1 Delivering Through Partnerships Stephen Rhodes Passenger Services Director EMTA General Meeting 10 th November 2011

2 “ Any Good Partnership is greater than the sum of its parts” BUSES......TRAINS......TRAMS

deregulation Transport Act 2000 Local Transport Act 2008 Commercial operators’ role Centro’s role Highway Authority’s role The UK bus environment

4 92% of our bus network is commercial Network carries over 305 million passengers per annum Largest operator has approximately 80% share Second largest has 10% share Remaining 32 operators have 10% share Commercial Network

5 8% subsidised network costs £8.5m per annum Centro Access Standards Operate 400 contracts with operators Approximately 40 routes contracted Tendered Network

Employment patterns have changed significantly Development growth Shopping patterns and times have evolved Changing conurbation Rise in car ownership Increasing congestion Major developments in and outside of the area 6 Challenges

7 Network Modernisation  a wholesale review of where services operate to and from, leading to a new network that is more relevant to today’s travel patterns Total Quality  a shift in culture from all involved in service delivery to a greater focus on the passengers and their needs – alongside quality improvements and product differentiation. Supported by  effective bus priorities  effective marketing and selling  complementary services that meet our social inclusion aims Transforming Bus Travel

8 Patronage increases on partnership routes Positive passenger feedback “ …what I like most is the improved reliability…” “…the in service cleaning does make a real difference…” “…the timetable is working and the buses are noticeably cleaner…” TBT Partnerships

9 Local Transport Act (2008) Highway investment New Vehicle Investment Real time Information City Centre Infrastructure Cleaning and Quality Joint monitoring Voluntary Multilateral Agreement (VMA)

10 Wolverhampton Interchange TBT – Recent Achievements

11 Centro a co-signatory of the West Midlands rail franchise until September 2007 No contractual relationship since this time other than for ticketing, procurement of incremental subsidised service enhancements, etc The West Midlands is also served by 3 other franchised train operators The Local Rail Environment

12 Centro can only deliver its objectives for rail through effective partnership with train operators On 20 September 2011 we signed our first partnership agreement with London Midland The partnership agreement vision is “to truly understand our passengers and deliver to their expectations through effective partnership in planning and delivery” Delivery Through Partnership

Joint working on developing train services to meet the needs of the West Midlands Integrated passenger information Joint attendance at public meetings Joint marketing Building on Direct Sales approach to ticketing Secure Stations Accreditation Joint working on smartcard 13 Partnership Successes

14 Aspirations to take over the management of local rail stations Seeking to make the case for a devolved, locally specified, locally managed franchise for the West Midlands region, possibly with Centro as the franchising authority Delivery through partnership would continue to be the norm for longer- distance operators The Future

15 Line 1 - Wolverhampton – Birmingham operated on a long term concession agreement for Centro Partnership working is still important – added benefit by working together and it doesn’t always cost more! Midland Metro

16 Partnership working provides a means by which Centro, Local Authorities and Operators can;  understand each others challenges  establish clear commitments  work together for mutual benefit  deliver excellent customer service  ensure a sustainable network  Influence each other “Better than the sum of parts” Summary