Request to Gwynedd Council for Internal Review of Freedom of Information (Ref T121) Trawscymru T2/T1C connections in Aberystwyth

Reply-To: john.mct@

copies Gwynedd Council, Powys Council

Request for Internal Review of Freedom of Information (Ref T121)

DEAR Gwawr Owen ,

Thank you for your reply of 16/05/2018 to Freedom of Information (Ref T121) .

ON 05/06/2018 THE WELSH GOVERNMENT MADE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT

”ONCE CONTRACTED , THE OPERATION OF EACH TRAWSCYMRU BUS SERVICE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE RELEVANT CONTRACTING LOCAL AUTHORITY . THIS INCLUDES DETERMINING THE TIMETABLE FOR EACH TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE.  IN DETERMINING THE TIMETABLE FOR EACH TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE THE CONTRACTING LOCAL AUTHORITY WILL TAKE MANY FACTORS INTO CONSIDERATION AND MAY CONSULT ON OCCASION WITH RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS.”

Could you please therefore arrange for an internal review of the following questions in Freedom of Information Request (Ref T121).

Could you please also tell me the name and job title of the person(s) who provided the answers to T121.

QUESTION (1) CAN THE T2 DEPARTURE TIME FROM DOLGELLAU BE CHANGED FROM 8.10 TO 8.00 AND THE DIVERSION THROUGH COMINS COCH VILLAGE NEAR ABERYSTWYTH BE REMOVED TO ALLOW THE T2 FROM DOLGELLAU TO ARRIVE AT 9.15 IN ABERYSTWYTH AND CONNECT WITH THE T1C FROM ABERYSTWYTH TO CARDIFF.?

ANSWER BY GWYNEDD COUNCIL  “”THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL REQUEST THAT MUST BE MADE TO LLOYDS COACHES. “

Review (1) Based on the Welsh Government statement made on 05/06/2018, the operation of the T2 Trawscymru bus service is the responsibility of Gwynedd Council and the request should be answered by Gwynedd Council.

The above statement also does not make sense in that Gwynedd Council have contracted Lloyds Coaches to provide a bus service (ie providing a bus and driver), but cannot be expected to take responsibility for connectivity with other Trawscymru services run by a different Contracting Local Authority (Ceredigion Council) and involving a different bus service provider based in Cardiff.  It should also be noted that the change of departure time from  8.10 to 8.00 is for the benefit of passengers from Gwynedd who will then be able to use the T1C Aberystwyth to Cardiff coach service.   It should also be noted that  Ceredigion Council have confirmed that the diversion through Comins Coch village near Aberystwyth (in Ceredigion)  was not requested by Ceredigion Council.  Could you please therefore review the above answer.

QUESTION (3) WHICH ORGANISATION PROPOSED AN 8.10 T2 DEPARTURE FROM DOLGELLAU TO ABERYSTWYTH ?

ANSWER BY GWYNEDD COUNCIL   ”LLOYDS COACHES / WELSH GOVERNMENT – THE 08:50 X28 POSITIONING JOURNEY FOR THE 10:00 T2 OUT OF ABERYSTWYTH HAD TO START FROM DOLGELLAU IN ORDER TO MAKE THE RETURN EVENING CONNECTION AT DOLGELLAU, TO BANGOR DEPARTING 20:20. “

Review (3) Based on the Welsh Government statement on 05/06/2018 the T2 timetable is the responsibility of the relevant contracting local authority, which in the case of the T2 service is Gwynedd Council.

According to the Welsh Government the responsibility for departure times does not lie with Lloyds Coaches / Welsh Government.  The above explanation provided by Gwynedd Council also does not make sense in that an earlier T2 departure time from Dolgellau (8.00am instead of 8.10am) would not affect the 10.00am T2 departure out of Aberystwyth nor the timing of the later return evening connection at Dolgellau, to Bangor departing 20:20. The explanation above is irrelevant to the requested earlier departure time change of 8.00am instead of 8.10.. .

Could you please therefore review the above answer.

QUESTION (5) WHICH ORGANISATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONNECTIVITY OF THE T2 ARRIVAL AT 9.30 AND THE T1C DEPARTURE AT 9.30 IN ABERYSTWYTH.

ANSWER BY GWYNEDD COUNCIL   ”T2/T3 TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE DELIVERY GROUP”

Review (5) Gwynedd Council is the contracting local authority for both the T2 and T3 services and based on the 05/06/2018 statement by the Welsh Government Gwynedd Council are therefore responsible.  Since the T1C departure time in Aberystwyth does not have to change to make the T2/T1C connecting services and only the T2 departure time in Dolgellau would need to change from 8.10 to 8.00am then responsibility clearly lies with Gwynedd Council .  There is also no connecting T3 service to the 8.10 T2 departure from Dolgellau and so the T2/T3 TrawsCymru Service Delivery Group are clearly not responsible for T2/T1C connectivity in Aberystwyth.  To make this T2 service from Dolgellau a connecting service to the T1C Aberystwyth to Cardiff service and benefit all passengers in Gwynedd and Powys (between Dolgellau and Aberystwyth) Gwynedd Council would need to arrange to change the T2 timetable so that it departs from Dolgellau at 8.00 instead of 8.10 am. .

Could you please therefore review the above answer.

QUESTION (6) WAS THE 9.30 T1C DEPARTURE FROM ABERYSTWYTH TO CARDIFF DISCUSSED WITH GWYNED COUNCIL, IN VIEW OF THE 9.30 T2 ARRIVAL, 9.30 T1C DEPARTURE IN ABERYSTWYTH?

ANSWER BY GWYNEDD COUNCIL   ”NO – AS THE TIMING OF THE JOURNEY I.E. THE X28 DEPARTING MACHYNLLETH 08:50 REMAINS UNCHANGED, THE ONLY CHANGE AS OF JANUARY 2018 IS THE EXTENTION FROM DOLGELLAU AS A POSITIONING JOURNEY AND RENAME FROM X28 TO T2. “

Review (6)  I accept that Ceredigion Council, who are the contracting authority for the new T1C Trawscymru service from Aberystwyth to Cardiff,  did not discuss T2/T1C connectivity in Aberystwyth with Gwynedd Council .  Ceredigion Council have confirmed that they did not discuss with Gwynedd Council connectivity of the T2 with the new T1C service.  Ceredigion Council should have discussed the fact that the T2 service departure from Dolgellau at 8.10 arrived in Aberystwyth at 9.30am and therefore did not connect with the new service introduced by Ceredigion Council in April 2018 (9.30am T1C departure from Aberystwyth to Cardiff).  These 2 services should clearly be connecting services in a Trawscymru long distance bus Network.  However I find that the above detailed reason why it was not discussed with Gwynedd Council somewhat strange.  The inference from the above explanation by Gwynedd Council is that the 9.30 T2 arrival, 9.30 T1C departure in Aberystwyth is perfectly acceptable to Gwynedd Council and that they would not have considered a change to the T2 timetable in January 2018 to allow the T2 from Dolgellau to connect in Aberystwyth with the T1C to Cardiff..  Gwynedd Council infer they are happy that the 8.50 T2 departure from Machynleth remained unchanged and that the T2 arrival in Aberystwyth at 9.30am was not a connecting service with the T1C departure at 9.30 from Aberystwyth to Cardiff.

Could you please review the above answer.. Do Gwynedd Council believe the T2 departure time from Dolgellau (8.10am) and from Machynleth (8.50am) and the T2 arrival in Aberystwyth at 9.30am should remain unchanged because Ceredigion Council did not discuss with  Gwynedd Council the proposed departure time of 9.30am for the new T1C Aberystwyth to Cardiff service.

Yours sincerely,

Dr John McTighe,

> —-Original message—-

From : gwawrowen@

Date : 16/05/2018 – 09:29 (GMTST)

To : john.mct@

Subject : Freedom of Information (Ref T121)

Dear Dr John McTighe,

Freedom of Information (Ref T121)

Thank you for your recent request. Please see below for the  information requested:

(1) CAN THE T2 DEPARTURE TIME FROM DOLGELLAU BE CHANGED FROM 8.10 TO 8.00 AND THE DIVERSION THROUGH COMINS COCH VILLAGE NEAR ABERYSTWYTH BE REMOVED TO ALLOW THE T2 FROM DOLGELLAU TO ARRIVE AT 9.15 IN ABERYSTWYTH AND CONNECT WITH THE T1C FROM ABERYSTWYTH TO CARDIFF?

THIS IS AN OPERATIONAL REQUEST THAT MUST BE MADE TO LLOYDS COACHES.

(2) WAS THE 8.10 T2 DEPARTURE FROM DOLGELLAU TO ABERYSTWYTH  INTRODUCED IN JANUARY 2018 ALONG WITH THE OTHER T2 SERVICE CHANGES? YES

(3) WHICH ORGANISATION PROPOSED AN 8.10 T2 DEPARTURE FROM DOLGELLAU TO ABERYSTWYTH ? LLOYDS COACHES / WELSH GOVERNMENT – THE 08:50 X28  POSITIONING JOURNEY FOR THE 10:00 T2 OUT OF ABERYSTWYTH HAD TO START FROM DOLGELLAU IN ORDER TO MAKE THE RETURN EVENING CONNECTION AT  DOLGELLAU, TO BANGOR DEPARTING 20:20.

(4) CEREDIGION COUNCIL HAVE SAID THEY ARE NOT PARTNERS IN THE T2 CONTRACT. GWYNED COUNCIL AND POWYS COUNCIL HAVE SAID THAT CEREDIGION COUNCIL ARE PARTNERS IN THE T2 CONTRACT. COULD THE GWYNED COUNCIL SAY WHETHER THEY STILL BELIEVE CEREDIGION COUNCIL ARE PARTNERS IN THE T2 CONTRACT OR WHETHER GWYNED COUNCIL AND POWYS COUNCIL ARE INCORRECT ?

CEREDIGION COUNCIL IS A PARTNER IN THE T2/T3 TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE  DELIVERY GROUP.

(5) WHICH ORGANISATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONNECTIVITY OF THE T2  ARRIVAL AT 9.30 AND THE T1C DEPARTURE AT 9.30 IN ABERYSTWYTH. T2/T3 TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE DELIVERY GROUP

(6) WAS THE 9.30 T1C DEPARTURE FROM ABERYSTWYTH TO CARDIFF DISCUSSED  WITH GWYNED COUNCIL, IN VIEW OF THE 9.30 T2 ARRIVAL, 9.30 T1C DEPARTURE IN ABERYSTWYTH.? NO – AS THE TIMING OF THE JOURNEY I.E. THE X28 DEPARTING MACHYNLLETH 08:50 REMAINS UNCHANGED, THE ONLY CHANGE AS OF JANUARY 2018 IS THE EXTENTION FROM DOLGELLAU AS A POSITIONING JOURNEY AND RENAME FROM X28 TO T2.

Please note that where information is subject to copyright belonging to the Council, you will need to obtain the permission of the Council to re-use it for purposes other than private study or non-commercial research. The Council may charge for re-use. Where third party copyright material is disclosed, you must obtain permission to re-use from the copyright holders concerned.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way the Council has handled your request, you may ask for an internal review. Please contact me if you require an internal review of your case. An internal review will be conducted by the Monitoring Officer or Head of Service and we will aim to respond within 20 working days. However, if we are unable to complete the review by this date, we will advise you accordingly.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Please see below for the contact details:

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Telephone: 02920 678400

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Fax: 02920 678399

Yours sincerely,

Gwawr Owen