Contrast that with the lack of shuttle buses because the  BalloonFiesta committee were not prepared to pay the £120,000 contract found for buses and drivers by Dan Norris. If  Marvin had not gone off on one of his jolly jaunts overseas, then surely that money could have been found.

Three years since this has happened....and for the residents of Pill Portbury and Portishead the additional pleasure of the buses being rammed for the first three miles in and out of the city. And no shuttle buses this year.... all for £120,00 which the fiesta committee said they didn't have  Surely they could have cancelled one of Marvin's jolly jaunts in unfamiliar climes to pay for it.

Referring to Tony K's last comment, it almost seems an oxymoron that Iceland has miles and miles of above ground pipework to cool the geothermally heated water so it is at a safe temperature for human and industrial use.

Looking at the GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) progress thermometer on the Portishead railway group website  the DCO^▸ (Driver Controlled Operation) has to be approved first. I emailed Dan Norris to ask him to chase Grant Shapps every day this month to get it approved before Liz Truss takes over. A new SoS might just look at all the overuns of this project  and cut it completely with a recession looming. Surely once the DCO is approved, it cannot be cancelled.....

Probably started walking because his train hadn't turned up. He had a rendez vous at Chelonia Centrale.

I think this statement shows concern for the business, staff, and passengers...quite different in tone to the usual standard announcement

Statement
2 days ago Fri 29th Jul 2022



We, Simon Rowe and Rachel Hotham of Milsted Langdon LLP, have been appointed as Administrators of Bournemouth Transport Limited, which trades as Yellow Buses.

We recognise that many people rely on the Yellow Bus network for all sorts of aspects of their daily lives and that for them and the 300 staff employed by the business this is an unsettling time.  We can recognise this and want to reassure everyone that we and our team are doing all we can to ensure that the business continues to operate as normal as possible under the circumstances and continues to do so into the future.

Yellow Buses has just celebrated its 120th birthday and so it is an unfortunate time to be facing this uncertainty.  However, like many transport businesses, Yellow Buses has suffered from the challenges of the COVID period and the changes in lifestyle habits which have followed, with more people working remotely and some people still being reluctant to travel on public transport.  All of this has severely reduced passenger numbers on all routes.

This loss of revenue has had a financial impact on the business and additional factors such as the recent increase in fuel prices and the general rise in inflation has only made that greater.

The directors have, for some time, been looking for outside investment or a purchaser to take Yellow Buses onto the next stage of its life.  They felt that as a small independent business it was unable to handle the current challenges alone and hoped that by merging with a larger operator it would provide them with a broader platform from which to operate.

Unfortunately, those negotiations take time, and during that time the business was coming under increasing financial pressure.  Negotiations with one of those parties, a large national operator, have entered the final stages and we hope to be able to conclude within a matter of days.   

With its long history in the local area and its integral role within the community we appreciate that there will be a great number of people concerned about this news, what we would ask is that the community shows it support by using the services.  Support Yellow Buses and crucially its staff by using the bus.  Take a trip on one of the buses and let the drivers know they have your support.  Show them just how important this service is to everyone.

We will of course keep the staff and customers updated over the coming days.

An extraordinary meeting of the West of England Combined Authority Committee will be held on Friday 29 July, at 1pm at Ashton Gate Stadium, Ashton Road, Bristol, BS3 2EJ.

The meeting will discuss contributing an additional £10m to help deliver MetroWest Phase 1, which includes reopening the Portishead to Bristol rail line. The meeting will be chaired by the Metro Mayor Dan Norris and attended by Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol City and South Gloucestershire Councils who will vote on this matter.

For more details and agendas visit: www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/meetings.

What makes this meeting even more extraordinary, is that it is being held at Ashton Gate (almost in North Somerset) , is about the line that is 80% in North Somerset,  is next door to the line, and yet North Somerset representatives aren't invited ! You couldn't make it up!. I just hope they can hear us yelling JFDI^▸ (just flipping do it (polite version)) from over the border at 150 decibels.

For as long as I can remember since this whole sorry saga started, the opening date ALWAYS seems to be 4 years away.

Grant Shapps has already said he is minded to approve the DCO^▸ (Driver Controlled Operation)....but what will a new SoS think ??

The placing of the statue in its old position was a mistake. Most of the year it was hidden in the shade of trees and it was quite possible to be inches from it and not know it was even there. Now at least you cannot miss it, and it should have been there from the very beginning. I think that the reason it was placed where it was, all those years ago, was that a nearby firm in one of the office blocks put up some of the money for it, but I could be wrong.

Perhaps they should hold it on the site of the Brizzle Arenal amongst all the soil heaps, pieces of hacked runway tarmac and puddles without any of the lights, lasers and sound systems that detract from the vocals big time. Then it really would be a Eurovision SONG contest, instead of what passes for music these days.

I attended the above meeting via Zoom and made the following notes:

Bus service meeting Folk Hall 29th June 7.30 pm
Carl Nicholson, manager NSom, Lee Murphy, planner and Chris Hanson Ops director First (lives in Portishead, has been a driver before management role)

Announcement of 105m bus grant to N.Som 48m bus lanes, infrastructure etc, rest 53m on services.
Shopping list….
1)   an enhanced x5 service Portishead to Cribbs,Colleges and Southmead
Funding released in Oct, 3 months to register, find drivers, Easter 2023 target start. Raison d’etre is College services to WSM, meeting with them tomorrow
2)   Improved x4 frequency to just turn up and go e.g every 10/15 mins, no need to look at timetable.
3)   Review of supported services to see if any can run as commercial services
4)   59 relatively well used, 57 growing
5)   Biggest issue is return of trust by passengers
6)   Creation of bus interchanges in Portisheadd Clevedon Nailsea like as in WSM
Sainsburys site unlikely, Combe Road has land available either side.

Need for better co-ordination of timetables. Present x4/5 cited as bad.
            Aim for 57, 59 to become hourly. Present service praised for good time keeping.
Concern expressed for Gordano school pupils, expected to walk if under 2 miles from a bus stop. Narrow pavements by Grange lodge…but been like this since 1960s.
56 not advertised, been running since June 2021 under emergency funding,Hastily arranged, likely to disappear. Looking at some sort of DRT replacement.
57 needs a big bus for schools services at beginning/end of day. /
Lots of stops no longer in use. What is a ‘local’ bus as defined by notices on bus stops ?
Unable to recycle many bus shelters as they rust and rot at ground level.
Too many adverts eg McDonalds, what revenue do NSom get? A team of 3 to cover 700 stops. Need for a much bigger team on the ground in order to implement the BIP.

CH - most significant driver shortage ever (except Basildon depot) recently had 14% pay rise taking average driver salary to 27k.WSM depot now levelled up to Bristol rates. All x4 services now out of Bristol not WSM due to hold ups at J19/21.Patronage up 5%

160 drivers short, also have 100 agency staff. Recruitment roadshows every weekend, aimed at 18-28 yr olds who have never driven at all.
Proposed August changes now moved to mid Oct. New tap on readers on buses operational from July 1st . A Phd Cribbs service is only likely to use M5 between J19 and I8, diverted around Lawrence Weston etc to improve patronage

There IS actually such a meeting 7.30pm at the Folk Hall,Portishead tomorrow (Wednesday)

One minute we are being told by Liam Fox that all the environmental issues have been sorted, and the draft DCO^▸ (Driver Controlled Operation) says the SoS is 'minded to approve' once the funding is found....

And then we get this ....

Portishead rail line's future uncertain as questions raised over funding and inflation
The government is 'very nervous' about environmental issues, according to the metro mayor

Future plans to reopen the Portishead railway line remain uncertain as questions are raised over funding and inflation.

The railway line, which closed to passengers six decades ago, was due to reopen in 2024 as part of a multi-million pound scheme to improve public transport in the region. But delays due to environmental issues and skyrocketing inflation have caused concerns over its costs.


The government is “very nervous” about environmental issues surrounding the reopening, and is considering putting more money forward to get the project underway, according to Dan Norris, the metro mayor of the West of Englan

Little can happen until that extra government funding comes, he told a scrutiny committee at the West of England combined authority on June 27. Similar schemes have been dropped due to inflation, which reduces how much the government can get for its money.

He said: “The government is contemplating giving additional funding to get us over the line, but they’re requiring some money from North Somerset and the combined authority as well. I’m not actually certain that I’ve got that money, but I’m very keen to find what I can.

“There has been a delay. I think the issue has been the government is concerned and very anxious about a judicial review, very nervous. There are issues on environmental grounds—I think those fears are groundless—but it has caused delay, and with rampant inflation, that reduces the purchasing power of the money that was previously agreed.”

Portishead has grown rapidly in recent years and suffers from serious congestion on local roads. The town’s passenger station closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts, and was due to reopen in December 2024 as part of the major MetroWest project. It’s unclear exactly what environmental issues are causing the delays.


The MetroWest project, part of the West of England combined authority, will also include a new train station at Pill, and train services upgraded on the Severn Beach line and between Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads.

Mr Norris added: “Where we’re at now is we’re waiting for the government to come up with that money, and then I will do what I can. The reality of inflation is going to be that they’re going to cut some schemes. But I don’t think they’re contemplating that for the Portishead line.

“I do get people sometimes say to me they’re concerned this investment, strictly outside the combined authority area, is going to cost significant sums of money, which is true. But my view is that actually they’re quite a lot of jobs in North Somerset that Bristol could benefit from. So it’s in Bristol’s interests too.


“I’m very much behind it, but it depends how much it costs. We’re prepared to find what we reasonably can. But we’re now waiting to see if the government will put in what they said they would. It’s so hard to know, but it’s probably OK, probably. Until that money comes from the government, there’s no movement.”

So, just who do we believe?

I will say a mute halle..... for this first part....
The ..lujah comes when I see the evidence on the ground.


North Somerset bus services to transform with £105m improvement plan
23/06/2022
Bus services in North Somerset will be transformed over the next three years thanks to a major investment programme by North Somerset Council in partnership with the West of England Combined Authority.
These improvements will also accelerate the decarbonisation of transport – a key priority for the council as part of its commitment to tackle the climate emergency.

Following a successful bid to the Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)), over £105m funding is allocated for improvements, with £48m earmarked for capital improvements in North Somerset alone. £57.5m will be used as a pooled revenue fund with the West of England Combined Authority to enable delivery of the Bus Service Improvement Plan. The final funding amount will be confirmed by the DfT later this year

At their meeting on Wednesday 22 June, North Somerset Council’s Executive made a recommendation that the Council approves the commissioning plan to deliver the Bus Service Improvement Plan. This will see bus priority measures on key roads including the A370, A369 and A38.

Improvements will include:

An ambitious fares support package to ensure that buses remain excellent value as inflationary costs impact on the bus industry.

A significant increase in the current bus network, delivering a comprehensive network of services with frequency standards matched to the population densities and demands.

Higher bus frequencies in our towns and urban areas, offering a good range of destinations and connections including with rail. Major towns should expect a minimum frequency of 60 minutes, with many increased to every 30 or 20 minutes on priority corridors such as the A370, A369 and A38.

A range of bus services to support the 24/7 economy, providing improvements to the early morning, evening, night, and weekend services.

A single bus network with every vehicle and bus stop identifiable as part of the network, through a common brand.

Reliable, faster and consistent journey times.

The improvements will be delivered through an ‘Enhanced Partnership’ model, to be approved by the DfT. This is a statutory agreement between local transport authorities, bus operators and highway authorities under which each party makes legally binding commitments to improve bus services and the facilities associated with them.
An Enhanced Partnership has the potential to bring about improvements quickly, and it puts in place a framework under which future bus service improvements can be delivered as the capital schemes are delivered.

We have declared a climate emergency and transport decarbonisation is an essential part of our action plan to reduce emissions to net zero in North Somerset. Around 43 per cent of our carbon emissions are from transport and we cannot continue to use the car in the same way as we have done for the previous 50 years.

This funding package offers a truly transformational level of funding, eclipsing anything previously seen in public transport in the history of North Somerset Council. The investment represents a genuine opportunity to deliver many of the 2030 carbon reduction targets, by improving the effectiveness of public transport to a level that creates a genuine alternative to the use of private vehicles.

CLLR STEVE HOGG, NORTH SOMERSET COUNCIL’S EXECUTIVE MEMBER WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR TRANSPORT