Integrated Passenger Transport Policy - Worcestershire County ...

2.5.3 Bus services form the backbone of the passenger transport network in Worcestershire, carryingapproximately 17.5 million passenger journeys annually. At the time of writing, there wereapproximately 160 registered bus services, although levels of service are highly variable around thecounty, with the most frequent services provided on key urban and interurban routes. Furtherinformation on bus demand and operation is provided in the LTP3 Essential References document.2.5.4 Taxi services in Worcestershire are clustered in the main urban areas, although taxi ranks are spreadacross urban areas. These services can be procured remotely or at specified taxi ranks and generallycover the full county area. Provision of infrastructure to support taxi operation across the county ispoorly integrated with other modes of transport.2.5.5 Community transport services in Worcestershire cover both rural and urban areas with usuallybespoke conditions of use (e.g. eligibility) and periods of operation. These services are procuredremotely (normally by telephone) and provide door-to-door accessibility for those who are unableto access conventional passenger transport options (with the exception of taxi services) for a varietyof reasons.2.6.1 Delays and unreliability on the transport network have direct costs to people and businesses. Theyincrease business costs (adversely impacting productivity, productivity, available labour markets andinnovation) and impose increased social costs (such as reduced family time and decreased leisuretime), which can have adverse impacts on public health and overall quality of life. Withoutinvestment, the passenger transport network is not immune from the effects of capacity constraintsand congestion. An efficient, reliable and competitive passenger transport network is required tohelp deal with the adverse impacts of congestion on Worcestershire's economy.2.6.2 For passenger transport to offer an attractive alternative to the convenience of the car, it must beable to compete effectively in terms of total journey times, reliability and journey costs. On the railnetwork capacity pinch points, line speed restrictions and other infrastructure and rolling stockrelatedconstraints adversely impact on journey times and service reliability. Traffic congestion inurban areas and along key inter-urban corridors allied to infrastructure which fails to protect roadbasedpassenger transport users and operators undermine the journey times and (critically) thereliability of coach, bus, community transport and taxi operations.