012
TRANSPORT chiefs in York have rubber-stamped the city’s bid for Government money towards a £4.2 million scheme aimed at improving bus services.
City of York Council will look at introducing a “smart ticketing” scheme where credits can be electronically stored on cards, as with London’s Oyster Card scheme, if it secures financial support from the Department for Transport’s Better Bus Area Fund (BBAF).
The £2.1 million the council is seeking, which would be matched with its own injection of money from a proposed Economic Infrastructure Fund, would also go towards creating five bus “interchanges” at Stonebow, Piccadilly, the Theatre Royal, Rougier Street/Station Road and the railway station, together with real-time electronic information boards and improved timetable and map displays.
Measures to cut down on delays to services while passing through the city could include CCTV-led traffic enforcement in the Coppergate area, a Clarence Street bus lane and the appointment of a “bus controller”, who would monitor punctuality and have the power to remove obstructions to buses.
The council is already planning to bring in a paper-based cross-ticketing system, allowing passengers to use the same ticket on services run by different bus firms, by the end of spring.
Coun Dave Merrett, cabinet member for city strategy, yesterday agreed to the submission of York’s bid and confirmed the council will also team up with a separate BBAF bid by West Yorkshire Passenger Transport, which is in charge of buses in that region, with a view to sharing the costs and equipment involved in operating smart ticketing systems.
“It’s a really exciting bid, and given how tight money is, the opportunity the BBAF presents is extremely helpful,” said Coun Merrett.
“It would mean that, within two years, we will have noticeable improvements in the quality of local bus services and ticketing arrangements, including an all-service smart ticket and much better bus interchange facilities.
“It will make getting around the city centre by bus a much nicer experience and hopefully reduce congestion.”