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9 Specified standards to be provided in a sQP

Transport Scotland Act 2001 - Part 2 Bus Services Quality Partnership Schemes: Section 3(6) Quality partnership scheme.

9.1 In return for the facilities provided by the transport authority, bus operators are required to operate their services to specified standards agreed between the authority and the operator. Standards must be linked to the aims and objectives of national, regional and local bus policies. It is important that the specified service standards sought are proportional to the facilities provided by the transport authority. This is important in demonstrating a strong level of partnership and joint commitment between the partners.

9.2 As with the provision of specified facilities, a sQP allows for a phased approach to achieving service standards. For example, a scheme may specify that vehicle engines meet Euro II emissions standards from the commencement date of the scheme, with Euro III standards to be met at a future date. The timescales for implementation of standards is best agreed through consensus between the transport authority and bus operators.

9.3 By enabling phased implementation of specified standards, operators have the confidence that they can sign up to the scheme without being required to meet every standard from date of commencement, allowing them to forward plan investment in new vehicles or technology. This also guarantees that there is continued effort to drive up quality, rather than just 'one off' investment.

9.4 Although some of the standards may be challenging, they should be reasonably achievable (and this is where phased implementation is useful in ensuring this). Minimum standards should be policies that underpin the scheme which will seek to raise the quality of the overall bus journey experience for users.

9.5 The scheme, in partnership, could specify targets of minimum or maximum standards to achieve over an agreed period. It is important to remember however, that these standards must relate back to the objectives of the sQP in order to demonstrate during monitoring and evaluation whether the scheme objectives are being achieved. Examples that could be addressed include:

• the quality of buses and services;
• improving the condition of buses;
• increasing service reliability;
• improving access for all users; and
• improving the quality of customer care.

9.6 These can be achieved by:

Vehicles

• Minimum vehicle age;
• Accessibility of vehicles ( DDA compliance)
• Emissions (i.e. specifying a particular Euro standard);
• Noise (targets specifying a maximum dB (A)); and
• Information displayed on the vehicle.

Staff

• Training and qualifications (i.e. percentage of SVQ2 Bus and Coach Driving and Customer Care qualification);
• Uniform and appearance; and
• Customer care.

Services/service reliability

• Standards on punctuality and reliability (i.e. via a Bus Punctuality Improvement Partnership);
• Minimum frequencies of service on route(s)/corridor(s)/area; and
• Service stability (i.e. minimum service changes).

Customer service package

• Customer comment/complaints procedure; and
• Customer satisfaction feedback.

9.7 It is important to highlight that under the 2001 Act, any specification can be made on the standards of minimum frequencies of services and vehicle requirements but not on the maximum frequency of services, the timing of services or levels of fares.

9.8 The specific mix of standards will be determined through the detailed preparation and consultation stage of the process. Any area of standards considered to be unsupportable should be highlighted early on in the development of the process.

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