4.5 million pounds later...

We are gearing up to deliver a £4.5 million investment in Plymouth’s bus network from April, in partnership with local operators.

A programme of improvements for the coming year, developed in line with the city’s Bus Service Improvement Plan and funded by the Department for Transport’s 2025/26 Bus Grant, was approved today.

The improvements will help achieve the Plymouth Enhanced Bus Partnership’s vision to ‘create a thriving bus network where everyone can be connected to important people and places, by services that are frequent, reliable, fast, affordable, safe and clean, which will also help Plymouth to achieve its net zero goals by 2030.’

They include:

• extra investment in subsidised services, with more frequent services, more days of operation and new services providing connections between communities
• a new real time passenger information system, replacing our ageing digital bus shelter displays
• improved passenger information, including new facilities for passengers with visual impairments
• the recently announced new Service 19 bus to and from The Park crematorium, along with new bus stops and a pedestrian crossing
• improvements at the park and ride sites, such as height barriers at the George Junction park and ride
• support for the Royal Parade improvements scheme
• continued staffing of the George Junction park and ride travel centre
• continued personalised travel planning, providing residents with one-to-one advice on Plymouth’s bus services
• a review of the multi-operator ‘Skipper’ ticket to make it better

The programme supports seven of the nine identified passenger priorities within the Bus Service Improvement Plan.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure said: “This is the first time the Council has received both capital and revenue funding for our Bus Service Improvement Plan. It’s therefore a great opportunity to provide the bus services people need and the infrastructure to support them, in terms of better passenger information system and new bus stops.”

Plymouth Citybus giver their update:

Service
Summary of changes

23/24
Additional journeys on school day afternoons.

35/A

Weekdays 1845 journey becomes 1835 to improve headway. Saturday mornings, 0700 journey withdrawn.

41
First journey starts from Royal Parade instead of Milehouse. Revised times inbound to improve timekeeping.

43
Slight change to timetable to improve corridor with new 43A.

43A
New service on Monday to Friday to uplift frequency to St Budeaux/ Victoria Road.

13, 14, 27
Will be operated by Stagecoach

I have yet to see any mention of this from Stagecoach themselves although their web site isnt the easiest to navigate so its possible I have missed it.

The 27 will soon be run by Stagecoach

For those that want to read more I have a few documents in the PT Library:

More investment in Plymouth’s bus network

Title of decision: 2025-26 Bus grant for Plymouth City Council

2025-26 Bus grant for Plymouth City Council Briefing Report for Publication

CAPITAL INVESTMENT BUSINESS CASE

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT – 2025-26 Bus grant for Plymouth City Council

Plymouth City Council 2025 Non-Commercial Routes Network Tender Contract Award

Plymouth City Council 2025 Non-Commercial Routes Network Tender Contract Award – Briefing Note

Shelters and Samaritans

Royal Parade is going to look a little different for a while as the City Council has come up with an interesting solution to the lack of bus stops sheleters:

Three converted shipping containers are to be installed on the north side of Royal Parade to act as temporary bus shelters.

The containers are roughly the same size as a double shelter and will have bench seating, lighting together with ramps and handrails and the first two will be put into position early next week.

They will stay in place until the new bigger shelters will be installed as part of the Royal Parade improvement scheme.

The containers will be installed early in the morning, so there will be no disruption to bus services. They will be outside

• Dingles between bus stops A15 and A16
• Debenhams near bus stop A20
• Poundland near bus stop A13.

Some benches will also be installed beneath the canopy along Royal Parade so that people have more places to sit while they wait for their buses.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport said: “I instructed officers to leave no stone unturned in finding some temporary shelter for bus users on this side of Royal Parade.

“As a bus user myself I was really unhappy with the shelters being removed in winter, but as cabinet member for transport understood that we were left with very little option as the contract had ended with the old providers and we were simply not in a position to start the new improvement scheme.

“This solution is a little unusual, but it is practical and can be in place relatively quickly.”

A total of 12 shelters have been removed by old providers JC Decaux and the plan is for Clear Channel to install 15 bigger shelters along this key route with upgraded seating and more space for wheelchair users and pushchairs as part of the Royal Parade Bus Improvement scheme.

However, contract negotiations for the main scheme works are still ongoing, which has meant no shelters on Royal Parade between Courtenay Street and St Andrews Cross. The work is expected to start later in the Spring.

I have never really understood why the new shelters are taking so long or what the issues are with the new contract but its good to see they are taking action to produce some shelter.

In other news..

I finally managed to get out and about of the last week and spent a while in town catching up with photographing the current bus scene before things start to change with the new electrics over the coming year. One of the buses finally caught on camera is 571 in Samaritans wrap. It was also nice to catch up with a few people I have not seen for a couple of years – Lawrence & Richard especially!  I have promised myself to get out and about a bit more this year!

Cutting Edge

A brand new fleet of state-of-the-art grass cutting equipment will cover a massive 55 million square metres this summer.

Over £500,000 was invested in new ground maintenance equipment in January to keep the city’s parks neat, verges tidy and wildflower meadows at their best.

Ride on mowers with flail decks especially designed for wildflower meadows are among the new fleet, as are Samurai grass cutters that are capable of cutting some of Plymouth’s sloping banks with a better quality of cut.

These ride-ons use a powerful and efficient all-wheel drive system which can be switched between 4WD to 2WD depending on ground conditions and can also handle slopes up to 30 degrees, perfect for Plymouth’s many steep banks.

The teams began their grass cutting schedule last week and between now and October, will do nine sweeps of the city’s green spaces with an extra two cuts in 2018, cutting around 5 million square meters of grass each time.

Councillor Mike Leaves, Cabinet Member for Streetscene and the Environment, said: “We must do all that can be done to keep our parks and green spaces looking lush and inviting. As we know, our climate is ever-changing with summers becoming warmer and wetter so our teams must have the tools they need to do their job efficiently. This fleet of new equipment represents a significant investment in this and I look forward to seeing them in use throughout the summer.”

Older machines can be costly to run and maintain and when there are break downs, disrupt the grass cutting schedule so the decision to invest in the new equipment was made in a bid to ensure that grass cutting runs as smoothly as possible.

Full list of new equipment

• 3 x Triple deck gang mowers: Used to cut large open spaces and are pulled behind our tractors. They cut at double the RPM of our old gang mowers.
• 9 x Ride on grass cutter: Offer a better quality of cut and can cut longer grass easier. These will include Flail decks which attach to the above and can cut brush and wildflowers meadows.
• 14 x grass cutters: Able to cut on banks at pace and produces a better quality of cut and replaces antiquated equipment.
• 10 x Leaf and litter blowers: Up to date equipment that is easier to use.
• 13 x Strimmers: Up to date equipment that is easier to use.
• 4 x Pedestrian mowers: These narrow grass cutters are for use in smaller areas in the cemeteries. They leave little arisings and can cut close to obstacles without causing any damage
• 2 x Flail pedestrian mower: The main use for these flails are to cut and bail the wildflower meadows on areas that tractors cannot access.
• 8 x Hedge cutters: Up to date equipment that is easier to use.

Barbican Coach Improvements

More welcome investment in coach facilities in Plymouth:

Coach companies arriving at The Barbican will have easier access, thanks to improvement work due to start this week. Plymouth City Council has contracted South West Highways to start work on improvements to the facilities offered to coach services at this popular location.

Stage one to extend the bus stop near the Mayflower Steps, creating a new larger coach drop off area was completed earlier in the year. Now the existing Lambhay Hill coach parking triangle is to be reconfigured to allow three standalone coach parking bays.

The new ‘pay and display’ bays for coaches will allow coaches a maximum of two hours parking, ensuring coach space rotation, which, in turn, helps maximise the number of coaches able to use the spaces and bring more visitors to the waterfront and business to local traders.

The project includes some excavation and reconstruction of the highway in areas which need repair. It is estimated that the work will take up to six weeks.

Councillor Patrick Nicholson, Deputy Leader of Plymouth City Council and cabinet member for Strategic Housing, Transport and Planning, said:

“Many visitor coaches want to go straight to the Barbican to enjoy its shops, cobbled streets and pubs. We’ve worked closely with the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the coach industry representative body, on these changes and hope the new facilities will bring more here and keep the cash tills ringing.”

Sarah Gibson, Waterfront Manager and Chief Executive of the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership said: “Businesses across the Waterfront rely upon visiting coaches and the additional footfall they generate. We welcome the Council’s investment to provide additional provision for coaches in this area. From this location visitors can access the delights of The Barbican, Sutton Harbour and The Hoe on foot or Mount Batten, the Royal William Yard and South East Cornwall by ferry waterlinks.”

 

 

 

 

 

National Awards for Plymothian Transport

 

The British Parking Association has awarded accreditation for safe bus stations for several years, but has now launched a new accreditation for long-distance scheduled coach services – and Plymouth’s new coach station is the first to receive it!

The £4.8 million coach station opened to passengers last September with seven bays, electronic passenger information, sail-like steel canopies to provide shelter, an internal heated waiting area, toilets, a staffed ticket office, ticket vending machines, cycle stand, CCTV, a customer help point, a taxi drop off zone and extensive landscaping. The site also works as a satellite tourist information centre with maps, leaflet racks and onward travel information for buses, rail and ferries.

As well as the CCTV cameras, there are regular patrols by security guards at all hours of the day and night to add an extra sense of security for passengers and visitors.

The accreditation system is based on two assessments – a face-to-face customer survey to find out how safe people felt both during the day and out-of-hours and a detailed audit of systems and procedures in place.

Some of the comments which came back from passengers included: ‘security staff and café staff – friendly and helpful’, ‘comfy seating and always nice and clean’, ‘clean and comfortable, warm and good seating. Friendly and helpful staff’ and ‘things have really improved!’

Councillor Patrick Nicholson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Transport, Housing and Planning said: “We are really proud of this accreditation and it is particularly gratifying to hear that people who use this coach station at all hours of the day and night feel safe. ”

The coach station is operated by National Express. Megabus and SW Falcon also run scheduled services from there. It replaces the old Bretonside bus station which is being demolished as part of a multi-million pound leisure development by British Land.

National Express Coach Managing Director Chris Hardy said: “We are delighted to be awarded this accreditation which is a tribute to the work we and our partners at Plymouth Council have put in to provide the best possible experience for people travelling by coach. Safety is National Express’s number one priority and we regularly review our stations to improve facilities for waiting passengers, such as CCTV, lighting and security patrols to ensure our customers and visitors feel safe. ”

Facilities have to pass a rigorous risk assessment conducted by the police and the British Parking Association. The assessments include management and maintenance of the facility, ensuring that there are appropriate levels of surveillance, lighting, signage and cleanliness, explained Chas Cannon, Senior Area Manager at British Parking Association.

He said: “I am delighted that National Express and the council have achieved the first Safer Coach Station Award as part of the Safer Bus Station scheme.

“I very much look forward to working with National Express to help them achieve further awards at other bus stations across the UK. This is a relatively new scheme, but as we are encouraged to use more public transport and the fact that we are moving towards more interconnected transport networks, the time was right to extend crime prevention schemes into these areas.”

 

 

Its still a shame that they didn't go with the entrance sign as used in the original drawings…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coach station has also just been shortlisted for the National Transport Awards 2017. The awards are probably the biggest awards ceremony in the realm of public transport and the coach station is up against some very big projects in the construction and engineering project of the year category.

Shortlist: Construction and Engineering Project of the Year

1. Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, The South Bristol Link (SBL)
2. Bicester to Oxford Collaboration, East West Rail Phase One
3. Costain Ltd, Dover Sea Wall Project
4. Furrer+Frey, Electrification
5. Northern Hub Alliance - Ordsall Chord
6. Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Coach Station
7. S&C North Alliance, Sandy South - 125mph handback of a complex rail S&C renewal
8. Skanska UK, M1 Junction 19 Improvement Scheme
9. Transport for Greater Manchester, Second City Crossing

Its not the only local interest in the awards shortlist this year:

Shortlist: Bus Operator of the Year

1. Brighton & Hove Buses
2. First Hampshire, Dorset & Berkshire
3. Go South Coast
4. LibertyBus - Measuring impact, growing ridership and thinking differently
5. Lothian Buses
6. Metrobus - Inspiring Travel
7. National Express West Midlands
8. Plymouth Citybus
9. Stagecoach East Scotland

And from 2016?

WINNER: National Express West Midlands

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Plymouth Citybus  - maybe they can go one better this year?

British Coach Tourism Awards shortlist

This might come as a bit of surprise to some of you…

Plymouth’s project to create better facilities for coach tours has led to the city being shortlisted as a coach friendly destination in the British Coach Tourism Awards.

The Council embarked a package of works designed to create a better welcome for coach passengers coming to Britain’s Ocean City with its new multi-million coach station in the West End. As part of the project, the team reviewed all the coach facilities across the city to take into account the expanding market. As well as the coach station the Council:

• Re-profiled Derry’s Cross Roundabout in the West End to provide two locations which cater for up to five coaches at any one time.
• Provided two high quality stainless steel and glass passenger waiting shelters with integrated tourist and coach driver information.
• Committed to redevelop existing coach facilities on the historic waterfront, the Barbican, to provide better use of space and greater capacity which will hopefully lead to more coach trips.

Councillor Patrick Nicholson, deputy leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Transport and Planning said: “Building a new coach station gave us the opportunity to look at what else we could do to make Plymouth as coach friendly as possible.  “As well as these new facilities we have been talking to National Express, the coach station operators who will be able to take holiday and visitor coaches on a pre-arranged basis. This is a market we want to see grow here in Plymouth and we are doing what we can to support it.”

The project team collected data over 18 months and worked closely with a number of stakeholders including the Confederation of Passenger Transport and Destination Plymouth. It looked at making sure there were adequate waiting facilities for passengers, good access, convenient locations, safety particularly in the evenings was also taken into account and access to visitor information to other facilities. It looked at making sure there were adequate waiting facilities for passengers, convenient locations, safety was also taken into account and access to other facilities.

The team also negotiated better facilities provided commercially by the city’s two main bus companies, Plymouth Citybus and Stagecoach, at their depots. At Bretonside driver facilities only included parking. Now, the new facilities offer minor repairs, washing services, toilet drops and complimentary bus passes to allow travel back to the City Centre. As well as facilities the project included an extensive information strategy to make sure the changes were communicated to both the industry and passengers. Maps, highways signs and were also updated as well as websites.

Amanda Lumley, Chief Executive of Destination Plymouth said: “We get lots of visitors who travel by coach particularly from places such as Germany. “Coach tourism will play a part in boosting our tourist figures which will help bring money into the local economy. Having better drop-off and lay over facilities close to key tourist attractions and amenities all helps create a better experience for visitor.

“Getting recognition from the trade through these awards all helps keep us in the spotlight.”

The winners will be announced on Wednesday 22 March at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham

Plymouth City Council 3 Feb 2017

Judging by previous comments here. I seem to be in a minority when it comes to assessing how the council have done with replacing Bretonside. The new coach station may not be the best, but it seems to be kept clean and appears to be operating well enough from what I have seen so far. Bretonside may have been a great place to go and see and more importantly for some, photograph visiting coaches but it was a real dump and presented a very poor first impression of the city to visitors.

Thanks to Richard Smith for the photos

Derriford Developments

 

Work to upgrade Plymouth’s second busiest bus interchange will get under way this week.

The Derriford Hospital Interchange scheme, which has been developed in partnership with Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, will convert the existing one-way bus link through the hospital to allow buses to travel in both directions. It will also create separate taxi and passenger drop-off points and provide three additional bus stops.

As well as reducing congestion outside the main entrance and making bus journeys to and from the hospital quicker and more reliable, the scheme will provide better waiting areas for bus and taxi passengers and those getting dropped off or picked up by car.

It is estimated to cost just over £2 million, with £1.4 million being provided by the Heart-of-the-South-West Local Enterprise Partnership. The remaining funding will be provided by the Council and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

The new interchange is part of a master plan of highway improvements that will help unlock development and deliver 9,000 new jobs and 3,000 new homes in the north of the city. Other schemes include the Derriford Transport Scheme which is due to start later this year, as well as the new Marjon Link Road, which opened in September 2015.

Preparations are being made this week to get the site ready for the main works, which are due to start on Monday 8 February. Construction will be carried out by the Council’s highways contractor Amey and is programmed to take nine months.

During that time access along the front of the hospital’s main entrance will be restricted to buses, Hackney Carriages and emergency vehicles.

All drop-off traffic will be re-directed to Car Park F, where facilities will be provided for anyone who needs assistance. Some sections of footpath will be closed during the works but alternative routes and crossing points will be provided.

Access for cyclists will be maintained throughout the works and all building entrances will remain open. All diversion routes will be clearly signed.

Access to Accident and Emergency will not be affected.

Disruption will be kept to a minimum but anyone travelling to Derriford Hospital is advised to plan ahead and add extra time to their journey.

Paul Barnard, the Council’s Assistant Director for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure, said: “The area outside Derriford Hospital is often congested, especially at peak time and this scheme should make a big difference to patients, staff and visitors.

“By providing extra space for buses and making this a two-way link we will not only improve service reliability for bus passengers, but also help to improve bus journey times and keep traffic moving along the whole northern corridor.

“The scheme will also provide much better, safer areas for people being picked up and dropped off at the hospital.”

Nick Thomas, Director of Planning and Site Services at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This scheme is an important investment in the city’s infrastructure which will benefit people visiting our hospital and ease traffic flow more generally.

“We are working closely with Plymouth City Council and other interested parties, to ensure developments on site are in the interests of our patients, visitors and staff.

“While the improvements are being carried out we realise there will be some disruption so we apologise in advance and ask everyone to be patient.”

Background

The bus interchange at Derriford Hospital is the second busiest in the city. The Derriford Hospital Interchange scheme will convert the existing one-way bus link through the hospital to allow buses to travel in both directions. It will also create separate taxi and passenger drop-off points and provide three additional bus stops.

The scheme will reduce congestion outside the main entrance and make bus journeys to and from the hospital quicker and more reliable. The waiting areas for bus and taxi passengers and those getting dropped off or picked up by car will also be improved.

The total cost of the scheme is estimated at just over £2 million. The Heart-of-the-South-West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP) – the body responsible for allocating funding for large-scale transport schemes across Plymouth. Devon, Torbay and Somerset – has recognised the regional importance of the scheme and has awarded £1.4 million towards delivery from its Growth Fund. The remaining funding will be provided by the Council and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Derriford Hospital Interchange scheme is part of a master plan of highway improvements that will help to unlock development and deliver 9,000 new jobs and 3,000 new homes in the north of the city.Other schemes include the Derriford Transport Scheme which is due to start later this year, as well as the new Marjon Link Road, which opened in September 2015.

Planning Permission

Planning permission for the Derriford Hospital Interchange scheme was granted in January 2016. The application number is 15/02189/FUL and all of the documents can be viewed on the planning online page.

Traffic Management

The works will involve a complicated traffic management plan which will ultimately mean that only Buses and Ambulances will be allowed to travel passed the main entrance during these works, all other traffic will be stopped.   Below is a summary of what the traffic management arrangements will mean for staff, patients and visitors.

· Only Buses, Emergency Vehicles and Patient Transport will be allowed to drive passed the main entrance for 9 months.  The contractor will have a manned barrier in operation preventing access to all but authorised vehicles.

· All drop off and pick up for the main entrance will be via Car Park F (new car park next to main outpatients).  Car Park F offers free parking for the first hour.

· A temporary welcome and mobility centre will be located in car park F.  This will consist of a manned port-a-cabin, welcome area with seating etc where members of the public can wait to be collected.  In addition patients and visitors can wait here while relatives park the car and return to escort them into the Hospital.  Alternatively patients or visitors with limited mobility can wait here to be given a lift via a mobility (golf type) buggy to and from the main entrance, if they feel it is too far to walk.  This will be a free courtesy service for the duration of the works.

· There will be no motorcycle parking outside the main entrance during these works.  Motorcycle parking is available in two marked areas within car park F as well as car park B, C, MSCP and near Maternity.

· Car Park public A has been reversed.  Access is now via the mini roundabout off Derriford Road.  When cars exit A they will only be able to turn left back out onto Derriford Road and not use car park A to cut through the site.

· Staff Car Parks C & D - Staff who leave via staff car park C will have to exit the site via the Marjons traffic lights.  Staff who leave via car park D will have the option of leaving via Morlaix Drive or the mini roundabout.  Staff will not be able to drive in front of the main entrance to get from one side of the site to the other.  Staff who exit the MSCP or NWQ will be unaffected.

· Patients who drop off/collect specimens, commodes etc from the main entrance will have to park in car park F and walk to the main entrance. 

· Buses will drop off in the current location outside Plym.  However the current bus stops will be closed.  Instead temporary bus stops will be in position nearer to the Hospital building.

· During all works pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.

· New signage will be place both on Derriford Road and on site to direct patients and visitors.

As with any chnage in traffic management at or near Derriford Hospital the first few days at least are likely to be chaotic so expect delays. If you can avoid the ear then do so - sadly not an option for those who work there!