HC Deb 26 February 2004 vol 418 cc547-9W
Mr. Truswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the bus industry has achieved the target of 99.5 per cent. reliability agreed between his Department and the Confederation of Passenger Transport; and if he will make a statement. [156169]

Mr. McNulty

Reliability is defined as the percentage of scheduled bus mileage actually run, excluding lost mileage outside operators' control. The baseline for the reliability target is 98.2 per cent. in England in the year to March 2001. Reliability rose to 98.5 per cent. in the year to March 2003. However, it was estimated to have fallen back to 98.2 per cent. (seasonally adjusted) in the period July-September 2003, the most recent quarter for which data are available. We are considering the reasons for this with the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Mr. Truswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications he has received from local authorities to implement bus quality contracts; how many statutory bus quality partnerships have been registered; and which local authorities have introduced them. [156172]

Mr. McNulty

We have to date received no applications for bus quality contracts schemes, though I recently announced the Government's intention to consult on the proposal to reduce the 21-month minimum period that must elapse between the making of a quality contracts scheme and its coming into force. No statutory bus quality partnerships have yet been registered, although informal partnerships are placed in over 130 areas across the country. Plans by West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority and Birmingham City Council for the introduction of the first statutory quality partnership, on the Route 67 bus corridor in Birmingham, are very well advanced.

Mr. Truswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the Vehicles Inspectorate to undertake bus quality checks; and how many person hours were devoted to bus quality checks in the last year for which figures are available. [156173]

Mr. Jamieson

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), formerly the Vehicle Inspectorate, employs 15 Bus Compliance Officers, two of whom are funded directly by the Welsh Assembly. The Bus Compliance Officers carry out monitoring of local bus services outside London, which involves checking that vehicles comply with their registered timetables and routes. The Officers also investigate complaints about possible instances of non-compliance. In 2002-03 18,725 man hours were devoted to these activities.

VOSA also employs some 300 Vehicle Examiners who carry out roadworthiness checks on passenger service vehicles (buses, coaches and mini buses licensed to carry more than eight passengers) as part of their duties. During 2002–03 £24,786 vehicles were examined in spot and fleet roadworthiness checks. Approximately 32,500 man hours were devoted to this work. This figure cannot be broken down to identify the proportion of time spent solely on bus checks.

Mr. Truswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the five worst bus operators in terms of punctuality and reliability were in each of the areas covered by the Traffic Commissioners in the last year for which figures are available; which operators have been fined by the Traffic Commissioners for poor performance; and what fines have been paid. [156175]

Mr. McNulty

Information is not available in the form requested.

In 2002–03, across all traffic areas, traffic commissioners held 41 disciplinary public inquiries relating to local bus services, and in 22 cases financial penalties were imposed (although some were subsequently subject to appeal to the Transport Tribunal), the majority relating to punctuality or reliability. It is not possible to rank them in order of severity, given the wide variation in scale of operation and other factors.

Since February 2003 fines totalling £122,533 have been paid by bus operators following disciplinary action by traffic commissioners.

Further details, including breakdown by traffic area are available in tables 17.1 and 17.2 of the "Traffic Commissioners' Annual Reports for 2002–03". Copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Nick Harvey

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many(a) villages and (b) towns have been served by bus services in (i) Devon and (ii) the South West in each year since 1993; and if he will make a statement; [156063]

(2)how many (a) daily and (b) weekly bus routes to (i) villages and (ii) towns have operated in (A) Devon; and (B) the South West in each year since 1993; and if he will make a statement; [156064]

(3)how many rural bus routes served (a) Devon and (b) the South West in each year since 1993; and if he will make a statement; [156065]

(4) how many (a) daily and (b) weekly rural bus services there were in each year since 1993 in (i) Devon and (ii) the South West; and if he will make statement. [156066]

Mr. McNulty

The information requested is not available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.