Demand Responsive Travel pilot results

Summary

The requester sought detailed cost-benefit data for the ConnectVillages dial-a-ride pilot and specific minibuses purchase costs for patient transport services. The Department of Infrastructure disclosed fleet replacement costs for 2017-2019 but withheld specific operational costs and income data due to internal budgeting policies and the shared nature of the vehicle fleet.

Key Facts

• No vehicles were purchased solely for Patient Transport Services or Demand Responsive Transport; they are part of the normal fleet replacement program.
• Running costs for minibuses are incorporated into the operational expenditure of the entire bus fleet rather than being tracked separately.
• Government policy dictates that shared services are funded by internal budget transfers, making it impossible to identify matching costs for specific income streams.
• The approximate purchase cost for a new minibus is between £50,000 and £60,000 depending on specification.
• The authority provided specific purchase totals for Mercedes Benz Sprinter minibuses acquired in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Data Disclosed

• £50-60,000
• £732,516
• £345,528
• 8 x Mercedes Benz Sprinter 35 Mobility minibus
• 4 x Mercedes Benz Sprinter 45 Transfer minibus
• 2017-18
• 2018-19
• 1st April 2017
• 1st April 2019
• 12 months trial

Original Request

Please provide full details of the costs involved in providing ConnectVilages dial-a-ride services during the 12 months trial. This should including the costs of purchase of the minibuses, wages, fuel and other overheads, income generated from fares, profits made, how many services operated and how many passengers carried. Can you supply equivalent data for the schedules bus services that ran on these routes until many were replaced by dial-a-ride so that a meaningful comparison can be made and the public can assess whether the trial has made a cost-benefit case for the continuation of the Demand Responsive Transport trial.

Data Tables (6)

Full Response Text

• Purchase - an approximate purchase cost per new minibus is £50-60,000 depending on specification but it should be borne in mind that we have at least 5 manufacturers of minibuses and that some vehicles were purchased some years ago. • Income – the funding of minibuses is largely from internal budgets. Government policy is that shared services are funded by the transfer of budgets, not by the issuing of invoices.
Should you wish us to try to identify the income from commercial activities that may be possible but we would not, for the reasons given above, be able to identify the matching costs.

Please quote the reference number 735665 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review. If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: dpo-doi@gov.im

Our ref: 799065 21 May 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 17 April 2019 and which states (sic):

"Since 1st April 2017 to 1st April 2019 how much money has the DOI spent on minibuses? Clarification: I would only specifically like to know the amount of money spent (cost) on purchasing minibuses that are used for the "Connect Ports" and "Connect Villages" and the patient transfer services to/from Nobles Hospital that were originally done by Red Cross and the Island private sector taxi/private hire service providers. Ideally also I would like to know how many mini-buses were bought for these purposes also."

No vehicles have been purchased for the sole purpose of Patient Transport Services (PTS) or Demand Responsive Transport (Connect Ports/Villages).
However, we are happy to supply below the purchase costs of minibuses which have been bought as part of our normal programme of fleet replacement during the time period you have stipulated. It is important to note that minibuses are used for services other than those named in your request and, for that reason, all running costs associated with minibuses are incorporated in the operational expenditure of the entire bus fleet. 2017-18 8 x Mercedes Benz Sprinter 35 Mobility minibus 4 x Mercedes Benz Sprinter 45 Transfer minibus £732,516 2018-19 8 x Mercedes Benz Sprinter 35 Mobility minibus £345,528

Please quote the reference number 799065 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

FOI Response Team

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas. IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: DPO-DOI@gov.im

Our ref: 866265 19 July 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 26 June 2019 and which states:

"How many times has the Connect Villages been booked in the north of the island since the service began? How many times has ConnectPorts been booked to firstly the airport? And secondly the sea terminal? How many drivers does Bus Vannin employ on a zero hour contract for the Connect minibuses? How many drivers does Bus Vannin employ on a full time basis who work on the Connect minibuses? How many people using the services have used a free bus pass since Connect services were launched?" There have been 6,697 journeys taken on our connectVILLAGES service from its inception in December last year up until the end of June 2019. It is possible that multiple journeys are made all under one booking however, we do not have the facility to collate our figures in this way. There have been 622 passengers who have booked connectPORTS to the airport since our service began last October, to the end of June 2019. As above, it is possible that multiple journeys are made under one booking. As our “connectPORTS” service has not yet been offered to the sea terminal, the number of bookings is zero.
We have 5 members of staff that operate our connectVILLAGES and connectPORTS service on a regular basis with a further 3 other zero hour drivers who help out as required. Our staff work across Bus Vannin services so there are no specific staff on full time contracts working on our connectVILLAGES or connectPORTS services only.
3,515 ‘free’ passes have been used on our connectVILLAGES service from its inception in December last year up until the end of June 2019. Please quote the reference number 866265 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post. An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. I will now close your request as of this date. Yours sincerely

FOI Response Team

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team/AQ/TC/MF Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: dpo-doi@gov.im

Our ref: 1041661 2 December 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 11 November 2019 and which states (sic):

"How many people are employed on the bus services including the dial,a bus are employed on zero hour contracts? What rate of pay per hour is paid"

The Department has the following number of zero contract employees in bus services: • Minibus section - 96 staff - £10.54 per hour (+8% holiday pay) • Big buses - 83 staff - variable rate of pay: o New pay scale £11.19-£12.51 (+8% holiday pay) o Old pay scale £14.13 Monday-Friday, £20.03 weekends (+8% holiday pay)

Please quote the reference number 1041661 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.

In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. We will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely FOI Response Team

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: FOI Response Team/AQ/RC/MF Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: dpo-doi@gov.im

Our ref: 1077661 19 December 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 28 November 2019 and which states (sic):

"Please provide full details of the costs involved in providing ConnectVilages dial-a-ride services during the 12 months trial. This should including the costs of purchase of the minibuses, wages, fuel and other overheads, income generated from fares, profits made, how many services operated and how many passengers carried. Can you supply equivalent data for the schedules bus services that ran on these routes until many were replaced by dial-a-ride so that a meaningful comparison can be made and the public can assess whether the trial has made a cost-benefit case for the continuation of the Demand Responsive Transport trial."

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, we do not record some of the information in a way that allows us to provide it in the format requested without substantial analysis or compilation. However, we are happy to provide the following in the form of raw data and previous FOI responses. The data has been extracted for one month for comparison purposes (November 2019 and 2018) 1. Three Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services have been operated in the North. They use Sprinter buses. These figures are for November 2019 Service No of passengers No of trips Notes Villages - Andreas & Bride 894 161 Covering Andreas & Bride along with Maughold & local Ramsey runs Villages 2 - Jurby 727 160 Covering Jurby & local town runs Villages 3 - lunchtime cover for both services 197 69 Covering Jurby, Bride & local runs

2. Demand Responsive buses replaced the following journeys. These journeys used Citaros and double decker buses. Fuel consumption for a Citaro is around 8mpg whereas it is 20mpg for a Sprinter. In addition the old service was operated by a large number of drivers on ‘old terms’ whereas the DRT is not; in combination, these two factors made the operation cost high. These figures are for November 2018. 3. DRT saves around 54 hours per week with consequent savings in both staff and mileage costs. 4. Income from ConnectVillages fare income connectVILLAGES Total Number of Passengers Concessions Cash Fares Prepaid Tickets Income from Fares December 2018 394 160 165 69 £268.00 January 2019 788 395 319 74 £570.70 February 2019 765 392 318 55 £505.30 March 2019 699 351 304 44 £527.70 April 2019 1042 511 421 110 £727.00 May 2019 1557 756 560 241 £921.30 June 201

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