Public Transport Reform

Introduction

The Department has been considering how best to deliver public transport in Northern Ireland in the future. In reforming the existing system, we want to ensure that the growth in the use of public transport continues and that the services provided for customers continue to improve. We will also want to make sure that any new arrangements provide the best possible fit for the long-term delivery of public transport. To do this, we need to ensure we comply with the new EU Regulation (1370/2007) on public passenger transport services by rail and by road.

Options for Reform

The Department has been examining the options for reforming the organisational arrangements for public transport. After looking at a number of different options and discussing these with the Regional Development Committee and other interested groups, including the trade unions, it is proposed that, in the future, a public transport agency (which would be part of DRD) would be responsible for:

specifying the service requirements;
securing the delivery of those public transport services through performance-based contracts, awarded either directly to Translink, or in some cases, open to competition;
public transport regulation and policy implementation;
monitoring and evaluation of service delivery performance by operators; and
providing public funding subsidies.

Three Tier Structure

All of the options we considered were modelled around a three tier structure, which includes:

a top Government tier responsible for policy, legislation and regulation, including the regulation of operators;
a middle tier responsible for specifying service requirements, securing their provision and managing contracts; and
a third tier comprising transport operators to deliver public transport services.

Public Consultation Exercise

A public consultation exercise on Public Transport Reform ran from 9th November 2009 to 5th February 2010. All the consultation documents, including the Final Report on Public Consultation, can be found by clicking here.

Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 2011

On 16 March 2011, the Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 received Royal Assent. The Act provides the necessary legislative provisions to support the Reform proposals. A copy of the Act can be found by clicking here .

The Act introduces a duty on the Department to secure the provision of public passenger transport services by road and rail. It also includes powers for the Department to:

enter into service agreements and service permits for the provision of services;
regulate fares;
provide integrated ticketing arrangements;
designate bus stations as shared facilities;
regulate passenger conduct in bus stations;
exploit commercial opportunities arising from its public transport functions; and
prepare a Memorandum of Understanding with the Consumer Council.

The Official Report (Hansard) of each stage of the Act’s Assembly passage and the Committee for Regional Development’s Report on the Transport Bill can be found by clicking the links below.

Introduction - 21 June 2010

Second Stage - 29 June 2010

Committee Stage - Report on Transport Bill (Ordered to print on 15 December 2010)

Consideration Stage - 24 January 2011

Further Consideration Stage - 1 February 2011

Final Stage - 14 February 2011

Next Steps

The Department is currently developing necessary subordinate legislation to support the provisions of the Act, and will continue to consult widely and work with key stakeholders to ensure that the implementation arrangements will deliver the policy intentions.

Outline Business Case

The Outline Business Case (OBC) on Public Transport Reform considered the potential monetary and non-monetary benefits for the shortlisted options for reform, as well as the risks associated with each option. For more information on this, click here.

IS/IT Strategy for Public Transportation Systems

The purpose of the IS/IT Strategy for Public Transportation Systems was to develop a strategy for the public transport agency that is planned as part of the proposals for Public Transport Reform, and to examine the opportunities for the improved use of intelligent transportation systems more generally. For more information on this, click here.