Enterprise and Business Committee
Additional information from Professor Stuart Cole – TOU 17a
CYNULLIAD CENEDLAETHOL CYMRU
PWLLGOR MENTER A BUSNES
TWRISTIAETH: GWYBODAETH A CYFNEWID TEITHWYR
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES
ENTERPRISE AND BUSINESS COMMITTEE
TOURISM: INFORMATION AND TRAVELLER INTERCHANGE
Papur Ymgynghorol gan Yr Athro Stuart Cole CBE, BA MSc, FCILT, FICE, FRSA
Athro Emeritus mewn Trafnidiaeth, Canolfan Ymchwil Trafnidiaeth Cymru, Prifysgol De Cymru
Briefing paper by Professor Stuart Cole CBE, BA, MSc, FCILT, FICE, FRSA
Emeritus Professor of Transport, Wales Transport Research Centre, University of South Wales
INTRODUCTION
This submission concerns the public transport information available to independent travellers visiting Wales. This relates to those tourists who are not on organised tours and who make their own travelling arrangements. It relates to various forms of tourism – overseas holiday visitors, cultural, horticultural, business, retail and others.
The ease of interchange between and within public transport modes and walking / cycling is also considered
Rationale
Most tourists travelling independently have a need for accessible and affordable modes of travel which have:
· Information: comprehensive, clear and easy to find at main terminals or interchanges and en route via mobile phone / iPad etc. technology and travel information aps
· An ease of interchange between car /cycle /walking and public transport so that it is seamless
· Seamless ticketing with interchangeable and through tickets
· Minimised journey times through investment in railway track (more capacity / more frequent trains / faster possibly electric trains) and in bus priority (bus lanes / own reserved roadways / guided busways)
· Newer vehicles and investment in stations and bus waiting facilities to improve passenger experience and enhance Wales as a tourist friendly destination and modern European nation.
However, Wales has a variety of spatial characteristics:
· densely populated urban areas (e.g. Cardiff, Newport, Merthyr, Ebbw Vale, Swansea, Wrexham),
· major towns (e.g. Neath, Port Talbot, Llanelli, Aberystwyth, Llandudno)
· important rural centres (e.g. Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Castell Newydd Emlyn, Llandeilo, Brecon, Newtown, Ruthin, Denbigh)
· Deep rural Wales (e.g. Ceredigion, Powys, Gwynedd).
4I’s Concept
The 4I’s concept identified the following as the integration equation for passenger transport:
Information + Interchange + Investment + Imagination = Integration.
Better and easier interchange between walking / cycling / car/ bus /rail with better information on services and availability of integrated tickets applies between public and private transport, between motorised and non-motorised (walking, cycling) transport and within public transport
The other basic factor in providing an enjoyable traveller experience is easy. Easy is probably the most significant objective in integrated public transport.
The needs of Welsh, other British and overseas visitors to Wales, was the reason for the 4I’s concept. Developed in 2001 by Professor Stuart Cole as the basis of the English Tourist Board’s public transport plans this evaluation process provides an easy way to maximise the quality of traveller experience. Very little has changed in the needs of the independent traveller and the 4I’s principles still remain true.
The absence of any of these elements will hinder or even prevent the development of an integrated passenger transport system. Examples of the means to delivery are to be found in Appendices 1 & 2
INFORMATION
Real Time is a fundamental characteristic of public transport information. This tells the traveller when the bus / train they are awaiting will arrive - is it on time, late, cancelled?
This enables them to make decisions on waiting. The Great Britain on platform dot matrix screen information is a good example. As is the in for example at Cardiff and in some other counties. Also helpful are screens giving the departure times as an electronic version of the timetable. But this is not helpful when in real time the bus is late and has disappeared from the screen as in Swansea and Cardiff bus stations. The real time facility should be held as the standard sought.
Visitors, particularly those coming from overseas, need to know more than simply how to undertake the first stage of their journey. They need to know how to travel beyond any given intermediate transfer point and on to their chosen destination - the Dutch refer to this as trip chain management through the Planner Plus information system. Each mode of transport can provide information about its services, such as the National Rail Enquiry Service, airport hotlines, as well as coach and bus timetables and route planners.
Traveline Cymru has been a major step forward over the last ten years since the Information Needs of the Independent Traveller study undertaken by Professor Stuart Cole at the Wales Transport Research Centre for the Welsh Assembly Government in 2003. It has multi modal information but needs to develop that aspect of its system. As taxis are also a form of public transport this information needs to be comprehensive as in rural areas and in urban areas at certain times taxis are the only public transport available. It provides information for those with mobility problems
In addition the Traveline call centre is able to register and book travellers into the Bwcabus system who have arrived in the Bwcabus zone from outside (please see further note later).
Train and bus operators have low budgets to promote these modes (in 2012, £20m p.a. on rail advertising, £2.5m pa on Traveline) available compared with car manufacturers (£480m p.a.). This lack of advertising has had an adverse effect on demand and quality perception. Many tourists and other travellers may also perceive car travel costs as being only petrol and possibly parking charges and subsequently have little appreciation of the true costs of motoring, and the relative costs of train/bus options. Overseas visitors considering a hire car option may have a better cost / convenience comparison base for fares versus car costs.
Currently, the pricing structure of rail tickets (where the cheapest fares can only be booked in advance) penalises both tourists making last-minute plans as well as those not aware that tickets bought on the day of travel are more expensive. Greater information needs to be made available here with a simplified, easier to understand fare structure for the railways.
Public Transport Information - Recommended Actions
For successful public transport integration the following have to be achieved based on research into passenger attitudes:-
· Train, bus and coach times and taxi telephone numbers, and fares, as the primary needs (air/ferry information is also identified). Rail information is well provided for by the NRES telephone and internet services and on individual train operating company web sites. A form of standardisation of the site interrogation process between different rail franchises would be useful.
· Fares structure is complex and information clarity does vary;
· Bus information available locally varies considerably in quality but when available is usually good. Traveline Cymru provides a telephone and online service and has achieved the “Planner Plus” level of local bus information. Individual companies provide information on their own services but other operators may have parallel routes. The regional transport consortia and now local authorities have provided / do provide information but this can only be updated in hard copy terms at considerable cost as bus companies can alter timetables at relatively short notice
· Timetables are difficult to read and not lit at bus stops and railway/bus stations. In too many instances the timetables or other information is out of date or often not there. Two local authorities who provide good practice examples are Carmarthenshire (a rural county) and Cardiff (but please see Cardiff Public Transport Hub). Other authorities also have good standards. Many do not.
· Signage at or outside bus/rail stations is in general poor and at best average. Full clear signage does not exist at too many locations e.g. from Cydweli rail station to the town and castle.
· Passengers do not all have electronic sources during their journeys and therefore signage and information in hard copy format gives reassurance that the route, direction e.g. between rail and bus stops or to a retail / tourist destination is correct
· Railway station on-platform information on buses, taxis, routes to telephone, and village/town centre is improving
· Connecting services bus/rail is often uncoordinated in terms of information and interchange point signage particularly between different operators unless specified in a public authority tender.
· There is a need for travellers to have their own pre-information on locations. More training in route geography for call centre staff was identified
· Printed versions of through travel information.
· Although not an information issue, a lack of left luggage facilities was criticised compared with other EU member states. The security issue was dismissed by most travellers
(Appendix 1- a commentary on specific locations)
INTERCHANGE
High quality seamless interchange facilities are an essential requirement to match the convenience of private vehicles. Particular attention needs to be paid to the ease of ticketing arrangements e.g. tickets that allow travel on different types of transport, and the physical environment of interchanges.
· Ticketing - The ability to purchase tickets for the entire journey, across all transport modes, needs to be improved, without introducing complex pricing structures that become a disincentive to tourists wishing to travel by bus / train. Products such as the 7 / 14 day rail / bus Explore Wales Pass and the proposed Go Cymru card will be of great assistance to tourists unfamiliar with the disaggregated public transport system or the UK currency.
· Attractions ticketing - In addition, the case for issuing tickets allowing a discounted price for entry to certain attractions is an added incentive to use public transport.
· Multi-ride tickets – Some excellent products giving easy travel and inter-modal journeys have been developed (E.g. Explore Wales Pass (national, south, mid / north Wales bus and rail travel); West Wales Rover, Capital Card (poorly advertised), Cymru Connect and Plus Bus. The Welsh Government is rightly testing the GoCymru card at present. Its extension nationally for all bus and rail journeys (with regional, local, modal and priced options) must be a priority. The financial mechanisms are in place through the national Over 60’s Bus Pass for Wales residents). Bus companies will accept the passes / tickets for commercial reasons but a means of ensuring their involvement has to be achieved. Unless the membership of joint ticketing schemes or ‘rover’ tickets is agreed to by the majority of bus route operators, a resultant gap in services covered would make such a ticket very limited in market terms and confusing to the tourist.
· Physical environment - Tourists, usually with luggage, require ease and comfort when changing between transport modes; otherwise it will be difficult to persuade people of the benefits of using public transport. In order to make interchanges attractive and user-friendly, there is a need to provide for ease of movement; luggage storage facilities; secure parking for cycles, cars and motorcycles; undercover links; short walking distances; well-maintained facilities; and personal safety and security. When non-car tourists wish to explore an area or attraction en route to the next accommodation luggage storage is an essential facility. It avoids the considerable inconvenience of taking heavy bags around with them.
· Timetables which enable passengers to easily make connections without long intervals. This is more easily achieved in urban areas that rural areas as the former have more frequent services. Too often services with low frequencies (e.g. every one or two hours) miss one another by minutes or where the interchange time to guarantee connections is inconveniently long.
· Clear signage between different modes (please see Appendices 3 & 4). This is essential where the two modes (usually bus and train) are not physically next to one another or it is not clear which is the easiest route the traveller or where there is a multi-stand bus facility exactly which stand the connecting bus is on. For travellers moving from bus to train that departure platform information is considerably better
· Many tourists have luggage; they may well have young children with them or could be impaired in terms of their mobility due to age or physical disability. The ease with which they can change between modes from train to bus or taxi will be critical to determining their experience of public transport and whether they would wish to use it again.
Criteria for physical interchange
Studies into tourist needs have suggested the following criteria for seamless, high quality interchanges:-
· Clear, comprehensive information on the interchange characteristics.
· Ease of movement (particularly for those with heavy luggage or young children).
· Secure parking for cycles, cars and motorcycles.
· Undercover links between modes.
· Clear directional signs, between modes and to local destinations (e.g. town centre, hotels).
· Short walking distances.
· Good timetable displays.
· Well maintained infrastructure, clean toilets, etc.
· Personal security.
· Left luggage facilities
· Car-hire provision.
Action has to be taken to implement these policies so providing seamless interchange between train, bus and taxi. As with many policies their success lies in the positive impact on traveller convenience
(Appendix 2 – examples of good interchange practice and required improvements)
How well is public transport integrated in Wales?
There is limited integration of public transport in Wales and indeed in Great Britain as a whole except London and will be further limited if the 4I’s are not present.
This is a consequence of the Transport Act 1985 which created a deregulated bus market in Great Britain. The Silk Commission has recommended this responsibility be transferred to the national Assembly which in the past has voted for bus re-regulation or franchising on the London model
In Northern Ireland where there is a totally different regime coordination is provided for and all services are owned and regulated by Translink, a function of the Government of Northern Ireland and the operations are fully integrated.
In London Transport for London (TfL) is the only sole public body responsible for all public transport in the UK capital – bus, Underground, Overground, all other heavy rail services (jointly with DfT), taxis and water buses. It owns all bus stations and garages, Underground stations and depots, taxi ranks and hackney cab centre, and riverboat piers and leases out bus garages.
All buses operations are franchised to private bus companies by TfL (including First, Arriva and Stagecoach who operate in Wales) and vehicles are specified (and in some cases owned by TfL and leased to companies) in terms of type Euro emission level. This includes a requirement that all buses are in London Transport red with only the operators name and registration details allowed to vary. Timetables, routes, interchange facilities and route and infrastructure planning are carried out by TfL. This is the model fully integrated public transport network. The franchising parallels in branding terms those of e.g. MacDonald’s, Holiday Inn, Marks and Spencer transport fleet.
This is not the case in Wales. There is a variation in the level of integration but the rationale cannot be clearly identified. It is not a reflection of size of town or of rural versus urban public transport. Many towns in Wales have for example particularly good interchange facilities. (Please see Appendix 2)
We have seen closely related branding developments by the Government (Bwcabus, TrawsCymru – the Government organised long distance luxury bus network – Go Cymru). Unfortunately the recent Wales and Borders train repainting programme did not follow this through – why one might ask was this not done?). This has added value for the longer distance visiting traveller as common branding indicates consistent service quality and in public transport facilities such as through ticketing and linked timetables). In the private sector the Cymru Clipper / Aur Cymru service form First Cymru has a single brand for its medium distance services.
Professor Stuart Cole
May 2014
(Appendices follow from page 8)
Appendix 1:
Information at specific locations - commentary
Cardiff Central railway / bus stations
(Please see journal article in Appendix 3)
Swansea
· Good information on buses services at the bus station (although not as yet in real time; no rail information but overhead destination boards indicate which buses call at Swansea (High Street) Railway Station
· Bus stop information is provided by one bus company who cannot be expected to be responsible for other operator’s information. This has been the case since an earlier survey (2006) but no action has been taken
· Good rail information at the railway station. A screen (identical to those at the Bus Station) shows departures (but not in real time) and indicates the bus stop to be used. But only one out of four bus stops at the station is shown on the overhead Arriva Trains Wales / Network Rail signage.
Without this level of information the integrated public transport system which tourists, unfamiliar with our country, will not be achieved.
Appendix 2: Interchange practice examples
Examples of good interchange practice in tourist areas
· In rural Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion the Bwcabus network feds into trunk services using a sophisticated GPS/route planning/booking system. This enables a journey to be seamless between say Capel Iwan a small deep rural village via a hub on service 460 to Carmarthen and onwards from the bus or railway station to other local services or onto Cardiff, London or Paris
· Caerphilly bus station is located on a level with railway platforms adjacent to one another. There is good signage and easy interchange for those with mobility constraints, the elderly or those with luggage, buggies or small children
· Carmarthen railway station is directly connected to the bus station and the town centre by a bridge over the Tywi River. It is well signposted. Buses stop outside the rail station and operate to the bus station providing a useful interchange link. Many counties provide high quality bus stop information on differing basis. Some counties are at the other end of the spectrum. Most lie in between and the level of integration defined by the 4 I’s has been dependent on local authority approach or priority given to public transport.
· Brecon Bus Station has traditional waiting facilities but has a high level of integrated timetables partly because Powys contract out most of the routes and Stagecoach a major operator in the area have a commercial view of integrated timetables
· Swansea Bus Station is a state of the art facility with good quality interchange by bus (please see intermodal facilities below)
· Rhyl – good quality new at grade bus / rail interchange; good signage and information
· Aberystwyth – the rebuilt bus station is at grade with and adjacent to the railway station and taxi area
· Llandrindod – good quality local maps; train / bus timetables lit and under cover; take away rail timetables but not bus (a T4 service timetable of the same size as a railway timetable is available); bus interchange timings require minor changes
Examples of locations and service proposals in tourist destinations where current plans should be implemented without delay
· Carmarthen. Introduction of the TrawsCymru Carmarthen - Aberystwyth service is now able to proceed; an interim emergency tendered service is in operation Investment in information and a bus canopy will be introduced. A covered bridge over the Afon Tywi between the two terminals would have been appropriate to enhance the traveller experience. Interchange with other bus services is at the bus station adjacent to the recently enlarged business and retail centre of the town
· Cardiff Public Transport Hub has to have a fully integrated bus, car, walking cycle and rail design and requires a high quality interchange to rank with on a lesser scale, Kings Cross, Paddington when completed, Amsterdam Bijlmer and Centraal and nearer home, Swansea. The bus element (which has the unique position of being adjacent to the capital city’s main railway station and one of the busiest on the Great Western) would be best sited at the front of the railway station connected seamlessly through a mall to Cardiff Central railway station, and developed commercially as a state of the art facility. Public transport access to the new centre should be a prime determinant of its location. Much may be learned from the public transport provision at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. (Please see Appendix 3 for a more detailed analysis)
· Swansea has a new bus station seen as one of the better designs in Europe and a refurbished brand new look railway station and linking the two (unfortunately a mile apart) is a high frequency set of bus routes during the working day. While the Metro is well signposted, the many other-routes stop is not and the full departure screen is not sufficiently in view. These minor changes at the railway station would significantly improve interchange information between high quality facilities not least the electric train service in 2018.
· Merthyr – the redesign of bus flows and bus station location has to make for ease of modal interchange and serve the retail area and town centre redevelopment plans. The current plan recently funded has to ensure this to give ease of interchange for the traveller
· TrawsCymru™ services network will link into the Wales and Borders rail network to provide exactly the form of fully integrated longer distance public transport network across Wales which tourists will find easy to use. The network map of planned rail and longer distance TrawsCymru™ bus services is shown in Figure 1 below (services T1 – T5 only).
Figure 1: Proposed TrawsCymru™ Network
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· It will also provide with other local routes for Bwcabus to become a major player in providing for tourists penetrating places of interest in rural Wales. The Bwcabus network is integrated into the rail and bus / TrawsCymru network could be used to access most country houses, gardens, castles and coastal / inland areas of natural beauty – for walkers and ramblers not served by fixed route bus services within the Bwcabus operating areas.
Examples of locations where considerable improvement is required and where tourism potential could be assisted
· Abergavenny where the bus and rail stations are a considerable distance apart, signage is limited and the plan for bus access to the railway station has again been delayed
· Llanelli – the bus station is adjacent to the shopping centre and new cultural quarter (Ffwrnes theatre, Seion concert hall, Odeon film, Tinopolis television centre). Frequency of connections to the railway station (1.3 miles distant) however require considerable improvement for tourists arriving by train
· Newport bus station is currently being rebuilt. However it still remains a considerable walking distance from the railway station which is disappointing. The redevelopment of the city centre would have been an opportunity to make the bus station interchange with rail being a key part of the plan. There are likely to be long periods when reconstruction takes place which will increase inconvenience for passengers.
Information is generally better provided as suggested in the review above. This is particularly the case with timetables (bus and rail) and rail and National Express booking and advanced booking. Bus travel is largely as ‘turn up and go’ arrangement and to some local train services (e.g. Valley Lines).
The potential for transfer to public transport therefore varies between urban and rural areas
These differences can be narrowed though a radical new approach to rural bus services. Regular-interval fixed-timetable operations suit urban areas with high patronage levels but have only limited value in rural areas. The Bwcabus computer/satellite/GPS and flexible scheduling bus system responds to demand and has enabled a radical and successful (in increased patronage terms) approach to rural public transport.
Generally there is a need for improvements in the public transport system before tourists can be persuaded to believe there are reasonably timed, integrated and priced journeys.
Appendix 3:
CARDIFF CENTRAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE – integrated transport and land use planning
By Professor Stuart Cole CBE FCILT
At the core of the current regeneration strategy for Cardiff city centre, (which could suitably be named St David’s 3 following on from the £600m St David’s 2 and the John Lewis megastore retail development), is the area between Cardiff Central Station and St Mary’s Street . The area south of the station comprises a mix of smart new offices and empty space ripe for development.
There is here a fine opportunity to practise transport and land use policies. Possible uses of the land north and south of the existing Central Station are new commercial office space, the new Broadcasting House for BBC Cymru Wales and a proposed convention centre to complement the adjacent National Stadium and nearby Cardiff Bay integrated by the high frequency baycar service.
But for such a development a state of the art public transport interchange, designed to accommodate bus, train, tram, taxi, cycle, pedestrian movement and a motor car pick up and drop off point, must be the centrepiece (1)
A key task is selecting transport - led plans with development potential which will enable St David’s 3 to progress. All these involve a private and public sector partnerships where the private sector constructs the commercial property e.g. offices, retail, convention centre, on publicly owned land
This issue has been discussed for over ten years and over the last four years several plans were put forward but were seen as inappropriate.
An independent SWOT analysis of this scheme in 2010 identified the need for the bus operations to be north of the railway station facing the major retail and central business district. A proposed four terminal points for buses spread over the city centre made an integrated transport hub unachievable and took travellers back to the outdated 1930’s arrangement.
For such an interchange to operate successfully its characteristics from the travellers viewpoint have to be:
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· High quality access and for all users; · Minimum distance, barriers and level changes between different transport modes; · A significant number of services outside the hub is unattractive to passengers and potential public transport users; · Creation of a logical transport network; · A destination with a range of uses: transport, retail, leisure (cinema, theatre, convention centre) · Creation of a gateway to the city/town centre. · Real time information screens showing all arrivals /departures and at gate information matching that provided by the railway station · Interchange with all local, regional (Greyhound) and national (TrawsCymru /National Express)services passing through the bus station for bus, rail, taxi, cycling and private car pick-up and set down · Car parking provision primarily situated to the south of rail station; · Separating private car and bus movement to minimise delays and conflict; · Enhance social inclusion
Tourism is an important part of the economy of south east Wales so it is important that the whole journey whether entering or leaving the interchange or moving within it or wherever you are going next is an integrated part of the whole experience and we should take as much care about that we do about the inside of a hotel room or restaurant (3).
The bus operators (as the other major users of the Cardiff Central Interchange) have their perspective(2):
• It must work! • Balance functionality with style and design • Location within the current bus service footprint • Used by all services or just some? • Inter-journey layover on stand or on a standing area within the interchange • Longer inter-journey layover/spare vehicle parking • Detail is important • Room for buses to safely manoeuvre • Access must only be for buses - no taxis, cycles • Bus operational strategies must be understood from outset • Operators must have sense of "ownership" • Operator facilities for operational management and for staff
The bus station is there for the public transportation of the customer so the retail core should be balanced with the need to interchange. Travellers want a place that is secure ad has good quality information. Electronic screens fine but you can’t beat asking a human being “where does my bus go from?” People like to sit in seats; they want toilets and so do bus drivers and they want a place that is maintained and clean.
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A planning, operations and economic analysis produced three years ago (but still applicable) produced two options for the Interchange’s bus operational area.
The first involves constructing a state of the art bus operations area facing Central Station on the existing bus station site. This land is owned by Cardiff City Council or Network Rail and could be a part of a private sector partnership with for example a convention centre above. This would close the bus station for up to eighteen months.
The second and preferred option would be constructed on the site of Marland House, a 1960’s building and an NCP car park to the north of the existing railway station. This will present a more complex real estate challenge with agreement required from the existing leaseholders although the freehold is owned by the City. A private sector developer could fund the release of the land and construct a landmark bus station and business complex creating Porth Caerdydd – the gateway to Cardiff Although the financial aspects are more challenging as a transport - led proposal it is preferable since the bus station would remain open during construction and existing services would operate as at present. City centre development architects indicate there is sufficient space for both.
I spoke at an international conference in Beijing’ in November attended by the Chinese Prime Minister, the European Commission President and Transport Commissioner and leading urban mobility specialists. It considered how growing cities would deal with increased demand for transport or reduce car usage.
My presentation to the conference showed how this led the UK and other European Union countries to a policy of ‘predict’ (future traffic flows) and ‘provide’ (major road and motorway investment from the 1960’s which has now been replaced by ‘provide’ (new public transport systems) and ‘promote’ (the services) I found considerable acceptance of my concept of transport policy integration through the 4 I’s (Information, Interchange, Investment and Imagination) with which readers of Focus will be familiar
The answer set out by speakers from both China and Europe was “to make transit a priority through changing the mind-set where transit is the first option for travel”. This means easier access and increased attractiveness with more lines, stations, trains, park and ride sites, bus rapid transit, trams and hubs with easy interchange between different services.
My experience of the Beijing subway (underground) was overcrowding in the peak, adequate capacity but with standing at other times, trains every two minutes and high quality, clear information in both Chinese and English. The planning of urban extensions should be in parallel with that of mass transit services so that land is reserved for their construction.
Ironically in a country where the image is of lots of bicycles, returning to that mode of transport is an objective in Beijing with increased facilities for walking and cycling, although their interaction with cars and buses at major cross roads was frightening.
The Welsh Government’s decision to electrify commuter rail lines in south east Wales serving Cardiff and Newport and the proposed Cardiff City Region Metro will attract commuters from cars to public transport. In Newcastle upon Tyne the Metro achieved significant modal shift and from its first day of operation the highly successful Bordeaux four line tram network attracted 40% of commuters into the city centre from their cars. The Cardiff Central Interchange becomes part of this European mind-set change.
These principles we now have to consider in determining the future of urban mobility in south east Wales. A Welsh Government decision about how to resolve traffic congestion on the M4 at Newport has options of road upgrading, a new motorway (4) or more accessible and attractive public transport. A mind-set change towards public transport was clearly the view of government in the two most powerful economic units in the world.
Notes
1 Cardiff: Your Interchange – Your Future. A discussion forum organised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport – Cymru Wales. Chair: Professor Stuart Cole CBE, FCILT, July 2013. Proceedings available on the CILT website
2 Peter Heath, Operations Manager, Cardiff Bus the current bus station’s biggest user speaking at the Forum
3 Peter Cole, Director, Capital Region Tourism speaking at the Forum
4 The Blue Route – a cost effective solution to relieving M4 congestion around Newport by Professor Stuart Cole was published on 9th December 2013 by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport - Cymru Wales and the Institute of Welsh Affairs. Available on the Institute website and on Clic on Wales, the IWA website.
(Extract from Focus the journal of the Chartered Institute of Transport Cymru – Wales Supplement)
Appendix 4:
INTERCHANGE CONNECTIONS FOR CARDIFF AIRPORT
(Extracted form Cardiff Airport Express (T9) External Ministerial Review published February 2014 by the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport. The report was prepared for the Minister by Professor Stuart Cole)
At Cardiff Airport
The current waiting facility for inbound passengers is poor. It consists of a bus shelter and no more. The information on CAE T9 is limited to a very small print timetable inside the shelter at a low level. For outbound passengers it is reasonably convenient. At Bristol the Flyer A1, Greyhound service to / from south Wales and the Bath Bus Company A4 AirDecker service to / from Bath and Keynsham deposits passengers outside the ground floor departures door. The departing inbound (to Bristol) Flyer and other airport services (e.g. Bath Bus Company A4 and the Greyhound services) stand are located outside the Arrivals area. Passengers are then able to remain in the dry, warm terminal to await their bus.
Prior to the complete redevelopment of the front of the terminal immediate action (which should have been carried out already) is required as follows:
· Clear signage from the Arrivals Hall to the CAE T9 service bus stop is not present. The poster at present is not sufficiently ‘in your face’.
· Signs are needed on the arriving passengers’ route to the exit – on both sides and overhead with a guidance line in CAE T9 livery along the floor.
· Repeater signs at the western end of the Arrivals Hall outside and along the route to the bus stop.
· A sign outside the Departures Hall exit should invite passengers to wait for their CAE T9 inside.
· An area next to the revolving doors would give a view of the arriving bus. A timetable dot matrix or real time (eventually) would indicate the next CAE T9 service. Currently this is the quality of interchange and of passenger experience required.
· The timetables in the bus shelter are out of date. These I understand are the responsibility of the VoGC.
The investment programme for the terminal building appears to be concentrating on the inside of the structure. The Airport has to take responsibility for providing a high quality passenger experience outside the terminal building also. This not only serves the CAE T9 customers but provides that image of Wales the Welsh Government is attempting to supply
A bus and train ticket booth inside the Airport could provide sales via credit card and through tickets to destinations beyond Cardiff by train, Greyhound, TrawsCymru and National Express. A process for payment of commission (12% was said to be fair for the third party seller) or a £5 / £8 add-on to the rail ticket price. This might be operated by NCP’s desk in the Arrivals Hall as there is the bigger issue of connectivity. A train ticket machine might be installed (the cost estimate given was £35,000) and ATW should be asked to include the CAE T9 in the system.
At Cardiff Bus Station
Cardiff has the benefit of the Central Bus Station and Cardiff central railway station being adjacent. There is however little integration neither of services and operations nor of sufficient inter-modal signage or information.
When overseas visitors or Welsh travellers arrive at Cardiff Bus Station the information on interchange e.g. where other services are located is poor. An opportunity arises for improvement particularly as the spatial area involved is relatively small.
Cardiff Bus in justifying the bus box claimed that only 12% of bus passengers interchanged with other services and therefore they have never pressed for interchange information. The CAE T9 departure bay is ideal for connections with other bus or coach services and with trains. It is adjacent to the TrawsCymru service and the similar branding gives a clear integration perception.
Cardiff Central Railway Station
Information quality has improved slightly with an electronic timetable inside the railway station main booking hall. The Information Booth however has limited bus information and the CAE T9 is given as a second service to the airport rather than the first by Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) staff.
The initial poster based advertising campaign was comprehensive and any rail passenger could not have failed to see them. They were placed in a wide geographical range of stations and the CBS sites were paid for. ATW did raise a concern about competition legislation if they were seen to be giving preferential treatment to CAE T9 over any other service.
There remains a limited amount of bus information at the Arriva Trains Wales Information Bureau at Cardiff Central Station. Signage (overhead as at Bristol Temple Meads; Newcastle Airport to indicating the walking route to the CAE T9 stand is well- located in the bus station (D1); for rail / CAE T9 interchange; overhead signs in central underpasses and vinyl foot and eyelevel / overhead signage continuously en route.
ATW should be encouraged, as the Wales and Borders franchise holder, to display CAE T9 information prominently. They might make the point that as the CAE T9 was in competition with their train service via Rhoose. ATW shouldn’t therefore as a business, advertise the CAE T9 as passenger / revenue abstraction may occur because the rail service has only a third of the CAE T9 frequency. However as the rail service is such a small proportion of their total income ATW was not averse to integration.
Advantage should be taken of a First Great Western initiative at Cardiff Railway Station. An ‘ambassadors’ scheme is to be created (as at Paddington Station) to provide help for train passengers of FGW and ATW) Interchange information on the CAE T9 could be included. Any competition regulation issues should be dealt with. Many are exaggerated by operators.
But the point here is one of integrated public transport for the travellers’ benefit. This is a perfect opportunity for the Minister to show the Government’s commitment to integrated public transport when two services both funded by subsidy should and will be directed to work together for the benefit of passengers (even if only in the new rail franchise). It also creates an opportunity to create the basis for integration which I have detailed in my response to Professor Kevin Morgan’s review of the Metro governance being undertaken for the Minister.
Joint ticketing
Connecting feeder services into / from CAE T9 could be achieved through advertising / promoting the interchange facility at Cardiff Central Bus Station, with arrangements made more effective with through ticketing. There are opportunities to be developed with rail operators – Arriva Trains Wales, First Great Western, Cross Country Trains – and bus operators –Cardiff Bus, Stagecoach, National Express, NAT, First Cymru, Newport Bus, TrawsCymru, Greyhound (First Cymru) – in terms of advertised connections between both sets of services at Cardiff Central Bus Station.(See interchange section above).
Joint advertising of services on a reciprocal basis would help promote both sets of services.
One potential joint ticketing operation in particular was identified by both Cardiff Airport and First Cymru. The express service X30 operated between Cardiff and Newport by Newport Bus / Cardiff Bus and terminates at Cardiff Central Bus Station with an easy flat surface connection (although with improved signage) This service could help provide an inroad into the Newport – Cwmbran market. This market is currently split between Cardiff and Bristol airports
Third party ticket sales
There are several third party ticket outlets
SC
May 2014