Response 62656597

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The role of the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board

1. Do you think the following organisations should be represented?

Please select all that apply
Public transport operators
Regional Transport Partnerships
Local Transport Authorities
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
Organisations representing passengers
Disability organisations
Active travel organisations
Other organisations or bodies with an interest in Smart and Integrated Ticketing and Payment
Please briefly explain why you think they should, or should not, be represented on the Board
The bare minimum for representation on the Board should be (i) Public transport operators (as they are responsible for delivering smart ticketing on the ground), (ii) Local Transport Authorities (to cover governance and local transport planning responsibilities), and (iii) Organisations representing passengers (to provide independent public oversight).

We are not persuaded that RTPs have a role in this in so far as they have no role in delivering public transport services (although SPT might be considered an exception to this).

It is possible that COSLA might be able to cover the input that would be provided by Local Transport Authorities.

2. Which other organisations do you feel should be represented on the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board?

Please list the organisations and briefly explain why you think they should be represented
We will restrict our comments to the 'Organisations representing passengers' category.

It would be our view that national organisations with sufficient standing in this category are pretty thin on the ground. These are the options that we would suggest that you have:

* Transport Focus. Long-standing expertise in representing public transport passenger interests. The only downside may be that they are government-funded, so perceptions could be formed that they are insignificantly independent. However, we would be happy to recommend them for membership.

* Scottish Association for Public Transport. It has campaigned for smart ticketing for decades, and has significant public transport expertise within its ranks. Completely independent public interest group. Its only constraint might be that being a voluntary group, they may not have capacity to carry out the role -- so it may require remuneration to carry out the role.

* Transform Scotland. We ourselves have also campaigned for smart ticketing for at least the past decade, and supported the government's proposals both during the 2017 consultation & during Parliamentary scrutiny of the transport bill. We are a registered Scottish charity, and, like SAPT, we are not funded by government. We probably have more capacity than SAPT. but perhaps less detailed experience on this topic. We would be indifferent to an appointment between SAPT and ourselves, and indeed both of the above groups are members of Transform.

Local passenger groups are even thinner on the ground. The only group that comes to mind is the Edinburgh Bus Users Group; however, its coverage is necessarily restricted to south-east Scotland.

National Smart Ticketing Board meetings

3(a). What arrangements should be made for the NSTAB Chair?

Please select one item
It should be nominated at the start of each year
It should rotate around members
Another arrangement
If another arrangement, please explain
No strong view here.

3(b). What arrangements should be made for the NSTAB Secretariat?

Please select one item
An organisation should be nominated at the start of each year
It should rotate around members
Another arrangement.
If another arrangement, please explain
Transport Scotland should provide the secretariat role.

Number of National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board members

4. How many member organisations should sit on NSTAB?

Minimum
3
Please briefly explain the reason for your answer
No strong views on this point. Our suggestion of a minimum of three is merely to cover the three categories that we have said should be represented above.

Arrangements for Board members who hold a minority view

5. Should dissenting members have the right to make written representations to the Minister along with the formal NSTAB advice?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Not sure

Non-voting members

6. Should NSTAB have non-voting members?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Not sure
Please briefly explain the reason for your answer
No strong view; certainly not opposed.

Payment of National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board members

7. Should all NSTAB members receive reasonable and/or appropriate out of pocket expenses?

Please select one item
Yes
No

8. Should NSTAB members be paid, in addition to any expenses, for serving on NSTAB?

Please select one item
Yes
Yes, but for voluntary or third sector groups only
No
Please briefly explain the reason for your answer
Yes, for purely voluntary groups. So 'yes' for SAPT, but 'no' for groups such as ourselves.

Governance and oversight

9. Once NSTAB is established, should NSTAB be able to make recommendations to the Scottish Ministers regarding appointing, removing, and replacing member organisations of NSTAB?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Not sure

10. Once established, should NSTAB be able to recommend expanding the number of member organisations?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Not sure

About you

Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?

Please select one item
(Required)
Individual
Organisation

What is your organisation?

Transform Scotland