tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post6105675349116491447..comments2024-03-25T22:17:35.616+00:00Comments on Public Transport Experience: Tinkering Via Tinkers Bridge (5) ... Orfatbusblokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833340546527596517noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-62718736667693721182021-04-02T12:28:21.869+01:002021-04-02T12:28:21.869+01:00The Enhanced Partnership thing is a Central Govern...The Enhanced Partnership thing is a Central Government requirement effectively. It appears that if councils don't begin the process to introduce an Enhanced Partnership (or franchising) in the next couple of months then other Central Government funding for commercial bus services (in particular the current emergency COVID support but potentially also normal Fuel Duty Rebate) will be withdrawn in that councils area. It doesn't matter how involved in public transport an authority is or whether they are investing in or cost cutting, if they don't do this then things will get a whole lot worse.<br /><br />You raise a major issue with these type of DRT scheme, you are replacing supported networks primarily used by concessionary pass holders with a service which has no legal requirement to accept such method of payment. The specific issue in MK is no one is clear on what is or isn't accept, the publicity says ENCTS passes are accepted with no exemptions which one response from the council agreed with whilst another response said only local MK passes were accepted. There is a lack of clarity.dwarfer1979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432323264902617108.post-28158608892668363972021-04-02T09:28:08.252+01:002021-04-02T09:28:08.252+01:001. ENCTS passes do not have to be accepted on serv...1. ENCTS passes do not have to be accepted on services that require pre-booking. Saves the local transport authority shed loads of money. MK Council is perfectly entitled to improve on this, and appears to have done so by offering free travel to holders of cards it has issued. So far as I am aware, part of the serial number on the card denotes the issuing authority.<br />2. MK's publicity was once rather good, with a widely-available free timetable book. But publicity alone cannot, as this series has described, overcome the inherent shortcomings in the local physical environment. Perhaps all MK has done is to accelerate the inevitable.<br />3. They've also had the cheek to publish the official notice of their intention to introduce an Enhanced Partnership, just days before this slashing of the offer took place.Shieldsmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00197794322283545552noreply@blogger.com