Latest news with #WMCA
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fare increases planned for Ring and Ride buses
Fares for the region's Ring and Ride services are set to increase for the first time in eight years due to cost pressures. Charges for a single trip would rise from £1.30 to £2 if the plans are approved by West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) board later this month. Board members are also expected to award contracts to operators which will guarantee the service for a minimum of five years from 1 December. Demand for Ring and Ride services has grown steadily, according to WMCA figures which show 2,487 people have taken a trip in the last six months. Bosses said the last week of March was the busiest since the start of 2020, when the service was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The authority currently provides a subsidy of nearly £6.5m per year to run the service but this is almost half the figure from 2010/11 when its budget was around £12 million. A WMCA report said income from fares brought in about £250,000 per year and that this was reinvested into the service. Despite rises in inflation, charges have remained the same since April 2017. The fees are much lower than the region's fixed route bus network – which will see fares increased further later this month – which has led to concerns people who do not need Ring and Ride might attempt to switch to it. "Fares are now significantly lower than the standard single bus fares despite the significantly higher level of customer service," the report said. "The current scenario could also potentially drive people who don't need this service to switch to it rather than using fixed route bus. "Without any fares adjustments the service will become increasingly unsustainable and place further pressure on the transport levy." If approved, the new Ring and Ride fare structure would be: £2 – Registered user aged 16+ / essential escort carer (up from £1.30) £1 – Registered user aged 5-15 (up from 65p) £2 – Adult travelling with registered user (down from £2.40) £1 – Child travelling with a registered user (up from 65p) Children under the age of 5 will still travel for free This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Hundreds of jobs saved at Ring and Ride service Strategy to improve bus network could cost £44m 'Ghost buses' and cut services: Passengers complain as bus cap rises WMCA Local Democracy Reporting Service
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fare increases planned for Ring and Ride buses
Fares for the region's Ring and Ride services are set to increase for the first time in eight years due to cost pressures. Charges for a single trip would rise from £1.30 to £2 if the plans are approved by West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) board later this month. Board members are also expected to award contracts to operators which will guarantee the service for a minimum of five years from 1 December. Demand for Ring and Ride services has grown steadily, according to WMCA figures which show 2,487 people have taken a trip in the last six months. Bosses said the last week of March was the busiest since the start of 2020, when the service was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The authority currently provides a subsidy of nearly £6.5m per year to run the service but this is almost half the figure from 2010/11 when its budget was around £12 million. A WMCA report said income from fares brought in about £250,000 per year and that this was reinvested into the service. Despite rises in inflation, charges have remained the same since April 2017. The fees are much lower than the region's fixed route bus network – which will see fares increased further later this month – which has led to concerns people who do not need Ring and Ride might attempt to switch to it. "Fares are now significantly lower than the standard single bus fares despite the significantly higher level of customer service," the report said. "The current scenario could also potentially drive people who don't need this service to switch to it rather than using fixed route bus. "Without any fares adjustments the service will become increasingly unsustainable and place further pressure on the transport levy." If approved, the new Ring and Ride fare structure would be: £2 – Registered user aged 16+ / essential escort carer (up from £1.30) £1 – Registered user aged 5-15 (up from 65p) £2 – Adult travelling with registered user (down from £2.40) £1 – Child travelling with a registered user (up from 65p) Children under the age of 5 will still travel for free This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Hundreds of jobs saved at Ring and Ride service Strategy to improve bus network could cost £44m 'Ghost buses' and cut services: Passengers complain as bus cap rises WMCA Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Fare increases planned for West Midlands Ring and Ride buses
Fares for the region's Ring and Ride services are set to increase for the first time in eight years due to cost for a single trip would rise from £1.30 to £2 if the plans are approved by West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) board later this members are also expected to award contracts to operators which will guarantee the service for a minimum of five years from 1 for Ring and Ride services has grown steadily, according to WMCA figures which show 2,487 people have taken a trip in the last six months. Bosses said the last week of March was the busiest since the start of 2020, when the service was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The authority currently provides a subsidy of nearly £6.5m per year to run the service but this is almost half the figure from 2010/11 when its budget was around £12 million.A WMCA report said income from fares brought in about £250,000 per year and that this was reinvested into the rises in inflation, charges have remained the same since April fees are much lower than the region's fixed route bus network – which will see fares increased further later this month – which has led to concerns people who do not need Ring and Ride might attempt to switch to it."Fares are now significantly lower than the standard single bus fares despite the significantly higher level of customer service," the report said."The current scenario could also potentially drive people who don't need this service to switch to it rather than using fixed route bus."Without any fares adjustments the service will become increasingly unsustainable and place further pressure on the transport levy." If approved, the new Ring and Ride fare structure would be:£2 – Registered user aged 16+ / essential escort carer (up from £1.30)£1 – Registered user aged 5-15 (up from 65p)£2 – Adult travelling with registered user (down from £2.40)£1 – Child travelling with a registered user (up from 65p)Children under the age of 5 will still travel for free This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Concerns over ‘wasted' money on admin and consultants
Concerns have been raised about public money being 'wasted' on admin and consultants to deliver vital projects across the West Midlands. Members of the West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) Overview & Scrutiny Committee were told hundreds of thousands of pounds were not being effectively used due to constraints placed on grants received. Ed Cox, Deputy Chief Executive & Executive Director for Strategy, Economy & Net Zero, said since 2016 the authority has been funded by different Government departments giving around 90 grants for specific purposes. But he said, for some projects, the funding awarded would have to be spent within short time scales resulting in the need to outsource the work as they wouldn't be able to appoint staff within the period. In April this year, WMCA was one of just two English regions to receive an Integrated Settlement of £389 million as well as transport funding of £211 million. From 2026/27 it will become a multi-year settlement which bosses say will bring in even more control and flexibility over how funding is spent. At the meeting, members heard how 'government administration costs' saw £700,000 extracted from the £70 million Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund. They also heard how £127,400 was spent on consultants to carry out an evaluation of the WMCA Job Rotation Pilot in Coventry. Mr Cox said: 'We have had to receive each individual grant with these terms and conditions and then try to spend it according to a timeline the Government department has dictated to us. 'Because of a limited time frame, we couldn't start appointing staff to do that properly or building our own capacity to do it. 'So the way you've got to do it is get consultants in to do it and we end up with these projects. 'We have consistently said to Government this is no way to treat a serious regional body led by democratic authorities and led by the Mayor. 'We need a better way in which to fund mayoral combined authorities so they have started to make that transition with the Integrated Settlement. 'We're in the first year of that and they've done that for around 20 different grants out of the 90 and now coming together in this year and we're able to be a bit more strategic in the way we fund things.' He added: 'We've had three items on the (meeting) agenda, all of which have been about relatively small amounts of money from relatively short term periods that are given by Government with particular strings attached. 'The way in which they are given to us means we have to spend a disproportionate amount, on other forms of consultancy, simply because there are no other ways to deliver them in that time frame. 'It's a waste of public money, to be frank about it, because we could be building up the capacity of our local authorities or ourselves to do this.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Combined authority's CEO steps down from role
The chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is stepping down after four years in the role. Laura Shoaf will remain in the role until 17 June and will continue as chair of Shadow Great British Railways, which was set up last year by the government under its plans to bring the UK's railways back into public ownership. Ms Shoaf said she was "sad" to be leaving the organisation she has been with since its inception, but was confident she was leaving it in good hands. The WMCA said Ed Cox, deputy chief executive, will step up as interim chief while a recruitment process gets under way for a permanent replacement. "I have lived and worked in the West Midlands for over 20 years, and I am proud that I have been able to make a real difference for our residents," Ms Shoaf said. "I will always champion our wonderful region and while I am sad to be leaving the combined authority, I know I am leaving it with people who care passionately about the West Midlands and will continue to see it go from strength to strength." West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said Ms Shoaf had done an "exemplary job for the region" during her time in the job. In 2022, she was honoured with a CBE for services to economic regeneration in the West Midlands. "I want to thank Laura for her decades of service to the West Midlands," the mayor said. "I especially want to recognise the work she has done in my first year to help me embed and deliver my priorities. "I want to wish her every success in the future, especially continuing in her role as Chair of Shadow Great British Railways." This news has been gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Regional authority boss takes rail reform job West Midlands Combined Authority
