Dear Friend,
There has been lots of transport news in the past few months so this newsletter is a Transport Special to make sure you’re up to date with everything that’s happening.
Buses
Until the end of August children can travel for free on any bus service so I hope you’ve been able to make the most of it, with the stunning Maritime Museum opening up in the centre and my favourite the splash park at Pickering Park there are lots of free venues and events to enjoy.
If we want people to take advantage of new, clean buses then we must make sure they are affordable. That’s why Andy Burnham announced the capping of fares to £2, a move that will save a regular bus user travelling twice a day for work or education around £400-£500 per year.
But we know that people use the buses for more than just leisure activities, it’s a vital form of transport for many people to get to work. It has always seemed to me to be a great injustice that disabled people were prevented from using their bus passes at any time of the day, it seemed to assume that disabled people didn’t have jobs to go to or appointments to attend that started before 9:30am so I am really delighted that our new PM Andy Burnham has announced that the disabled bus pass can be used at any time of the day from April next year.
That’s not the only injustice when it comes to bus passes though…
As you know, this great constituency of Hull West and Haltemprice is compromised of wards from both Hull and East Riding and there are many parts of the constituency where you can’t see the divide as the border is down the same street. But this border matters when it comes to bus passes.
People using the older persons bus pass in Hull can use it at any time of the day, people in the East Riding can only use their bus pass after 9:30 am until 11 pm during the week. This is totally unfair and I’ve been campaigning to get the Mayor to change this and equalise the bus passes. You can sign my petition here.
The Hull and East Riding Mayor has already taken some control over buses but said he wasn’t ready for all of the powers available, so the councils retained them for an extra year. So, by next April, the Mayor will have the power to make the bus passes equal and I think he should.
One of the things people have regularly contacted me about are the state of the buses and their reliability – it really affects those who rely on them and puts others off using them at all. That’s why I’ve loved seeing the new green electric buses driving around and I had a go myself the other day. They have a larger space at the front for wheelchairs and a very simple ‘tap on tap off’ payment system so you don’t need to worry about having the right change!
These brand-new electric buses are much more reliable that the diesel ones and they have been part-funded with £12m by your Labour Government. You can spot them on the EYMS 51, 56, 57 and 58 routes.
Now Stagecoach is rolling the first of their 42 new electric buses out on routes 3, 5, 12 and 13, and the company’s Foster Street depot has been upgraded with 56 charging points to support the new fleet.
Combined, the two operators will have 82 new electric buses in service across Hull and the East Riding by the end of the year. These buses are cleaner, quieter, more reliable and are proving a real favourite with passengers and drivers alike.
As you might remember The Bus Services Bill is now law and it gives local authorities greater control over bus services in England.
It makes bus franchising easier for local authorities to adopt, meaning they can specify routes, frequencies, fares and service standards, while operators compete to run services.
It also removed the ban on councils establishing their own municipal bus companies and provided stronger protections against sudden withdrawal of socially important bus routes, so if the Mayor wanted he could follow Andy Burnham’s lead in Greater Manchester and bring the buses into public control.
Rail back into public hands
You may remember seeing the design for the new nationalised trains, I think they look great! As you know, we passed The Railways Bill earlier on in the year which will nationalise all trains (except open access operators like Hull Trains).
This bill is all about putting the rail user first and will bring fares and ticketing into the 21st century, with a new GBR app and website allowing passengers to buy tickets, check train times and access support all in one place, and with no booking fees.
For the first time in 30 years rail fares were frozen this year by your Labour Government which is another action we are taking to help with the cost of living.
The new Railway Act l will also give the Mayor a bigger role in shaping local rail services, so railways better reflect the needs of local communities so I will be watching closely what he does here too.
Those of you who have been reading this newsletter for a while and following my social media will know for how long I have been campaigning for electrification of the railway all the way to Hull and you know I was very disappointed when it was not announced. But you know that doesn’t mean for a second that I’ve given up the campaign.
I am really excited by the new generation of electric/battery hybrids which extend the reach of electric trains onto tracks without overhead cables, and I don’t really mind how they do it, I just want to Ditch the Diesel trains.
They are old, they are polluting and I won’t let Hull be left with diesel only trains while the rest of the North electrifies, and I’m working hard alongside Diana Johnson to make sure that doesn’t happen.
We have met the Rail Minister Lord Hendy on several occasions, and both Northern Trains and Hull Trains, to explore the possibilities for new rolling stock and the infrastructure needed to support it. We are very optimistic that we can secure a positive result – one that will benefit not just Hull but the wider region.
More stops for Hessle
And of course, there is my continuing campaign for more stops at Hessle Station. I have already secured additional stops from December, but I want to see more at peak commuter times. If you haven’t already, please sign then you can sign the open letter to Northern Trains I’ve written here.
Just the beginning
I am immensely proud of the fundamental changes we have made in only two years of government. We are putting the “public” back in “public transport” where it belongs and backing it with the extra investment it needs. This Government’s aim is to ensure better services for every part of the country, and it’s my job to make sure that includes Hull and the East Riding.
We are at the beginning of a new era of a publicly owned and accountable bus and rail services, and I know there is more to come.
Fixing the holes…
While better public transport will take more pressure off road traffic, they still require upkeep and improvement.
I think we can all agree that the state of repair on our local roads had been getting worse for quite some time, and that’s why your Labour Government gave an additional £500 million to local authorities to tackle the problem, with over £22 million going to East Riding of Yorkshire Council and £4.4 million to Hull City Council in ring-fenced funding.
To check on their progress, we introduced a public pothole performance dashboard/map that rates local highway authorities using a traffic light system (green, amber, red) against measures including road condition, spending, and asset management practices.
It’s available to view here.
You can now report potholes directly online – for Hull City Council that’s here, and for East Riding of Yorkshire Council it’s here.
A63 underpass – finished at last!
The A63 underpass had already begun when I was first elected in 2017, and bringing forward the construction of the pedestrian bridge now named Murdoch’s Connection was one of my first successes as an MP.
It’s taken longer than expected – the Covid pandemic didn’t help! – and I have worked hard to keep things moving and make sure people were kept informed, but now it’s open, working as intended and has made a real difference to the time it takes to get across the city, especially at rush hours.
Let me know what you think
As an alternative to the usual monthly newsletter format, this is focused on a particular area. I’d like to know your thoughts on newsletters like these and on the content of my usual newsletter. There is a simple online questionnaire here, or you can just email your thoughts directly.
As always, I’m here to support you. If you think I can help, email me at emma.hardy.mp@parliament.uk or call my office at 01482 219211. Leave a message if I’m unavailable, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Best wishes,
Emma Hardy MP
Hull West and Haltemprice
P.S. With the changes we’ve already made starting to take effect, and with the surge of excitement behind Andy Burnham, there’s never been a better time to join the Labour Party. So, if you’d like to add your voice, energy and experience to the broadest coalition of people working to put Britian back on its feet, then you can sign up here.
P.P.S. If there’s anyone you think would be interested in reading this newsletter, please feel free to share it. If you’re reading this for the first time you can subscribe at contact@emmahardy.org.uk