PlusBus and bus information

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Bus Users Group for Stevenage To FOI requests at
<[FOI #34884 email]> Hertfordshire County Council
<[Hertfordshire County Council request email]>
08/05/2010 20:09 cc
Subject Freedom of Information
request - PlusBus and bus
information

Dear Hertfordshire County Council,

Could you please supply me with the data you have on all the
Hertfordshire railway stations included in PlusBus scheme split
into day and season ticket sales. Could you also let me know what
other data you keep or record on bus and rail usage and journeys
for the last five years and if any of this data is displayed on
your website.

Could you also tell me what progress is being made on the county
council's 10:10 carbon reduction campaign, send me any progress
reports that have been published, how far towards the target the
council has reached, and if the council is likely to reach the
final target. Also, how the 10:10 campaign has been incorporated
into the council's transport policies and how the message of carbon
reduction is being conveyed to the general public.

Yours faithfully,

Bus Users Group for Stevenage

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Reference number: EIR/ENV/05/10/2103

Dear Bus Users Group for Stevenage,

Thank you for your correspondence of the 8th May 2010 requesting the
following information:

'Dear Hertfordshire County Council,

Could you please supply me with the data you have on all the
Hertfordshire railway stations included in PlusBus scheme split
into day and season ticket sales. Could you also let me know what
other data you keep or record on bus and rail usage and journeys
for the last five years and if any of this data is displayed on
your website.

Could you also tell me what progress is being made on the county
council's 10:10 carbon reduction campaign, send me any progress
reports that have been published, how far towards the target the
council has reached, and if the council is likely to reach the
final target. Also, how the 10:10 campaign has been incorporated
into the council's transport policies and how the message of carbon
reduction is being conveyed to the general public.

Yours faithfully,

Bus Users Group for Stevenage'

Your request for information is being considered under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. We will respond to your request as quickly as
possible, and by 7th June 2010 at the latest.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, quoting
the reference number on this email. To find out more about Freedom of
Information, please visit www.hertsdirect.org/foi.

Yours sincerely,
________________________________________
Information Governance Unit
Hertfordshire County Council
Telephone: 01992 555848
Fax: 01992 588117
Email: [email address]

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Dear Bus Users Group for Stevenage,

Reference number: EIR/ENV/05/10/2103

On 8th May 2010 we received the following request for information from
you:

"Could you please supply me with the data you have on all the
Hertfordshire railway stations included in PlusBus scheme split
into day and season ticket sales. Could you also let me know what
other data you keep or record on bus and rail usage and journeys
for the last five years and if any of this data is displayed on
your website.

Could you also tell me what progress is being made on the county
council's 10:10 carbon reduction campaign, send me any progress
reports that have been published, how far towards the target the
council has reached, and if the council is likely to reach the
final target. Also, how the 10:10 campaign has been incorporated
into the council's transport policies and how the message of carbon
reduction is being conveyed to the general public."

Your request for information has been considered under the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004. I can confirm that Hertfordshire County
Council (HCC) does hold the information you have requested and can respond
as follows:

A performance indicator on bus usage is reported in the "LTP2 Annual
Progress Report" which is publicly available at www.hertsdirect.org/ltp .
The latest data can be found on page 20 of the 2008/09 report.

The figures available are:
2003/04 - 31 million passengers
2006/07 - 32.5 million passengers
2007/08 - 33.2 million passengers
2008/09 - 35 million passengers

Rail station usage data is available from the Office of Rail Regulation
(www.rail-reg.gov.uk). The only figures that the County Council publishes
on its website are the 2002/03 figures in the Rail Strategy - this is also
available on Local Transport Plan pages of HertsDirect (see above link).

With reference to your request for "data you have on all the Hertfordshire
railway stations included in PlusBus scheme split into day and season
ticket sales" I can confirm that the County Council does hold this
information. However, although the County Council holds this information
in its capacity as `Local Scheme Coordinator' for the PlusBus scheme in
Hertfordshire, the data originates from the Journey Solutions Partnership,
which is the group of bus and rail operators and trade associations
that own and manage the PlusBus scheme. PlusBus is a commercial ticketing
scheme of PLC listed rail and bus companies. Data relating to the volume
of tickets issued and the total price of tickets issued is considered
commercially sensitive as putting such information into the public domain
could affect the competitive nature of these commercial businesses and,
where listed, also have an effect on their stock market listing.

After careful consideration, the County Council considers that this
information is exempt from disclosure under Regulation 12(5)(e) of the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 on the grounds that disclosure
would adversely affect the confidentiality of commercial or industrial
information where such confidentiality is provided by law to protect a
legitimate economic interest.

In applying this exception we have had to balance the public interest test
in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosure.

The factors we have considered which are in favour of disclosure are:

* Disclosure would facilitate the accountability and transparency
of public authorities.
* Disclosure would allow individuals to better understand decisions
made by public authorities affecting their lives.

The factors we have considered which are against disclosure are:

* Disclosure of ticketing sales information could potentially cause
detriment to the commercial interests of the Journey Solutions
Partnership.
* The public interest in maintaining good relations between the
private and public sector.
* The public interest in ensuring companies are able to compete
fairly.
* The public interest in ensuring that there is competition for
public sector contracts, and not discouraging the private sector from
doing business with the public sector.
* Disclosure may make it more difficult for individuals/commercial
bodies to be able to conduct commercial transactions or have other
dealings with public bodies.

On balance, it is considered that it is not in the public interest to
disclose the requested information, as its disclosure would or would be
likely to prejudice the commercial interests of third parties and the
County Council and this factor is not countered by at least equally strong
arguments in favour of disclosure.

However, being mindful of our duty to advise and assist, if you have any
further questions relating to the PlusBus scheme, Jonathan Radley
(Commercial Director of the Journey Solutions Partnership and PLUSBUS) can
be contacted at: [email address] .

Turning to the second part of your request, the 10:10 work by the
authority will be measured on our performance against our returns for
National Indicator 185, (percentage reduction in CO[2] emissions from the
Authority's estate and operations). We are currently compiling our end of
09/10 position for NI 185 and this should be completed by about mid-July
to meet the government reporting deadline of the end of July. Because of
this we do not yet know our starting position as it will be that which we
report for NI185 this year (excluding schools). Therefore there have been
no progress reports because it is not appropriate to do so yet.

In relation to internal transport policies, HCC is looking at how we
manage and reduce business mileage reduction. The current targets we are
looking at are based on an annual 1.5% reduction, in addition we have
recently issued new guidance to staff in relation to business travel and
how to minimise the amount undertaken by car.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, quoting
the reference number on this letter. To find out more about Freedom of
Information, please visit www.hertsdirect.org/foi

If you are unhappy with the way the County Council has handled your
request for information, you may complain through the County Council's
complaints procedure which is available at www.hertsdirect.org/complaints

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaints procedure you are
entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to investigate your
complaint. You should write to: FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution, Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Unit
Hertfordshire County Council
Telephone: 01992 555848
Fax: 01992 588117
Email: [email address]

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Dear Stevenage Bus Users Group,

In response to your question regarding 'how the 10:10 campaign has been
incorporated into the council's transport policies and how the message of
carbon reduction is being conveyed to the general public'
Please see below further information in respect of staff travelpolicies
and information being made available to the public:

As part of HCC's commitment to reducing carbon emissions it has changed
its business mileage policy to commit staff to reduce mileage and related
CO [2] emissions. Reducing emissions through transport is also
highlighted to departments as part of a suite of measures to help reduce
the county council's impact on the environment.

In terms of conveying messages to the public, we issue press releases
about carbon saving initiatives, and regularly include articles on our
website and in Horizons magazine. We work with other partner organisations
to help reduce emissions at a local level and are about to embark on a
major campaign with schools to help them reduce their emissions as part of
the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Please see the weblinks below to relevant sections on our Hertsdirect
website.

General information regarding Herfordshire County Council and Green
issues:
[1]http://www.hertsdirect.org/envroads/envi...

This link relates to the council's transport policies and carbon
reduction:
http://www.hertsdirect.org/envroads/road...

Information on the Travelwise scheme, pioneered in Hertfordshire before
becoming adopted as a national scheme:
http://www.hertsdirect.org/envroads/road...

Green travel plans:
[2]http://www.hertsdirect.org/envroads/road...

This link relates to our Carbon management policy:
http://www.hertsdirect.org/envroads/envi...

Strategies for each department in HCC:
http://www.hertsdirect.org/envroads/envi...

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, quoting
the reference number on this letter. To find out more about Freedom of
Information, please visit www.hertsdirect.org/foi

If you are unhappy with the way the County Council has handled your
request for information, you may complain through the County Council's
complaints procedure which is available at www.hertsdirect.org/complaints

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaints procedure you are
entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to investigate your
complaint. You should write to: FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution, Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Elaine Dunnicliffe

Senior Information Access Practitioner
________________________________________
Information Governance Unit
Hertfordshire County Council
Telephone: 01992 555848
Fax: 01992 588117
Email: [email address]

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Dear Bus Users Group for Stevenage

Please find attached my review of your request for the information under
the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Regards

Mrs Judith Gower
Solicitor
Environment and Property Law Group
Hertfordshire County Council

Tel. 01992 556242
Ext. 26242

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