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Lancashire County Council has announced its intention to change the terms and conditions under which Disabled Persons’ Concessionary Bus Passes (NoW Cards) can be used.

At present, holders of cards issued on grounds of disability can be used before 09.30 on Monday to Friday on payment of a flat fare of £1. This concession is not available to holders of NoW cards issued on grounds of age. The council intends of remove the additional concession so that all pass holders would have to pay the full adult fare if travelling before 09.30.

The £1 fare was increased from 50p in 2018 and at the time the council said that the biggest use of the concession was by people travelling to medical appointments, followed by leisure, education, shopping and then work. A consultation exercise at the time claimed that only 4% of respondents said the increase would make their journey unaffordable. However, the consultation also showed that for some users the ability to pay with a single coin was important. This was maintained in 2018 but will not necessarily be so this time, depending on what happens to the £2 cap on adult bus fares in the budget. This is what we said in 2018: https://lancsbus.blogspot.com/2018/11/fare-increase-for-disabled-passholders.html

You can read the council’s statement here: https://news.lancashire.gov.uk/news/have-your-say-on-proposed-changes-to-nowcard-trans-scheme

New Consultation

The council is running a consultation on the move, which will be open until 18th November. It takes the form on an online question-and-answer form that asks about the effect the change would have on individuals. The Bus Users’ Group will be responding to the consultation via other means, but if you or anyone you know is likely to be affected here is the direct link to the consultation questionnaire. https://online1.snapsurveys.com/interview/5d962249-3fe0-48f7-8d31-e640eb813d67

If you need the questionnaire in a different format please telephone 0300 123 6734 or visit www.lancashire.gov.uk/haveyoursay  

What do we think?

The Bus Users’ Group understands the financial position that all councils are in after ten years of austerity during which their funding from central government has been severely cut. However, it seems odd that at a time when a county council initiative has seen a £1 fare offered to all passengers in the evenings and on Sundays throughout the county, a very similar offer should be withdrawn from one disadvantaged sector of society.

We also wonder how much the council will save as a result of this move. Any passholders travelling for leisure or shopping will be able to rearrange their journeys so as to travel after 09.30 and the same will apply to those who are able to arrange medical appointments to later in the day, as senior passholders already do. The council will still have to reimburse bus companies for these journeys but will lose the £1 contribution that passholders currently make.

The shelter at Sainsbury’s before the seat was provided.

Some things in the bus passengers’ world can be expected to take a long time to bring to fruition: establishing the case for a new bus route, or convincing the powers-that-be to change the timetable or relocate a bus stop; but other things that ought to be easy just aren’t!

Take the simple matter of installing seating in a bus shelter. The Bus Users’ Group has been involved in two such requests in recent times. One, for a seat that would be made and donated by a local craftsman to be installed in a parish council-owned bus shelter in a village near Lancaster, was turned down out-of-hand by the Parish Council in what appeared to us to be a case of parish-pump politics that we felt unable to get involved in.

In the second case, at the “Sainsbury’s” bus stop in Lancaster, we were successful – but it seems to have taken much longer than we think it should. The stop is equipped with a shelter, provided by advertising contractors Clear Channel, and is well used by passengers travelling north and west from the city. Despite there being no obvious reason for the omission, unlike most Clear Channel shelters, it had never been provided with a seat. There is a public bench on the pavement nearby, but anyone using this would be unable to see the oncoming buses and might not get to the stop in time to stop them if there were no other passengers waiting.

Timeline

It seemed therefore a perfectly reasonable request for a seat to be provided, and we were ultimately successful. Here’s the timeline of how we went about it.

21st March – Our member, Mary, a regular user of the stop, raised the matter at a Group meeting at which members agreed to pursue it with the city council.

7th April – Following production and approval of the minutes of the meeting a request was made to the council for a seat. Initially, things moved very quickly.

8th April – The council agreed to approach Clear Channel and said it had already identified a suitable seat that was due to be removed from a shelter in Morecambe when that was replaced with one of the council’s new “Living Roof” shelters.

9th April – The council reported that Clear Channel had agreed to the request – but no timescale was offered.

Bus passengers are generally very patient people – some might say that we have to be – so nothing happened until

5th June – Mary reminded the BUG executive that the matter was still outstanding. A reminder was sent to the city council the same day, asking if there was now a date for installation. This prompted the response that the shelter in Morecambe had not yet been replaced and that there was still no date for that to happen.

10th July – It was noticed that the Morecambe shelter had been removed, so a further reminder was sent to the council. This brought the response that although the old shelter had been taken down, its replacement hadn’t been installed due to bad weather. It wasn’t explained why this should cause a delay in relocating the seat! There was now a new date for erecting the replacement shelter in Morecambe of 19th July, but this did not necessarily include moving the seat either.

22nd July – Word came from the council that the seat was to be installed on 31st July

31st July – The seat was not installed

13th August – Following an enquiry from the ever-patient Mary, another reminder went to the council. This brought forth apologies and an explanation that the installation date was put back to 5th August without the council being informed, but then nothing happened! There was no new date for installation.

30th August – It came to our attention – by observation – that the seat was now in place and being used by grateful passengers just six months after our request was accepted.

The situation was complicated due to the involvement of not just the council, but also the advertising contractor and the timeline above shows that communication between them could have been better. From the passengers’ point of view it goes to show that successful campaigning requires both patience and persistence. Luckily, we have plenty of both.

The Lancaster Festival of Road Works and Bus Disruption that began in Heysham in July and spread to Morecambe and Lancaster city centre in August will have its finale in September at the University!

From Monday 26 August until Sunday 22 September there will be significant changes to the bus services on campus to enable the replacement of an electricity cable to University House, ground works for the new Photovoltaic Solar Farm connections and two major sports events.

26 Aug – British Cycling Northwest Youth Tour – North perimeter Road and Underpass – closed from 09.00.

Bus rerouting

• 1/,1A, 4/4X & 100 will operate via Bigforth Drive & South West Campus calling at bus stops at the Sports Centre, Management School and all of South West Campus stops with an added temporary bus stop at the Hitching Point on the West roundabout.
• 41 & 42 will operate via the A6 (in both directions) during the closure. Buses to remain using these routes for remainder of day on 26 Aug until bus services cease overnight, then switch to arrangements via chaplaincy on 27 (below). NOTE: 41 & 42 Southbound services to Garstang, Preston & Blackpool will be operating from University Main entrance bus stop on A6 only.

27 Aug – 1 Sept – Underpass closed

Bus rerouting

• All services will operate to/from the Chaplaincy only, except services 41 (Lancaster-Preston) and 42 (Lancaster Blackpool) which will operate direct via the A6 in both directions using the bus stops on the A6 near the junction with Bigforth Drive. Buses will NOT go around South Drive or South West Campus – Management School, InfoLab 21, Furness College, Lonsdale College, Cartmel College and Graduate College bus stops will NOT be in use.

02 Sept – 12 Sept – Underpass closed, Alex Park Drive & Green Lane closed at top (adjacent to South Drive).

Bus rerouting

• All services will operate to/from the Chaplaincy only. Buses will NOT go around South Drive or South West Campus and so Management School, InfoLab 21, Furness College, Lonsdale College, Cartmel College and Graduate College bus stops will NOT be in use.

13 September – Underpass reopens

13 Sept – 22 Sept – Alex Park Drive & Green Lane closed at top (adjacent to South Drive).

Bus rerouting

• All services will serve the Underpass only, except the 41 & 42 (Lancaster to Garstang, Preston & Blackpool) which will operate via the A6 (in both directions). Southbound bus passengers going to Garstang, Preston will need to catch the bus from the University Main entrance (A6) stop. Buses will NOT go around South Drive or South West Campus therefore Management School, InfoLab 21, Furness College, Lonsdale College, Cartmel College and Graduate College bus stops will NOT be in use.

8 Sept – Triathlon – Bigforth Drive and Perimeter Road closed 08:00-14:00.

Bus rerouting

• All services will operate along the A6 (turning round at the first roundabout on Hazelrigg and direct via the A6).

More information on bus services is available on the Lancaster Bus Users website.

Service 100 will have an improved Sunday timetable

Stagecoach will make a number of changes to bus services in and around Lancaster from 1st September. There are a number of improvements: The services to Ridge, Marsh and the Lower Lune Valley gain additional journeys on Monday to Saturday evenings and there will be more buses between Lancaster and Morecambe via Bare on service 100 on Sunday. There are also extra journeys between Lancaster and Blackpool on service 42. all thanks to the government’s funding for the Bus Service Improvement Plan.

There are also changes to early morning timetables on certain services with some journeys withdrawn at this time of day and most services have “minor changes to improve service reliability” as Stagecoach puts it. Service 5 will no longer serve Heysham Village on Sunday.

For more details please click on the links below.

1/1A University – Lancaster – Heysham

2X Lancaster – Heysham – Morecambe (via Bay Gateway)

4 / X4 Lancaster Railway Station – Lancaster University

5 Overton – Morecambe – Carnforth

7 Lancaster – Vale

10 Lancaster – Ridge

11 Lancaster – Marsh

18 Lancaster – East City Circular

40 / 41 Morecambe – Lancaster – Preston

42 Lancaster – Blackpool

55 Lancaster – Carnforth

81 Lancaster – Hornby – Kirkby Lonsdale

100 University – Lancaster – Morecambe

One of the hazards facing the unwary bus passenger is the diversion of buses due to planned (or unplanned) roadworks that necessitate a road closure, especially when the bit of road closed isn’t near the bus stop and may not be not obvious.

Full marks to Lancashire County Council therefore for providing this information at the Station Hotel stop in Caton during the closure of the road between Caton and Brookhouse currently in place.

Buses could have just remained on the A683, but that would mean missing the main bus stop – and timing point – in the village, so a diversionary route has been put in place. This means that buses towards Lancaster will use the stop on the side of the road that buses to Kirkby Lonsdale usually use and vice-versa – cue for much confusion that has hopefully been averted.

Full marks also to Caton-with-Littledale Parish Council, not only for their supplementary notice that includes a map that makes everything much clearer, but also for arranging with the contractors undertaking the works to provide free taxis on request for passengers to and from Brookhouse. They’ve even thought of providing tear-off strips with the number to ring to book one!

If only all road closures could be handled like this!

The Group’s profile hit a new high this week when our member, and the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale, gave us a mention in parliament.

Lizzi Collinge MP and BUG member

In her maiden speech, Lizzi Collinge MP, referring to the King’s Speech at the state opening of parliament said:  “In His Majesty’s most gracious speech, we heard about the Government’s plan to reform our bus system, and as a proud member of the Lancaster District Bus Users Group, I welcome that warmly.” **

Read the rest of the speech on the Beyond Radio website here:

Lizzi first became involved with the Bus Users’ Group in 2016 when we approached her as a county councillor to help in the fight to restore a regular bus service to the east side of the City following cutbacks by the commercial operator. After the success of that campaign, Lizzi maintained her interest in buses and joined the Group, becoming a regular attendee at meetings.

Whilst the Group has become well-known in City and County Council circles, where we have several members as sitting councillors, Lizzi is the first to reach the dizzying heights of Parliament and we are sure she will use her interest in and knowledge of buses to stand up for the interests of bus passengers both in her constituency and throughout the country.

** Whilst Lizzi obviously welcomes the impending reform of the bus system, the Bus Users’ Group is a non-political organisation that has not taken a view on the regulatory system for buses. Both franchising and the current deregulated model have their advantages and disadvantages and we will continue to stand up for the interests of passengers whichever system is adopted locally in future.

Update 15th July: The screen is reported as back in action today, the latest fault having apparently been a “loose cable”!

Bus Users’ Group members were overjoyed last week to find that the overhead electronic display screen in Lancaster bus station was working again after a lengthy absence.

It seems that much of delay to its repair was due to nobody being prepared to take responsibility for it. Data for the display comes from Stagecoach and Lancashire County Council, the bus station is owned by the City Council and the screen itself was originally provided by the University, with funding from United Utilities, but it seems that none of these bodies takes overall responsibility for it.

Eventually the fault was found to be with the hardware – the unit itself – rather than the software, which apparently meant that it was down to the City Council to deal with it, which after much prodding from the University (encouraged by the BUG) they agreed to do.

The problem was corrosion of the casing and it will require a further bout of deep cleaning, which will be done out of normal hours to avoid disruption. The cause of the corrosion has not been disclosed, but the cleaning is intended to remove a large amount of bird droppings. It is also intended to attach spikes to the top of the screen to prevent a recurrence of the problem!

All’s well that ends well, we thought. Until a visit to the station today found this:

That, to our non-expert eyes, does look more like a software problem. We’ve asked the council to investigate and will keep our fingers crossed for an early solution.

Bus Users’ Group members gathered at Lancaster bus station to welcome a special passenger visiting the city as part of a fund-raising bus trip around England and Wales.

They met Andrew Cowell, known as “The £2 bus man” , after similar exploits, as he arrived on the last of the seven buses he had used to travel from his home in Derby.

The Mayor of Lancaster, Cllr Abi Mills, accompanied by the Deputy Mayor, Hamish Mills, both Bus Users’ Group members, presented him with a cheque for £115 from Group members towards the charity “The Railway Children” which helps disadvantaged street-children in developing countries

Mr. Cowell, 47, was making the journey as part of a 13-day trip around the coast of England and Wales using 84 buses to raise funds for the charity, as well as to promote the current £2 cap on bus fares that meant that this journey from Derby had cost just £14.

Cllr. Mills, who is also Vice-Chair of the Bus Users’ Group, said:

          “It was an honour to meet someone so dedicated both to charitable work and to bus travel and to welcome them to our city. Whilst no-one would seriously suggest using local buses for such long-distance journeys, Andrew’s travels highlight just how extensive and comprehensive this country’s bus network is. Despite coming all the way from Derby, he arrived exactly on time, which shows that buses can be reliable too.

Mr. Cowell was set to continue his journey the following day on the 555 service to Keswick and a further series of buses that would take him via Newcastle and on to Scarborough. He then intended to continue around the east and south coasts of England to the west country before returning via Wales.

Morecambe’s missing bus shelter, for Lancaster-bound buses at The Battery, has finally been replaced by advertising contractors, Clear Channel.

The shelter was demolished in a collision with a road vehicle (not a bus!) in December 2021, since when passengers have endured three wet and windy winters waiting for buses in this exposed location. Campaigns by the Bus Users’ Group and local councillors for a speedy replacement have been unsuccessful until now.

But with summer 2024 on its way its replacement has finally arrived – and a special replacement it is: – Morecambe’s first “living-roof” or bee-friendly bus shelter!

According to Clear Channel, the advertising contractor that provided the shelter, “Living roof bus shelters are planted with a mix of 13 native wildflower and five sedum species to aid and support bees and other pollinators that have been in decline in recent years. The thoughtfully-designed shelters contribute towards climate resistance, absorb rainwater falling on the roof, help to reduce the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect’, capture particulates from the air, and help make the city a greener and happier place”.

A second bee-friendly shelter is expected to arrive shortly at the Aldi stop on Morecambe promenade, whilst the seat from the shelter it replaces is expected to find a new home in Lancaster at the busy stop outside Sainsbury’s following a request from the Bus Users’ Group.