Route master Closing doors impact

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Dear Transport for London,

Will there be an assessment as to whether the journey times on buses extend if the rear of new route master buses be closed?

Will schedules change?

Will drivers be required to work longer as a result?

Would drivers require to give more customer service? If so has that been assessed?

Will drivers revieve incentive for the new change or extra workload?

Yours faithfully,

Theresa Smith

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Ms Smith

 

TfL Ref: FOI-3100-1920

 

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 14
January 2020.

 

Your request will be processed in accordance with the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act and TfL’s information access policy. 

 

A response will be sent to you by 11 February 2020.

 

We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects
including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data,
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frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
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In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

 

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

 

 

 

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FOI, Transport for London

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Smith

 

TfL Ref: FOI-3100-1920

 

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 14
January 2020.

 

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act / and our information access policy.  I can
confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:

 

Will there be an assessment as to whether the journey times on buses
extend if the rear of new route master buses be closed?

Will schedules change?

Will drivers be required to work longer as a result?

Would drivers require to give more customer service? If so has that been
assessed?

Will drivers revieve incentive for the new change or extra workload?

 

The New Routemasters currently allow boarding through all doors, but this
has seen fare evaders deprive London’s transport network of millions of
pounds of vital revenue. Fare evasion on New Routemasters is more than
double the rate of other buses, with Transport for London (TfL) estimating
that more than £3.6m is lost each year on New Routemasters. The current
system also means that customers with accessibility needs cannot always
board buses first.

 

Early indications suggest that fare evasion dropped by more than half
during the trial of front-door-only boarding on route 8, with no adverse
effect on service efficiency. The pilot, which started in August, was
successful in communicating the change and encouraging people to board
through the front doors – reducing fare evasion and improving
accessibility.

 

Boarding using the middle and rear doors on all New Routemasters is being
phased out, and started with the routes 55 and 267 on 25 January.
Customers are being advised of the changes to boarding with emails and
on-board announcements. Signage is also being changed on buses. Customers
with wheelchairs and pushchairs continue to be able to board through
middle doors.

 

The changes are also making using buses in London simpler for all, as
boarding arrangements for New Routemasters are now becoming the same as on
other London buses. All drivers have undergone training to improve their
customers’ experience, and by boarding at the front, it is easier for
passengers to interact with drivers

 

The pilot on routes 8 and N8 has shown us that New Routemaster drivers
will not need to work longer hours and that route schedules will not need
to change.  As it is so common for fleet vehicles to operate with
front-door boarding and as we monitor the network regularly, there is no
need to conduct a separate assessment. The proposed changes will lead to
bus drivers working in a more consistent way as well as customer boarding
and alighting in an even more standard way.

 

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable
to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would
like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

 

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

 

 

 

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