Purpose

Brief Summary
 
Lancashire County Council and
Merseyrail with the support of the Liverpool City Region Combined
Authority have developed a multi-modal ticketing agreement to
retail combined bus and rail tickets as part of the wider
Skelmersdale TrainLink project.
 
The Skelmersdale TrainLink
service began on 22nd January 2023 with bus services (service
number 319) operating between Skelmersdale Concourse and Kirkby Bus
Station via Kirkby Railway Station. The TrainLink bus service is
operated by Stagecoach under contract to Lancashire County Council
using funding provided by Central Government's Bus Service
Improvement Plan.
 
An agreement has been developed
which specifies the arrangements of the bus / rail multi-ticketing
arrangements to be retailed on the Skelmersdale TrainLink bus
service and on the Merseyrail network.
 
This report considers the
options available to Lancashire County Council, provides a
recommendation and approves the approach to be taken.
 
Detail
 
The Skelmersdale TrainLink
service began on 22nd January 2023 with bus services (service
number 319) running between Skelmersdale Concourse and Kirkby Bus
Station via Kirkby Railway Station. The 319 bus service is operated
by Stagecoach under contract to Lancashire County Council using
funding provided by Central Government's Bus Service Improvement
Plan.
 
It is proposed that Lancashire
County Council introduces bus / rail multi-modal ticketing products
on the Skelmersdale TrainLink service in partnership with
Merseyrail and with the support of the Liverpool City Region
Combined Authority.
 
Lancashire County Council will
be the "administrator" of the ticketing scheme, with recording of
sales, reconciliation and reimbursement and the provision of
information.
 
It is intended that the scheme
commences in May 2024, operating as an integral part of the
Skelmersdale TrainLink service and being subject to regular review
by scheme partners.
 
Consultations
Extensive consultation on the
Skelmersdale TrainLink project has taken place between Officers of
Lancashire County Council, Merseyrail, Liverpool City Region
Combined Authority and Stagecoach. The Cabinet Member for Highways
and Transport has been kept up to date with progress relating to
agreements, the programme for implementation and ongoing
review.
 
Implications:
This item has the following implications, as
indicated:
 
Financial
The Skelmersdale TrainLink project is funded
via the Lancashire County Council Bus Services Improvement Plan.
The revenue risk of the multi-modal ticketing introduction is
minimal and there are no financial implications arising directly
from this report.
 
Price setting of multi-modal ticketing
products is subject to regular review and will be undertaken with
the consensus of scheme partners. Each scheme partner may withdraw
from the scheme on giving not less than 28 days prior notice in
writing.
 
Procurement
The Skelmersdale TrainLink bus service is
provided under contract to Lancashire County Council. There are no
procurement implications arising directly from this
report. 
 
Legal
The multi-modal ticketing scheme is intended
to operate as a voluntary scheme and not as an advanced ticketing
scheme pursuant to section 134C to 134G of the Transport Act 2000.
The Scheme Partners intend for this Agreement to comply with the
terms of the Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing
Scheme Block Exemption) Order 2001 as amended by The Competition
Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption)
(Amendment) Order 2016 (the "Block Exemption").
 
Risk management
Any update to financial, procurement and legal
aspects of the project will be subject to regular reporting to the
Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.

Content

Oliver Starkey, Head of Service
for Public and Integrated Transport, took a decision to
approve:
 

The signing of the
agreement concluding the arrangements of the Skelmersdale
TrainLink multi-modal ticketing scheme
agreed between Lancashire County Council and Merseyrail; and
Lancashire County
Council participating in the scheme as both the scheme
administrator and the client of the contracted 319 Skelmersdale
TrainLink bus service.