Appendix E - Conditions Of Operating A Demand Responsive Bus Service
Fares
An operator MUST charge separate fares on a demand responsive bus service
- Each individual fare on a demand responsive bus service must be a payment which is not subject to variation according to the number of passengers carried on the journey. Fares for individual journeys may be flat fares or may vary in accordance with distance travelled. Each passenger fare must be charged at the same rate, regardless of how many other passengers are either already on or boarding the bus at the time the journey is made.
- In practice, this means that a demand responsive bus service cannot levy a single hire charge. The fare rate charged to each passenger must be exactly the same regardless of the number of people being carried. For example, a vehicle picks up three passengers at the same point, all travelling to the same destination. If the fare rate is £4 each, it is not permissible to charge £6 each if only two passengers had wished to travel or to charge £12 if only one passenger wanted to make the journey. Such a fare structure is not permitted on demand responsive bus services.
- In addition, an operator may apply to offer his service to members of the public or may restrict the service to specific user groups as defined by the operator. In either case, the passengers must be carried on payment of separate fares. The charging of separate fares ensures that a demand responsive bus service is distinct from private hire.
Area Of Operation
An operator MUST specify an area of geographical operation within which the demand responsive bus service will operate
An operator when registering an area of operation should take into account:-
- How many vehicles and drivers are available
- The hours of proposed operation
- The likely passenger demand
An operator can apply to extend his area of operation at any time if he expands his fleet of buses or finds he can serve a much larger catchment area whilst keeping to the required time window (see section on Time Windows).
Pre-Booking
An operator MUST ensure that demand responsive bus services are pre-booked
- A key feature of a demand responsive bus service is that it is provided solely for the purpose of carrying passengers who have booked in advance. Instead of a timetable showing individual buses stopping at particular stops, operators take pre-bookings from passengers for individual journeys (either with the operator direct or via an intermediary eg an agent or call-centre) before travelling. There is no minimum pre-booking period - this is an operational matter for the operator. However, passengers cannot book with the driver or via a booking centre when the vehicle is present.
- Operators are not under any obligation to carry every passenger who enquires about a booking. There may be instances where the operator cannot meet the travel demands of particular individuals e.g. because the time and places where the person wishes to travel cannot be accommodated (although there may be scope to negotiate alternative times). However, where the operator accepts a particular booking, this must be delivered.
Ad Hoc Pasengers
An operator MUST NOT carry Ad Hoc passengers
- Demand responsive bus services are provided wholly for passengers who have pre-booked.
Time Windows
An operator MUST provide a demand responsive bus service within a maximum 20 minute time window
- Operators of demand responsive bus services have the freedom to agree pick up and arrival times individually with each passenger during pre-booking, taking into account other pick-ups and likely traffic conditions. However, once the operator accepts a booking, the vehicle MUST arrive at each individual passenger pick-up and destination within a maximum 20-minute time window. The passenger must be picked up not more than 10 minutes before or 10 minutes after the agreed pick-up time.
- For example, an individual booking scheduled to pick up a passenger from, say, his home at 10 am and drop him off at the shopping centre at 10.30 am, must arrive at the passenger's home no earlier than 9.50 am and no later than 10.10 am. Likewise, the operator must specify that the vehicle will reach its destination during a 20-minute period or less (i.e. that, in the above example, it will reach the shopping centre between 10.20 am and 10.40 am.
Record Keeping
An operator MUST maintain a record of each booking taken
- In the absence of a fixed route and timetable, the Department must have some other means of determining whether an individual operator is providing the service on his licence. Therefore, an operator is required to keep a record of each booking taken and the on-the-road performance in satisfying it. Such details (accessible either in paper or electronic form) should comprise the following for each booking taken:
- name and contact details of each passenger who used the service (contact details can comprise address, telephone number, email address etc)
- the date of the journey
- the agreed time and place where the passenger is to be picked up and set down
- the actual time the vehicle picked them up and set them down at their destination
- Records must be kept for a period of at least 12 calendar months from the date the journey was made. In practice, the operator or a call-centre can keep this data. The operator must make it available to the Department on request. It is the operator's responsibility to ensure that this data is complete for the full twelve-month period.
The Department requires the above records to be kept for Audit and Enforcement purposes . - Keeping details of individual passengers does have data protection implications. It is for individual operators to ensure they meet the relevant requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 - including registering as 'data controllers'.
(Further information on the Data Protection Act is available at http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk or by telephoning 01625 545745).
Advertising Of Demand Responsive Bus Services
An operator MUST provide the following information on the service
Information for passengers
- Display fares - fares must be displayed (whether in tabular form or otherwise) in a prominent position inside each vehicle providing a demand responsive bus service, which is both clearly legible to passengers and enables them easily to see the fare for their journey.
- Clearly display the name of the service on the vehicle so that it can be easily seen from the outside.
Operators are required to include the following details in any passenger information (whether in written or electronic form):
- A statement that it is a demand responsive bus service and that:
- passengers must book in advance;
- all the seats on the vehicle are available for pre-booking (ie there can be no exclusive hire), which will determine its route;
- the arrangements for pre-booking;
- the times when a booking may be made (e.g. 8 am - 10 pm , Monday to Friday, 52 weeks a year);
- a description or map of the area of demand responsive operation;
- whether the operator intends to meet the travel demands of every prospective passenger, and if not what arrangements (if any) will be made where a person's travel demands cannot be met;
- information about fares so that each prospective passenger can easily work out the fare for their intended journey;
- the time window that will apply (up to a maximum of 20 minutes). The passengers will be picked up and set down not more than 10 minutes before or 10 minutes after the agreed pick-up/set down times.
- the maximum passenger single journey i.e. it must not exceed 24.15kms (15 miles) (measured in a straight line) from the place at which they were picked up (the Department may consider exceptions to this maximum distance to ensure no pockets of rural dwellers are excluded from the service, particularly around coastal or border areas).
Vehicles
An operator MUST ensure that all vehicles are capable of carrying at least 9 passengers plus the driver.
- If using vehicles with more than 16 passenger seats in a geographical area of demand responsive operation, you are advised to discuss the proposed service with the PSNI and the DRD Roads Service in advance of registration, to make sure there will not be problems for road safety or traffic.
