Half bus half private hire vehicle, I have found this on the Fife Council website seems they (AA buses the company that runs them eg stagecoach) are the first in the UK to run a demand responsive transport system!
It would be intresting to find out the fare structure for the late night pre booked hirings, but since they are sort of a bus I feel sure they will be heavily subsidised by the taxpayer one way or the other, it will be easy to compete with the fifty pence fare!!!!!!
F I F E C O U N C I L
ENVIRONMENTAL & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
08.09.03
AGENDA ITEM NO
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
TRAVEL CONCESSION SCHEME; YELLOW TAXI BUSES
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 On 18 August 2003, AA Buses (a subsiduary of Stagecoach in Fife) introduced a fully commercial demand responsive bus service between Dunfermline (James Street), East Dunfermline (Area bounded by A823 Queensferry Road, A907 Halbeath Road, M90 and Carnegie Campus) and Edinburgh.
1.2 This Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service, named "Yellow Taxi Bus", is available to all members of the public and is the first DRT service in the UK to operate on a fully commercial basis.
1.3 Members of the public living within the prescribed zone (East Dunfermline) wishing to use the Service, phone the call centre up to half an hour prior to travel and the bus will then uplift the passenger at the agreed place - most likely to be at the passenger's home address.
1.4 The service operates 7 days a week between approximately 0600 and 20.30 but with additional pre bookable late night journey provided on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Day time frequency is 10 minutes at peak and twenty minutes at off peak.
1.5 Premium fares will apply to the service with a £4 fare for people travelling alone, but reduced fares will apply if people book together and travel from the same pick up point.
1.6 The service is also available for travel between the zoned area and Dunfermline James Street and a fare of £2 applies.
2.0 TRAVEL CONCESSION APPLICABLE
2.1 The Yellow Taxi Bus service is registered as a local bus service although the nature of the operations is clearly quite different from ordinary local bus services.
2.2 It was clear that normal concessionary fares (free travel within Fife and 50p single fare to/Edinburgh) could not readily apply to this service, and the operator requested that either no concessionary travel would be allowed or that a different concessionary fare would apply.
2.3 Following discussions between the Head of Transportation Services and the Chair of Environment & Development Committee, it was agreed with the operator that half fare concessions should be applicable to the service (both in respect of trips to Edinburgh as well as within Fife) to reflect the premium nature of the service.
2.4 Since a decision on the concession had to be taken prior to commencement of the operations of the service, this committee is asked to homologate the decision taken, in agreement with the Chair, to apply a half fare concession scheme for the Yellow Taxi Bus Service.
3.0 RESOURCE IMPLICATION
3.1 For Concession Card holders choosing to use the Yellow Taxi Bus at half fare rather than travelling to Edinburgh by ordinary local bus services, usually involving a short local journey in Fife at zero fare and then an express journey to Edinburgh at 50p flat fare, the resulting compensation payment by Fife Council to the operator will be more or less the same. However, should additional bus trips be generated, there will be additional cost to the concession budget, but it would also most likely mean fewer car trips between Fife and Edinburgh.
3.2 The overall effect on the concession budget is anticipated to be minimal and, if relevant, will be met from within existing budgets.
4.0 RECOMMENDATION
4.1 The committee is asked to:
1 Homologate the decision taken by the Head of Transportation Services, in agreement with the Chair, that a half fare concession should apply to this new premium service, and
2 To welcome the introduction of this new service which should encourage more people to travel by public transport between Fife and Edinburgh.
