Changes to the IndieGo Plus DRT boosts service for residents

Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet has today, Monday 6th October, approved a report which highlights the improving performance of the IndieGo Plus DRT service in Stratford-on-Avon District.

Since November 2024, Stratford-on-Avon District Council alongside Warwickshire County Council have been running a Demand Responsive Transport service, replacing the District Council's UBUS service.

The move from UBUS to IndieGo has been felt by residents across the District, and a customer survey was carried out to gather feedback. The results made it clear that the service needs to make some adjustments to better engage with the residents.

Stratford-on-Avon District Council met with Warwickshire County Council and Lift and Go (the booking provider) to share the results of the survey. A number of changes to the service have been made, including: ·       

• Decreasing the 'BaseProcessingTime' by 60 seconds. From 180 seconds (3 mins) to 120 seconds (2 mins). This reduces the assumed 'drop off' time and creates greater capacity in a journey. 
• Adjusting the Alternate Times offered to passengers. This results in more flexibility being offered on 'pick up' time to a potential passenger.
• Increasing the intercept from 500 seconds (8.3 mins) to 720 seconds (12 mins). This increases the amount of time a passenger is likely to be on the bus, but in doing so allows more passengers to be conveyed in a given time slot.
• Speeding up journey times - these have been reduced by 5%. This reduces the anticipated journey time by 5% thereby freeing vehicle capacity to undertake more journeys.

Cllr Liz Coles, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Revenues and Customer Services, said: "Social and rural isolation are a major challenge for residents across Stratford-on-Avon District, and we're working closely with Warwickshire County Council to reduce these challenges. We're happy to have made improvements to the service which will help more residents to use the transport network. We will continue to monitor the impact of these changes and work closely with partners to make sure further enhancements are made if necessary."  

More information about the service can be found online at: IndieGo demand responsive transport: IndieGo PLUS - Stratford - Warwickshire County Council