Buses cost taxpayer £2.3m for 28 weeks

Buses cost taxpayer £2.3m for 28 weeks

However, the first report on the new bus service issued to States Members yesterday does not include figures that allow proper comparison between the Connex service and that run previously by Jersey Bus.The reason for the lack of comparable figures is that Jersey Bus did not give the Environment and Public Services Committee the information required in order to be able to furnish Members with historical data.Environment and Public Services spokesman Alan Muir said that it would be difficult for States Members to analyse the effectiveness of the bus service until comparable Connex figures were available at this time next year.The report does show that the total subsidy to be granted to Connex for the first 12 months of a seven-year contract will be £4,341,593.

The income generated by the bus company in the period from 29 September last year until 12 April this year was £807,615.The average number of passengers carried each month was 159,925.

In January Connex carried 141,496 passengers, compared to a Guernsey carrying figure for the same month of 56,700.There were 14 instances of what are termed ‘service discrepancies’, five of which were directly attributed to deficiencies in Connex operations.

Mr Muir said that there were clauses in the Connex contract where the bus company were financially penalised for not meeting their service level agreements.There were 24 written complaints received about the Connex service during the period covered by the report.With the agreement of Environment and Public Services the bus company has scrapped two routes.

They are the No 6 route that runs to St Andrew’s Road at First Tower via St Saviour’s Road and Rouge Bouillon and the No 22 to Rue des Prés.Carryings on the No 22 route were 2,303 over the period covered by the report and on the No 6 route 4,445.

Mr Muir said the carrying figures showed that the two routes were not economically viable.The number of passes issued to pensioners and others eligible for concessionary travel was 7,508.

The report says that there were some teething problems in the issuing process but these have now been overcome.Meanwhile, it was revealed during questions in the States that the bus company income during April and May this year totalled £336,775.Senator Ted Vibert asked Environment and Public Services committee president Deputy Maurice Dubras what the income was for each month.The Deputy responded that the preliminary unaudited income figure for April was £149,895 and for May £186,860.

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