Dear Mr Geddes Electronic Displays - A6 in Derbyshire In reply to your request which has been dealt with under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, you asked:- There are a number of electronic displays on special bus stop posts along the A6 in Derbyshire - intended to inform potential passengers of the time until the next bus on a particular service. These displays have been in position for a very long time, but are still not operational. Since 2003 a growing number of Arriva and Trent Barton bus routes (e.g. Indigo) in Derby and Derbyshire have introduced 'Star Trak' Real Time Information technology, with support from Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council. I would like to know: - The source of finance for the project, the total amount of money approved to be spent, and the completion date originally planned The Transpeak Real Time Passenger Information project has been financed by Derbyshire County Council's Local Transport Plan and external income contributions: * Department for Transport (Rural Bus Challenge - Information Technology) = £155,000 (100% spent) * Peak District National Park Authority = £84,359 (100% spent) * Derbyshire County Council's Local Transport Plan = £65,000 (of which £57,703 spent to date) * Derby Joint (Derby City Council and Derbyshire County) Local Transport Plan = £24,500 (100% spent) * Cheshire County Council = £12,000 (of which £3,000 spent to date) Derbyshire County Council acted as the overall accountable body for project expenditure. In addition, Trent Barton (operators of the Transpeak bus service) supplied their own project input, including vehicle modification works and technical survey work. However the County Council has no access to this financial information held by a commercial company. A project budget of £332,000 was approved by the County Council in March 2007. The planned completion date was March 2008. Please see details of actual expenditure to date further below. - Whether these displays are intended to show real-time running information, or merely a calculation of the time until the next bus is due according to the timetable The displays are intended to display real time information i.e. the estimated time of arrival of the next bus based on its real time position on its route. If the sign cannot be updated with information in real time for whatever reason, then a 'T' is displayed, meaning 'refer to timetabled time', as printed in timetable books and on roadside displays. - How these displays - apparently capable of displaying just two digits or characters - will display wait times exceeding 99 minutes, e.g. between evening buses in the current "Trans-Peak" timetable. The Real Time Information signs can only display two digits (as well as a 'T', or fault codes). Between Nottingham and Buxton the service runs every hour, so while it is possible that buses could suffer a significant delay in excess of 99 minutes, it is unlikely for this part of the route. If times exceed 99 minutes then a 'T' is displayed (as detailed above). - When the installation of the displays first started. The installation of the display poles first started in August 2007. The installation of the electronic signs occurred in July 2008 but only eight were fitted at the roadside for the purposes of testing. Another thirty five signs have remained in storage. - The total cost so far of installing the displays, including (but not limited to) the special bus stops, the cost of connecting the electricity supply and data connections, and all associated equipment and services) The total cost so far is £324,528, made up of: * 'Star Trak' on bus equipment (including next stop signs), data processing server and associated hardware, software licences, 43 roadside GPRS signs and all supplier project management = £279, 341 * Contractor installation of green roadside poles, power supply connections, pavement reinstatements = £44,890 * Derbyshire County Council miscellaneous inter-departmental costs = £297 - The ongoing costs, including (but not limited to) the costs of service contracts, standing charges for power and data connections Normally, any highways power consuming device, such as street lights, or the Real Time Information signs go on an unmetered power supply register and a calculated consumption charge is paid by the County Council. Communications with the Real Time Information signs is by mobile phone signal, so a service charge would normally apply. However, as the Real Time Information signs were only active for a signal testing phase before the system was switched off, ongoing costs have not been incurred. - For each of the ongoing costs: the duration of the commitment to that cost - or, if no term is specified, the cost to cease that cost No commitment - cancellation costs for the mobile phone data service rest with equipment supplier. - The latest date by which DCC is confident that the displays will be fully operational (ie to show real-time running information if this was the original intention) Achieving a fully operational system remains a County Council objective, supported by the TransPeak bus operator Trent Barton. However, because Trent Barton has not enjoyed the levels of reliability of passenger information on other of its Real Time Information (RTI) routes, the company is understandably reluctant, until the quality of RTI improves on its other routes, to expand their network covered by RTI. Clearly a successful system relies on all parties being involved and while Trent Barton is unable to commit to it, a date for its introduction cannot be set. As with other existing displays in Derbyshire, the intention was that the TransPeak real time displays would be driven from the Star Trak system run by Leicester City Council. Unfortunately, after work on the TransPeak displays had commenced, it became apparent that Leicester City Council would need to procure a replacement real time system. This was due to circumstances outside of either Derbyshire County Council or Leicester City Council's control and was unexpected. In view of this, Derbyshire County Council has taken a pragmatic decision to halt the development of the TransPeak displays whilst a replacement real time system is sought. There are a few options open to the Authority as to how this might be achieved and these are being considered and discussed with partners. - If no such date can be set for their operation, the date at which the County Council will decide to admit defeat and remove the displays. The County Council hopes that a solution will be found to enable the system to operate and has not therefore set a date. Therefore Derbyshire County Council does not hold this information. -The financial implications for Derbyshire County Council if the project is abandoned The system was introduced for the use of the TransPeak service. If no other use could be found for the equipment and the project is abandoned, then there would be an additional cost for the removal of roadside poles and their electrical supply. This could be partially or wholly offset by recovery of some of the equipment costs. However, at this stage no sum has been calculated. I would also like a copy of the project submission which was made in order to obtain the government funding for the project. If there is a valid reason that I cannot have this, then I would like at least the sections of the application which explain the objectives of the project and the intended timescales. The main project contributor was the Department for Transport (DfT). The original project submission dates back to 1999 when a successful grant bid was made to the DfT's Rural Bus Challenge (Information Technology) for a 'Derbyshire Public Transport Information Technology' project to install electronic public transport timetable enquiry screens at towns in Derbyshire. At the time of application in 1999, Real Time Information for buses was insufficiently advanced to be considered. However, the original journey planner enquiry screen project was delayed and subsequently Derbyshire County Council negotiated with the DfT for conversion of the grant into a RTI project. A copy of the original 1999 bid summary is enclosed for your information. Also enclosed are copies of later and more relevant correspondence, in the form of two letters from Derbyshire County Council to the DfT requesting changes from the originally agreed project for it to include Real Time Information. Please note that where costs involve the recharging of salary and expenses costs incurred by Derbyshire County Council or any other public body, I would like these to be split out separately. The Transpeak RTI project was managed by the Transpeak Project Officer, who was employed by DCC primarily to manage the three year Transpeak Enhancement 'kickstart' project. The post was funded as part of a £954,000 Department for Transport grant over the period of October 2005 to October 2008 to enhance the two hourly Transpeak Derby to Manchester service into the current hourly Transpeak service, operating Nottingham to Buxton, with less frequent extensions to Manchester. The temporary Project Officer's salary was around £26,000. Please note that most of the information that we provide in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or Environmental Information Regulations 2004 will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases this copyright will be owned by Derbyshire County Council. Where Derbyshire County Council is the copyright holder of any information that may be released, re-use for personal, educational or non-commercial purposes is permitted without further reference to the Council. Where the re-use is for other purposes, such as commercial re-use, the applicant should contact the Council or the actual copyright owner in writing in order to seek approval or agree terms for its re-use. If you require any further clarification in regards to your request please let me know. I hope this now deals with your request, for information. However should you wish the outcome to be reviewed, and then please follow the procedure as set out below: In the first instance, please send in your comments, and wherever possible, a copy of your request and the covering letter enclosing the information or refusing your request to: xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx Or via post to: The Information Manager County Secretary's Department Derbyshire County Council County Hall Matlock DE4 3AG If after a review you still remain dissatisfied with any decision taken, then you can ask for a further review by writing to: xxxx.xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx Mr John McElvaney Acting County Solicitor Derbyshire County Council County Hall Matlock DE4 3AG Please ensure that correspondence is marked as "Request for a review of my Freedom of Information Act/Environmental Information Regulations request", and bears any case references you have been given. After completing the above procedure, if you wish to challenge the decision further, then you have a right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office as follows: Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF Telephone 0303 123 1113 Fax 01625 524510 Or by clicking on the following weblink: http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx Yours sincerely Rebekah Tucker Environmental Services Business Services Extension 01629 539180 (Internal 39180) Fax (01629) 538915 Tracey Frost Admin Assistant Procedures and Documents Ext 38590 Tel 01629 585970 Fax 01629 585149