Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Director of Transportation and Highways

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) received a briefing note which provided an update on Bus Provision and Bus Innovation in Coventry which had been considered by Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee (SCRUCO) at their meetings on 5th and 19th February 2020 (minutes 50/19 and 56/19 refer).  On the 16th February 2021, Cabinet agreed recommendations in a report on All Electric Bus City and Enhanced Partnership Plan, (their minute 69/20 refers) which was attached to the briefing note considered by the Board.

The Department for Transport (DfT) launched the All Electric Bus Town fund in February 2020, with £50 million in grant funding made available to allow one town or city within England to make the transition to a bus network operated fully by electric powered buses.  The West Midlands Combined Authority, as the strategic transport authority for the West Midlands, submitted an Expression of Interest for Coventry. The Expression of Interest was developed by the City Council in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and Transport for West Midlands and covered all public bus services operating within the city and in surrounding areas of Warwickshire.

The Department for Transport subsequently confirmed that the Coventry and Warwickshire bid had been shortlisted alongside a second bid from Oxfordshire County Council based on Oxford.  In the Budget Statement on 25th November 2020, Government increased the amount of funding available for the All Electric Bus Town competition, and the Department for Transport confirmed to the Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority, that the Coventry/ Warwickshire proposal would be funded subject to the submission of a satisfactory Full Business Case.

The Full Business Case would be presented to the West Midlands Combined Authority Board at its meeting on 19th March 2021 for approval.  City Council officers had taken a lead role in the preparation of the Full Business Case and, if successful, the bid would see around 297 new electric buses come into operation in Coventry over the next four years. This meant that by Winter 2025 every public bus service in the city would be operated by a zero-emission electric vehicle, supporting the Council’s objectives of a green economic recovery through the de-carbonisation of the city’s transport network, with an estimated annual emissions saving of around 24,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and 55 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide.

Information was detailed on the application process to the All Electric Bus Town fund, the areas covered as well as the accountable body. The report also provided information about the Enhanced Partnership Plan for the West Midlands area, which provided a strategic context for joint working between bus operators and local authorities that could be beneficial for the All Electric Bus Town scheme.

The Cabinet Member highlighted the economic and environmental opportunities that would be experienced in Coventry as a conversion was made to electric buses.

The Board congratulated those involved so far in this fantastic opportunity and discussed the following issues:

·  Ensuring that the opportunity is taken to revolutionise travel and influence the design of buses, having consideration for people with disabilities using the service, as is the case in other European Cities.

·  Air Quality

·  The bid process for the funding

·  The impact on roads of the new buses, their reliability and performance

·  Engaging with bus users

·  Deregulation of buses and improvements to encourage passengers onto buses in the city

The Board welcomed Councillors P Akhtar and L Bigham, the City Council appointed representatives on the West Midlands Combined Authority Transport Delivery Committee.  Councillor Bigham reassured the Board that the views of passengers with a disability would be raised.

The Cabinet Member thanked the Board for supporting the report and agreed that it would be a positive addition to discussions to go beyond compliance with the requirements of the Disability Act.

The Board requested information on how bus users could feed into the Bus Performance Board.

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) recommended to the Council representatives on the West Midlands Combined Authority Transport Delivery Committee that, consideration of disabled passengers is taken when the design of the new electric buses are commissioned to ensure there is sufficient space internally as well as meeting accessibility requirements.