Lothian Buses to continue to accept Adult City Single Tickets

On 1st November 2016 Paul, Ewan and Mark spoke at the Transport & Environment Committee. The request was made for Lothian Buses to allow a remote ticketing system to be introduced with an outside charitable organisation to save them the additional administration time required to load CitySmartcards with individual single journeys.

The committee requested 3 things of Lothian Buses to be reported back on in January:
1) Consider the remote CitySmartcard ticketing system,
2) Dayticket scratchcards to continue and not be removed form sale until an appropriate replacement ticketing system is introduced,
3) Groups with a proven need to have access to reduced price daytickets be granted these.

The deputation presented and responses by councillors can be watched at http://edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/212507

Ewan Aitken, CEO of Cyrenians, is collating a figure for the number of prepaid adult city singles bought annually by organisations. If your organisation used to use these tickets then please estimate your usage per year and email Ewan at [email protected]

This figure will give the council and Lothian Buses an idea of the scale of the problem.

Today I managed to exchange my ten remianing Adult City Singles for ten individual CitySmart cards. If you have leftover Adult City Singles that are now no longer valid then contact your travelshop and request to exchange them for individual CitySmart cards.

On May 10th, we spoke to the Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee. Lothian Buses Managing Director Richard Hall was there. Councillor Paul Edie suggested Edinburgh Council administer the sale of daytickets to charities and offer an additional subsidy by tapping into the dividend they get from LB.
http://www.edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/175568

Prepaid Adult City Single Tickets will no longer be accepted on Lothian Buses as of today. However, a fortnight ago George Lowder MBE, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, stated to the SNP that he was looking to achieve a "workable" solution to the single ticket issue. Let's continue to put pressure on Lothian Buses to engage in dialogue with us and agree a workable solution.

Due to this decision by Lothian Buses, Streetwork has launched the Bus Ticket Appeal 2016 to address a modest but significant barrier for those sleeping rough or in housing crisis. Streetwork off clients access to several services via the single journey tickets including direct access to accommodation, to immediate health care such as A&E, hospital and doctors appointments as well as access to somewhere to eat hot food and receive warm clothes whilst it is very cold outside.

Throughout 2014 Streetwork issued 940 bus tickets as part of their crisis intervention with people in need. Last year, this number increased to 1,495. Streetwork will experience an increase in their expenditure on bus travel for clients as the year goes on due to this decision by Lothian Buses. You can find out mroe here http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/streetwork/busticket2016

On April 14th George Lowder MBE, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, answered questions relating to the cessation of these tickets. Check out the full footage of the meeting at http://www.edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/175812

Six action points were agreed at the meeting:
1.The petitioners to continue dialogue with Lothian Buses to come to an agreement.
2. Edinburgh Council to find out how many single journey tickets are given out by their own homeless services.
3. A closed doors meeting to occur between the Petitions Committee and Lothian Buses.
4. The matter to be referred to the Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee on 10th May.
5. The Transport for Edinburgh Board meeting on 26th May to add the matter to their agenda.
6. An update to be given on 16th June by the Petitions Committee. By which time it is hoped that the matter will be resolved and an acceptable compromise agreed.

EVOC are hugely in support of the petition and have blogged about the issue at http://www.evoc.org.uk/updates/24244/

The meeting with Lothian Buses on 29th March with their Chairman Jim McFarlane went OK. They said that the door is still open to talk further on the issue of prepaid paper adult city single tickets. As yet Lothian Buses are not proposing a system that would meet the needs of the people for whom the petition was set up to meet. So the campaign continues......

On Thursday 14th April at 2pm the Petitions Committee meet at City Chambers in the Dean of Guild Court Room. Please come along and show your support for this issue from the public gallery. Ewan Walker, Operations Manager of Edinburgh Food Project part of the Trussell Trust will be with me to present the importance of this issue to Nigel Serafini (Head of Commercial and Business Development), George Lowder (Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh) and Ewan Kennedy (Policy and Planning Manager Edinburgh Council).

Lothian Buses have already felt the pressure and have been making confidential agreements with organisations. But these agreements aren't resolving the issue!

Next Tuesday, 29th March, I'm meeting with Jim McFarlane the Chairman of Lothian Buses. It will be an opportunity to explain how their decision is impacting the lives of vulnerable people.

Please let me know how you or your service are impacted by their decision. Also, if you have any ideas for similar alternative ticketing options then email me those too.
Keep sharing, together we can get to 2000!
Paul