Wednesday 22 October 2008

Bus punctuality

The City Council issued this news release today regarding good news about bus punctuality in Dundee and Angus. I recently spoke with my LibDem colleague in Angus, Cllr David May, about this issue - David is the Angus Council Infrastructure Convener - and we are both pleased to see the partnership develop between our councils and the bus companies on this matter :


Dundee City Council is working with partners to set up the first initiative of its kind in Scotland aimed at ensuring local bus services run reliably and punctually.

A report to the city council's planning and transport committee on Monday (October 27) states that a Bus Punctuality Improvement Partnership (BPIP) is being developed by the council with Travel Dundee, Stagecoach East Scotland and Angus Council.

Committee convener Councillor Fraser Macpherson said: "Over the last few years the city council has succeeded in attracting multi-million pound investment to improve the local bus system.

"There have been real benefits for passengers and new technology has been introduced to ensure that buses, waiting and information facilities are first class, to encourage greater use of bus travel.

"Now, Dundee will be leading the way with the first BPIP in Scotland and the Scottish Government is supporting the development work to encourage other areas to also set up their own local partnerships."

The Dundee and Angus BPIP will build on the long-established partnership working between the city council and local bus operators, with Angus Council now joining the scheme.

The project will initially focus on routes 13, 14, 22 and 73, with continual monitoring of service reliability and punctuality through the existing real-time passenger information system.

If the initial phase of services demonstrates a success it is intended to roll the BPIP out to all bus services in Dundee.