Bus service cuts proposals

22 June 2019

Five main options are now to be considered by councillors as they debate if Lewis and Harris public bus services are to be cut in a cash saving exercise. All island public bus services require a council subsidy. Maintaining the current level of services - if tenders come in low enough - is one possibility but councillors previously agreed to look at options involving a reduced timetable by targetting evening and middle-of-the day services.

Later this year, the council will consider how rural communities and groups could fill the gap with rural districts delivering their own area-based community transport and evening bus services with funding and technical support from comhairle. This may be augmented by community landlord involvement and revenues. The review of comhairle supported community transport is on ice until after the council vote on Wednesday.

Proposed service redesign options

1 Commuter only services to and from Stornoway. Target arrival 8 – 9 am and departure 5 - 6pm. Impact on pupils not entitled to school transport. No transport for workers arriving before 8am. No middle of the day services for shopping, health care and social / leisure. No evening services from Stornoway after 6pm. No connections with ferries on the Sound of Harris service.

2 Commuter only services to and from Stornoway. Target arrival 8 – 9 am and departure 5 - 6pm. No transport for workers arriving before 8am. No middle of the day services for shopping, health care and social / leisure. No evening services departing from Stornoway after 6pm .No connections with ferries on the Sound of Harris Service.

3 Reduced service timetable. Reduced number of buses and route sharing of buses to multiple districts. Commuter services to and from Stornoway for both 8 am and 9 am start times and 6pm departure. Reduced middle of the day services.

Impact on pupils not entitled to school transport. Reduced travel choice for middle of the day services to all districts particularly for Ness, Westside Lewis, Tarbert – Stornoway, North Lochs, Point and Tolsta. No evening services departing from Stornoway after 6pm.

4 Reduced service timetable. Reduced number of buses and route sharing of buses to multiple

districts. Commuter services to and from Stornoway for both 8am and 9 am start times and 6pm departure. Reduced middle of the day services. Reduced travel choice for middle of the day services to all districts particularly for Ness, Westside Lewis, Tarbert – Stornoway, North Lochs, Point and Tolsta. No evening services departing from Stornoway after 6pm.

5 Maintain current 2018/19 service to all areas with or without current evening services departing Stornoway after 6pm. No impact provided all current services are replaced. Minor impact if evening services after 6pm are discontinued.

Options 6 and 7 below have not produce tenders covering all geographical areas

therefore these are being considered alongside the tenders for options 3 and 4 because they related most closely to them.

6 Operator designed services from fixed price output specification to five large geographical areas combining both public and school. No school transport for non -entitled pupils. Potential high impact to public services that is unknown at pre-tender stage. School transport specification prescribed and remaining reduced budget for public transport to be operator designed.

7 Operator designed services from fixed price output specification to five large geographical areas combining both public and school Potential high impact to public services that is unknown at pre-tender stage. School transport specification prescribed and remaining reduced budget for public transport to be operator designed.

No tenders were received for options eight and nine below

8 Operator designed services from fixed price output specification to all of Lewis and Harris geographical area combining both public and school. No school transport for non -entitled pupils. Potential high impact to public services that is unknown at pre-tender stage. School transport specification prescribed and the remaining reduced budget for public transport to be operator designed.

9 Operator designed services from fixed price output specification to all of Lewis and Harris geographical area combining both public and school. Potential high impact to public services that is unknown at pre – tender stage. School transport specification prescribed and the remaining reduced budget for public transport to be operator designed.