Bath transportation package

Bath and North East Somerset Council has announced that the local authority is submitting four planning applications in order to be able to deliver the fifty-four million pound Bath Transportation Package (BTP) – the BTP will increase the city’s ‘Park and Ride’ capacity by an additional two thousand, five hundred and twenty car parking spaces, provide upgrades to signage, pedestrian and cyclist access, and to ten local bus routes. The four separate planning applications are:-

i) to create a new Eastern Park and Ride, adjacent to the A4 Batheaston bypass, with one thousand, four hundred car parking spaces

ii) to expand the Lansdown Park and Ride from four hundred and ninety to eight hundred and eighty car parking spaces

iii) to expand the Newbridge Park and Ride from five hundred to one thousand car parking spaces, served by a new one thousand, four hundred metre dedicated bus route

iv) to expand the Odd Down Park and Ride from one thousand to one thousand, two hundred and thirty car parking spaces

South West Trains pilot smartcards

South West Trains has launched a customer pilot of the first national rail smartcard in Britain – a number of season ticket holders are taking part in the pilot to help ‘test and perfect’ the ITSO smartcard technology. The pilot follows a successful trial by employees of South West Trains. South West Trains is committed to delivering a smartcard system across the company’s rail network - equipment is been installed at South West Trains stations to allow the smartcards to be introduced gradually on a route-by-route basis.

Online sales of rail tickets soar

ATOC (The Association of Train Operating Companies) has announced that online sales of British rail tickets has increased by thirty per cent in the last twelve months to nearly seven hundred million pounds – ATOC is forecasting that online sales will exceed two billion pounds in the next five years. Despite the rapid increase in online ticket purchases, only twelve per cent of all sales are made through the internet.

Plymouth CityBus switches to synthetic oil

Plymouth CityBus has switched almost the entire fleet of the company’s buses to synthetic engine oil, which lasts twice as long as ordinary oil. The synthetic oil lasts for forty thousand kilometres, double the distance of ordinary engine oil. Although synthetic oil costs nearly twice as much as ordinary engine oil, the bus operator benefits from higher vehicle availability and lower maintenance costs.

Yellow Buses order new vehicles

Transdev Yellow Buses have announced the purchase of eleven Optare Tempo buses for delivery in March/April 2009 – the twelve metre buses, with a seating capacity of forty-three, are expected to be fitted with leather trimmed seats with padded head restraints and ‘wood-effect’ flooring.

National Express third quarter statement

National Express has issued an interim management statement for the third quarter, which reveals that coach revenue has increased by five per cent compared with the previous year – the company reports that coach services to airports are showing ‘slow growth’.

And finally,

Devon County Council has recently repainted part of the road signage at a bus stop in Topsham Road, Exeter – the word ‘Stop’ was replaced by ‘Stand’ in new bright yellow paint, but the word ‘Bus’ remains as faded as ever!