Bus Service Operators Grant (England)

Transcription

1 Operator For official use only File Bus Service Operators Grant (England) Please read the annexes to this form, before completing it in permanent ink. The completed form must be returned within 3 months of the end of the claim period. The grant will not be paid if it is received after this deadline (except where an estimated claim has previously been submitted). Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6a), 7a)i) and 8 should be filled out by all claimants. The rest of Section 6 should only be filled out in full if the services which you are claiming BSOG for operate within (or partly within) a Better Bus Area (BBA). If you are not in a BBA you should tick the no box. The rest of Section 7 should only be filled out if you are claiming one or more of the 3 BSOG incentives (smartcard, automatic vehicle location and low-carbon emission buses). Section 1 Claim period and fuel type To be completed by all operators (see paragraph 4 of Annex A) a) Actual claim for the period from: to b) Type of fuel used PSV311E (Rev 01/14)

2 Section 2 Operator Declaration To be signed by the authorised officer of the business, as previously advised to the Department for Transport. I the undersigned declare that: I have read the BSOG Conditions imposed under Section 154(3) of the Transport Act 2000 as amended, and the Conditions of Eligibility for Grant (Annexes A and B) included in this form. I understand that grant payable by the Secretary of State is subject to these conditions, and I agree to comply with them in all respects. I declare that the information given in this claim is derived from records kept by the undertaking on behalf of which I am making this claim, and is, to the best of my knowledge, correct. I am also aware that BSOG will not be paid to operators who have failed to keep accurate records. I understand that the provision of any false or misleading statements or information may result in a criminal prosecution and/or the commencement of civil proceedings for the recovery of any losses incurred. I understand that payment of grant on estimate is conditional upon a certified claim PSV311E (supported by accurate records) being submitted to the Department within three months from the end of the period to which the estimate refers. The Department will seek to recover grant paid on estimate should a certified claim not be submitted within this time period or if accurate records are not maintained. I also declare that: i) Fuel Consumption I have calculated accurately the fuel consumption figure as stated in Section 3 of this claim form, and I hold records to support those figures. Specifically: I hold a detailed fleet list of the vehicles used for claiming BSOG during this claim period; Yes No I hold detailed records in support of all kms travelled by each of the above vehicles during Yes No this claim period; I hold detailed records of all fuel supplied to the above vehicles during this claim period; Yes No ` I have checked that the fuel consumption of each vehicle is within tolerance for the make Yes No and type of vehicle; ii) Service Kilometres I have measured accurately the local service kms and dead kms for each route entered in Yes No sections 5a to 5c of this claim form; I hold detailed records of how the above figures have been used to compile annual data for Yes No each route, taking into account weekday, Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday variations; I hold detailed records of lost service kilometres (eg due to breakdowns, bad weather, road Yes No closures) and/or additional/gained mileage (eg through the operation of duplicates due to high Finance Director, Chief Executive, Managing Director or officer of equivalent seniority. 2

3 demand etc); I have only entered eligible services run on a commercial basis (if applicable) in section 5a of Yes No this claim form (see paragraph 19 of Annex A for the definition of a commercial service); I have only entered tendered services (if applicable) in section 5b of this claim form (see Yes No paragraph 18 of Annex A for the definition of a tendered service); I have only entered Transport for London services (if applicable) up to 30 September 2013 Yes No in section 5c of this claim form. iii) Other Matters I confirm that I am fully aware of the regulations in respect of school services (see paragraph Yes No 1 of Annex B for the conditions which must be satisfied by an eligible school service). I confirm that any ITSO smartcard readers on buses for which the BSOG smart ticketing uplift Yes No is claimed are eligible to receive the uplift according to the terms set out in Annex A and at We do not claim the BSOG smart ticketing incentive. Signed Name (capitals) Position in business Trading name of business For companies only, registered number and place of registration For companies only, full corporate name (if different from trading name) Full address Post code Telephone number (land line) address Telephone number (mobile) PSV operator s licence number(s) Section 22 permit expiry date The Department reserves the right to request such further information as it deems fit to obtain any further assurance on the claim, including for the prevention and detection of fraud, as well as to share data with agencies and/or local authorities, eg DVSA (formerly known as VOSA), the Traffic Commissioners, DVLA etc. The Department may use and publish statistical information derived from claims. We may publish information that can be associated with individual firms, and we may identify (by using other information that is available to us) operations by individual firms in different areas (such as local authority areas). We will not break down published information to route level (for operators that claim for more than one route). 3

4 Section 3 Fuel consumption details To be completed by all operators (please read notes below and see paragraphs 7 & 8 of Annex A). For claims up to 31 December 2013 operators should: base their fuel consumption figures on vehicles at least 50% of whose kms are run on BSOG eligible services; or alternatively, if no vehicles run at least 50% of their kilometres on eligible services, or if records are insufficiently detailed to determine the figures required, on the fuel consumption figures of the entire public service vehicle fleet. For claims from 1 January 2014 operators should: base their fuel consumption figures on vehicles at least 50% of whose kms are run on BSOG commercial eligible services (including those in Better Bus Areas which would otherwise be eligible if they were not in a BBA); or alternatively, if no vehicles run at least 50% of their kilometres on BSOG commercial eligible services, or if records are insufficiently detailed to determine the figures required, the fuel consumption figures of the entire public service vehicle fleet should be used. Those operators with claims spanning 1 January 2014 will need to provide two separate fuel consumption figures below to reflect the changes. Fuel consumption figures up to 31 December complete a) & b) or c) & d), but not both a) Total kms during this claim period of all vehicles used for at least 50% of their kms on eligible local services b) Total fuel issued during this claim period to all vehicles used for at least 50% of their kms on eligible local services kilometres litres c) Total kms during this claim period of all public service vehicles kilometres d) Total fuel issued during this claim period to all public service vehicles litres Fuel consumption figures from 1 January 2014 onwards complete e) & f) or g) & h), but not both e) Total kms during this claim period of all vehicles used for at least 50% of their kms on BSOG commercial eligible services f) Total fuel issued during this claim period to all vehicles used for at least 50% of their kms on BSOG commercial eligible local services kilometres litres g) Total kms during this claim period of all public service vehicles kilometres h) Total fuel issued during this claim period to all public service vehicles litres 4

5 Section 4 Eligible kilometres by period Please record details of eligible kms you wish to claim, split by the periods detailed below. a) Commercial kilometres Record the eligible commercial kms you wish to claim for. Note: If you are part of a Better Bus Area (BBA) do not include any commercial kilometres operated within the BBA after 31 March From 2 To 3 Commercial local service kms 4 Commercial dead kms 5 Total commercial kms (columns 3+4) Totals These totals must be the same as those entered in section 5a b) Tendered kilometres Record the eligible tendered kms you wish to claim for (including any within BBAs). Note: payment of BSOG for tendered services ceased on 31 December Any kms recorded from 1 January 2014 onwards will only be used to calculate the smartcard or automatic vehicle location incentives. 1 From 2 To 3 Tendered local service kms 4 Tendered dead kms 5 Total tendered kms (columns 3+4) Totals These totals must be the same as those entered in section 5b c) Transport for London (TfL) kilometres Record the eligible TfL kilometres you wish to claim for. Please note that payment of BSOG for TfL services ceased on 30 September From 2 To 3 TfL local service kms 4 TfL dead kms 5 Total TfL kms (columns 3+4) Totals These totals must be the same as those entered in section 5c 5

6 Section 5 Analysis of actual service kilometres by service type a) Commercial * Analysis of actual commercial kilometres by route. Please note: where routes are part commercial and part tendered, only the commercial kms should be entered in this section. The tendered kms should then be entered in section 5b. Continue on a separate sheet if necessary; any extra sheets should be endorsed by the Certifying Auditor. 1. The number by which you identify the service in your records 2. The DVSA (VOSA) service registration or licence number as given in Notices & Proceedings 3. For services appearing on the claim for the first time, the number of the issue of Notices & Proceedings in which they first appeared. Please enclose relevant published timetables and fare tables 4. Length of longest single one way (not return) journey eligible for grant (to nearest fifth of a km) 5. Actual commercial service kilometres run on the route during the period covered by the claim 6. Actual commercial dead kilometres run in connection with the route during the period covered by the claim 7. Actual total commercial kilometres on which grant is claimed (Columns 5 + 6) EXAMPLE 667 CD/ / , , , Totals These totals must be the same as those entered in section 4a * See paragraph 19 of Annex A for the definition of a commercial service 6

7 b) Tendered Analysis of actual tendered kilometres by route. Please note: where routes are part commercial and part tendered, only the tendered kms should be entered in this section. The commercial kms should then be entered in section 4a. Continue on a separate sheet if necessary. Any extra sheets should be endorsed by the Certifying Auditor. 1. The number by which you identify the service in your records 2. The (DVSA) VOSA service registration or licence number as given in Notices & Proceedings 3. For services appearing on the claim for the first time, the number of the issue of Notices & Proceedings in which they first appeared. Please enclose relevant published timetables and fare tables 4. Length of longest single one way (not return) journey to nearest fifth of a km) 5. Actual tendered service kilometres run on the route during the period covered by the claim 6. Actual tendered dead kilometres run in connection with the route during the period covered by the claim 7. Actual total tendered kilometres (Columns 5 + 6) 8. Group & sub-total services by local authority Insert which local authority each route is supported by (where a route is supported by more than one local authority please split route on to separate lines and apportion correctly between each authority Totals These totals must be the same as those entered in section 4b See paragraph 18 of Annex A for the definition of a tendered service 7

8 c) Transport for London Analysis of actual Transport for London (TfL) kilometres by route up to 30 September 2013 only. Continue on a separate sheet if necessary. Any extra sheets should be endorsed by the Certifying Auditor. 1. The number by which you identify the service in your records 2. TfL contract number 3. Length of longest single one way (not return) journey eligible for grant (to nearest fifth of a km) 4. Actual TfL service kilometres run on the route during the period covered by the claim 5. Actual TfL dead kilometres run in connection with the route during the period covered by the claim 6. Actual total TfL kilometres on which grant is claimed (Columns 4 + 5) Totals These totals must be the same as those entered in section 4c 8

9 Section 6 Better Bus Areas (BBAs) a) Do all, or part of, the services for which you are claiming run within a Better Bus Area? Yes If Yes, complete BBA name(s) in b) No Go to Section 7 below b) BBA Name:.. BBA Name:.. Section 7 Incentives If you do not claim any of the smartcard, automatic vehicle location or low-carbon emission bus incentives, please complete 7a)i) only then go to section 8. a) Smartcard and automatic vehicle location (AVL) declaration This section must be completed by all operators claiming BSOG uplifts for smartcard and/or AVL equipment. You must also complete the questionnaires in section 7b & 7c. Please note you should not claim smartcard incentives on this form: unless your ITSO readers are encoded to recognise all English concessionary travel passes. Remember that ITSO readers must be kept up to date with any new concessionary travel products and be encoded within the notification period required by DfT. They must meet all the eligibility requirements, which can be found at: if you have received direct funding via a DfT sponsored initiative (e.g. the Norfolk County Council smart ticketing pilot) for smartcard and/or AVL equipment. See paragraphs of Annex A before completing this section. Note: Transport for London services are not eligible for the smartcard or AVL incentives. i) How many buses in total were used to operate your commercial, tendered and BBA services that are eligible for incentives (Peak Vehicle Requirement - PVR - plus spares) at the end of the claim period? ii) iii) iv) How many of those buses in total were eligible for both the smartcard and AVL incentives at the end of the claim period? How many of those buses were eligible for the smartcard incentive only at the end of the claim period? How many of those buses were eligible for the AVL incentive only at the end of the claim period? The five BBAs fall within parts of the cities of York, Nottingham and Sheffield, Merseyside and the greater Bristol area. If you are not sure whether your route falls within one of these areas, please contact that local authority to check. 9

10 b) Smartcard return This return is for all operators claiming the BSOG smartcard incentive for all or part of their fleet. Provision of this data is a requirement for the payment of the smartcard incentive. The incentive will not be paid until this information is provided. Where more room is needed to answer individual questions, please continue on a separate sheet. Any extra sheets should be endorsed by the Certifying Auditor. 1. How many PSV vehicles were there in your fleet operating eligible BSOG bus services at the end of your claim period: With ITSO smartcard equipment fitted and fully operational? On which a dedicated fully operational mobile (e.g. hand held) ITSO smartcard reader is used? With ITSO smartcard equipment fitted but not fully operational? With no ITSO smartcard equipment fitted? 2. Who manages the Host Operator or Processing System (HOPS) used to process transaction data from readers on your vehicles? Your company Local Authority/Authorities Other Please specify: Please specify: 3. In the claim period, did you receive financial (or other) support from your local authority to roll out smart ticketing equipment to your vehicles? If so, please describe. 4. In the claim period, did you receive financial (or other) support from your local authority for ongoing operational costs (e.g. maintenance, technical support) related to smart ticketing equipment? If so, please describe. By fully operational we mean the equipment meets all the requirements set out in the Department s letter to operators published on 10 March 2010 (see 10

11 5. Are there any local ITSO smart integrated (i.e. multi-operator/multi-modal) schemes or products in the area served by your routes? Yes (go to question 6) No (go to question 7) 6. Do you accept all relevant multi-operator/multi-modal ITSO smart tickets (used smartly )? Yes If yes, please specify which schemes / tickets you accept in the box below: No 7. Do you comply with the stoplisting and hotlisting requirements of the local authority(ies) you service, who are responsible for reimbursing you for concessionary travel? Local Authority Yes No Not Applicable Comments Name & contact details at local concessionary travel authority 8. For your fleet as a whole (including those buses for which you are claiming the BSOG uplift), please state the number of passenger journeys made during your claim year, split as follows: Concessionary journeys (free and discounted) Passenger journeys made smartly* using ITSO ticketing Other journeys (i.e. those not made smartly using ITSO ticketing) English National Concessionary Travel Scheme Other concessionary tickets (please specify what these are) This means that the ITSO smart reader reads the smartcard (or other smart media) electronically and is able to tell whether or not it holds a valid product for travel. The reader records the information about the product and sends the transaction back to a HOPS back office, which processes information about the journeys made. 11

12 Non-concessionary journeys Single journey tickets Multi-journey tickets (returns, travel cards, Season tickets etc) valid on your services only Multi-journey tickets (returns, travel cards, Seasons etc) valid on multiple operators services Other tickets (please specify what these are) 9a. Have any local authorities requested you to provide data about ITSO smartcard usage? Yes Please specify which: No Go to Question 10 9b. Have you provided the data which has been requested in question 9a? Yes No 9c. Are these data shared at an aggregate level (summary data on total sales or tickets in a period) or at record level (details on individual journeys or ticket purchases)? Aggregate Level Record Level 10. Please describe briefly any future developments you are planning in terms of commercial smart ticketing 11. We would be grateful for any comments on your experience of using ITSO smart ticketing 12

13 c) Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) return This return is for all operators claiming the BSOG AVL Incentive for all or part of their fleet. Provision of this data is a requirement for the payment of the AVL incentive. The incentive will not be paid until this information is provided. Where more room is needed to answer individual questions, please continue on a separate sheet. Any extra sheets should be endorsed by the Certifying Auditor. 1. How many PSV vehicles were there in your fleet operating eligible BSOG bus services at the end of your claim period? With AVL equipment fitted and fully operational? With AVL equipment fitted but not fully operational? With no AVL equipment fitted? 2. What positioning source is used by your on-bus AVL equipment? GPS based ( SatNav ) Other Please specify: 3. Please provide the names of suppliers of the on-bus AVL devices that you have installed (where applicable) 4. Is the data from your AVL equipment used by Real Time Information (RTI) systems? Yes No Go to question 9 5. Who owns this/these RTI system(s) and infrastructure? System 1: System 2: System 3: 6. Who manages the day to day running of this/these RTI system(s)? System 1: System 2: System 3: By fully operational we mean the equipment meets all the requirements set out in the Department s letter to operators published on 10 March 2010 (see 13

14 7. What proportion of the service (live) mileage is covered by RTI system(s)? Please only consider mileage by vehicles for which the BSOG AVL incentive is being claimed. System 1: System 2: System 3: 8. Does the RTI system incorporate: Electronic RTI displays at bus stops and stations? System 1: System 2: System 3: Mobile-phone enabled RTI service? Web-enabled RTI service? 9a. Have any local authorities asked you to provide data generated by AVL systems on your network? Yes Please specify which: No Go to question 10 9b. Have you provided the data which has been requested? Yes 9c. Are these data shared at aggregate level or at record level? No Go to question 10 Aggregate Level Record Level 9d. Please could you describe these arrangements, including the data items covered (e.g. measures of punctuality/reliability, the nature of the data sharing process): 10. Do you use AVL data to monitor bus punctuality for your own operational purposes? Yes Go to question 11 No Go to question 15 14

15 11. Do you monitor at: Route level? Network level? 12. Do you apply different punctuality measures to frequent and non-frequent services? Yes No 13. Do you match raw AVL data against electronic routing and timing data? Yes Go to question 14 No Go to question What systems do you use for this? 15. Please briefly describe any plans that you are aware of for further rollout or development of your local Real Time Information scheme 15

16 d) Low Carbon Emission Bus (LCEB) certificate holders only Continue on a separate sheet if necessary. Any extra sheets should be endorsed by the Certifying Auditor. Part 1 From To Total eligible kms for which LCEB incentive payment is claimed Part 2 - Analysis of actual kms by vehicle registration. Service No Registration No Kms operated Total Litres Fuel Type Certificate attached? Where a vehicle qualifies as an LCEB by using biogas, additionally provide data on source of the biogas. Where you are claiming for particular vehicles for the first time, please supply with the claim form a copy of the relevant LCEB certificates. 16

17 Section 8 Auditor Certification This should be signed by a person who comes under one of the categories listed in paragraphs 31and 32 of Annex A. Any amendments made must be endorsed by the Certifying Auditor in ink. I certify that I have examined the entries in this claim and the related records of the claimant, and have carried out such tests and have obtained such explanations as I consider necessary. I certify that we have examined the documentation listed in section 2 and each of the declarations set out in sections i) to iii) is correct. (Subject to the observations in the attached report) I am of the opinion that the entries are fairly stated and that Bus Service Operators Grant has been claimed in accordance with the conditions of eligibility for grant included within this form. Signed Date Name (capitals) Name of practice Accountancy qualification * Full address Postcode Telephone number address Reference * see paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex A. 17

18 ANNEX A BSOG - Conditions imposed under Section 154 of the Transport Act 2000 It is the operator s responsibility to read and understand these conditions before claiming BSOG Caution - False statements in support of any claim will normally result in the cessation of all payments and may constitute an offence for which serious penalties may be imposed. 1. Payment of BSOG based on an operator s estimated claim (PSV310) is conditional upon a duly completed certified claim (PSV311E), supported by accurate records if requested, being submitted to the Department for Transport within three months from the end of the period to which the estimate refers. For this purpose, the claimant must provide affirmative responses to each declaration contained in sections 2i), ii) and (as applicable) iii) of form PSV311E. Failure to submit a certified claim in accordance with the conditions set out in Annex A to form PSV311E will result in quarterly payments being withheld and may even lead to the recovery of any monies paid on estimate. 2. BSOG will not be paid on any claim that relates to a claim year which ended more than three calendar months before the date on which the claim is submitted (except where an estimated claim has previously been submitted). Categories of grant payment 3. Annex B sets out the detailed rules on eligibility for BSOG. Operators should note two significant changes to the previous arrangements, which is that grant may not be claimed by: - the operator of a local service after 31 December 2013 that is financially supported under contract by a local authority; - the operator of a local service after 30 September 2013 run under contract to Transport for London. Completing the form 4. A separate claim must be submitted in respect of each type of fuel used (eg diesel, petrol, unleaded petrol, liquid petroleum gas or compressed gas). 5. Grant may be claimed for dead (empty or light ) kms. By dead kms we mean: a) the empty journey from the operating base to the start point of a registered eligible service; b) the corresponding dead journey at the end of a live eligible trip to return to depot at the end of a shift; c) any trip linking the end of one eligible live service and the start of another live eligible service; d) a trip linking an ineligible service (eg: private hire or closed contract) to the start of a registered eligible live journey is eligible for BSOG. However, a dead trip from the end of a live eligible journey to the start of an ineligible service is not eligible for the grant; e) finally, if after completing an eligible service run the vehicle goes on to undertake an ineligible job an operator must not claim any dead mileage simply based on an assumed distance equivalent to that undertaken had the vehicle returned to the operating yard. 6. The dead kms shown in sections 4 and 5 must be actual kms run and should not be merely a percentage calculation of the eligible local service kms. 7. Operators should normally complete section 3(a)/(b) and (e)/(f) and the grant will be calculated using kms per litre achieved by all vehicles which do at least 50% of their kms on eligible work. However, if there are no vehicles which do at least 50% of their kms on local services or if the operator s records are insufficiently detailed to determine the figures required then operators may complete sections 3(c)/(d) and (g)/(h) and the grant will be calculated using the kms per litre achieved by the entire fleet of public service vehicles. 8. Whichever parts of section 3 are completed you must include all the kms and all the fuel for the vehicles concerned whether run on eligible services or not. Please note that while all the kms and all the fuel must be included, it is not necessary to allocate them between eligible and non-eligible services. 9. All the eligible kms in section 4 must appear in section 5 split by the route on which they were operated. 10. You must supply a published timetable and fare table and maps for any service which has not previously appeared or has been amended during this claim period. 11. Operators who are part of a Better Bus Area (BBA) should complete section 6 stating the name of the BBA they belong to. 12. The amount of BSOG that may be paid will be calculated according to the rate set by the Department for Transport when the kms were run. If the rate of grant has changed during the period covered by this claim, separate figures of eligible kms are required in section 4 for the periods in respect of which the different rates applied. 13. If an operator maintains records using miles and gallons the following conversion factors should be used to arrive at kilometres and litres: a) Miles to kilometres multiply by 1.61 b) Gallons to litres multiply by Certified claims should be forwarded to the address given on page 23 of this form, to arrive no later than three months from the end of the period to which the claim refers. Failure to do so could result in future payments of grant being withheld and may even lead to the recovery of monies already paid on estimate. 15. An operator must inform the Department of any change in his/her circumstances, eg cancellation of services, which was not foreseen at the time the estimate on form PSV310 was submitted and which has a material effect on the amount of grant he/she may receive. 16. On receipt of the certified claim the Department will add 1% to the eligible local service kms before calculating the actual amount of grant the operator should have received during the period. The 1% addition represents an allowance to cover miscellaneous kms incurred on test, maintenance, driver training etc which whilst not an 18

19 inherent part of the operation of a particular route, is nevertheless part of an operator s local service operation as a whole. The amount of grant which should have been paid in the period will be compared with the amount of grant that has been paid based on the estimated claim on PSV310. Any underpayment of grant will result in an additional payment being made to the operator. Any overpayment will be recovered in one lump sum from the next available quarterly payment in the current year, following the processing of the certified claim. 17. Any costs incurred in the preparation of a claim are the responsibility of the operator making the claim. Definitions 18. A tendered service is one where a local transport authority has invited tenders for the operation of a service (ie not seats on a bus or subsidised tickets etc), and a contract exists as a result of that tender. 19. A commercial service is one provided by an operator which is not supported financially under a contract to a local authority and which meets the relevant eligibility criteria set out in Annexes A and B of this form. Claims from operators running Transport for London (TfL) tendered services 20. Please note that BSOG funding for TfL services is devolved to TfL from 1 October No claims for TfL services should be submitted from this date onwards. 21. TfL tendered services are not eligible for the smartcard or AVL incentives. Operators of these services should not therefore provide the information described in paragraph 23 below. Some operators, however, submit claims which cover both services which are part of the TfL tendered network, and ones which are not part of this network. In such a case operators must provide the above information only in respect of buses used on the non-tfl services. They must also provide separate details of the kilometres operated on the TfL and non-tfl services. Claiming the smartcard and AVL incentives 22. Please note you should not claim smartcard incentives on this form: a) unless your ITSO readers are encoded to recognise all English concessionary travel passes. You are also reminded that ITSO readers must be kept up to date with any new concessionary travel products and fulfil the eligibility criteria set out at: b) if you have received separate funding from DfT for smartcard and/or AVL equipment as part of a managed service scheme. 23. To claim the incentives, operators must complete section 7 of this certified claim showing: a) how many buses they need to run their BSOG eligible services (Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) plus spares) at the end of the claim period; b) how many of those buses were eligible for both the smartcard and AVL incentives at the end of the claim period; c) how many of those buses were eligible for the smartcard incentive alone at the end of the claim period; and d) how many of those buses were eligible for the AVL incentive alone at the end of the claim period. 24. If smartcard and or AVL equipment has been moved from one vehicle to another during the claim year, operators should avoid double counting by only including the bus on which the equipment is operating at the end of the claim period. 25. Bus operators must keep a list of the registration numbers of all those vehicles for which they have claimed either the smartcard or AVL incentive and must provide this to Department for Transport officials or DVSA (formerly known as VOSA) Traffic Examiners if requested. Claiming the Low Carbon Emission Bus (LCEB) Incentive 26. An additional payment will be paid for all eligible kilometres operated by LCEBs. For a full description of a LCEB for BSOG purposes please refer to the guidance at: Records 27. Every operator must maintain records in support of their claim. The records that must be held as a minimum are: a) a detailed fleet list of the vehicles used for claiming BSOG during this claim period; b) detailed records in support of all kms travelled by each of the above vehicles during this claim period; c) detailed records of all fuel supplied to the above vehicles during this claim period; d) confirmation that the fuel consumption of each vehicle is within tolerance for the make and type of vehicle; e) accurate measurements of the local service kms and dead kms for each route entered in sections 5a to 5c of this claim form; f) detailed records of how the above figures have been used to compile annual data for each route, taking into account weekday, Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday variations; g) detailed records of lost service kilometres (eg due to breakdowns, bad weather, road closures etc), or additional/gained mileage through the operation of duplicates due to high demand etc; h) those which confirm that only eligible services run on a commercial basis have been claimed in section 5a; i) those which confirm that only tendered services have been claimed in section 5b; j) those which confirm that only TfL services have been claimed in section 5c; k) those which confirm compliance with the eligibility rules regarding school services; l) those which confirm that the ITSO smartcard readers are encoded to recognise all English concessionary travel passes,kept up to date with any new concessionary travel products and be encoded within the notification period required by DfT The Department reserves the right to request such further information as it deems fit to obtain any further assurance on the claim, including for the prevention and detection of fraud. 29. Officers of the Department or DVSA will make periodic visits to operators premises to inspect records kept in support of claims. Records should be available for inspection at any reasonable time and remain available for not less than twelve months from the date on which the certified PSV311E is submitted to the Department. The Department also reserves the right to share data with agencies and/or local authorities, eg DVSA, the Traffic Commissioners, DVLA etc. The records must be retained and available until at least 12 months have passed since the PSV311E was submitted to the Department. 30. It is the operator s responsibility to ensure records are held securely at all times. Failure to produce records due to theft or destruction by e.g. fire or flood will not be accepted as justification for non production. BSOG will not be paid where records have not been held or made available for inspection. 19

20 Certification 31. Every claim on PSV311E must be certified by an accountant/ auditor who is not in the employ of and who has no relationship with the operator and who is a member of one or more of the bodies listed below: a) Association of Chartered Certified Accountants; b) Association of International Accountants; c) Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy; d) Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales; e) Chartered Accountants Ireland; f) Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. 32. The Department recognises that there is an EU mutual recognition directive, which might require including accountants who are members of the EU professional bodies. There are also mutual recognition agreements, on accounting professionals, between UK and other non-eu countries. If your claim/s for certification falls under this category, you are advised to seek the Department s approval, in advance, prior to submitting a claim. The Department will reserve the right to carry out an independent check with the appropriate accountancy governing body for advice, prior to settlement. Treatment of claims 33. The Department may withhold whatever percentage of an operator s quarterly payments they consider appropriate, including complete withdrawal of quarterly payments on estimate, and may seek to recover any monies paid on estimate where: a) estimates appear unreasonably high in view of the operator s performance in recent years; b) an operator consistently over-estimates; c) an operator fails to submit a certified claim (PSV311E) within the time allowed. 34. The Secretary of State may withhold payment of BSOG completely where: b) records in support of operators claims (see paragraph 27) are incomplete; c) operators have not informed the Department of any change in circumstances, eg cancellation of services, which was not foreseen at the time the estimate on form PSV310 was submitted, and which has had a material effect on the amount of grant due (see paragraph 15); d) operators have previously provided false information or misled the Department; e) operators have themselves, or in connection with others, been accepted onto the BSOG scheme in the past and have left the scheme owing the Department money; f) the Department has reason to believe that the claimant has not complied with any condition imposed by the Secretary of State under section 154(3) of the Transport Act 2000 (see this Annex A) and/or if any of the services to which the claim related is not an eligible bus service within the meaning given by section 154(5) of the Transport Act 2000 (see the following Annex B). 35. The Secretary of State may adjust overpayments or underpayments by whatever means he/she considers appropriate. The Secretary of State may also carry out credit checks on operators where he/she considers this to be appropriate. Data Protection Act Personal information collected on this form will be used by the Department for Transport for administering the Bus Service Operators Grant. We may share information for the purpose of counter fraud activity with agencies and/or local authorities, eg DVSA, the Traffic Commissioners and DVLA etc. 37. It is suggested that the claimant familiarise themselves with the Fraud Act 2006 and the Bribery Act Any enquiries regarding the completion of this form should be made to the address given on page 23 a) records in support of operators claims (see paragraph 27) are not held; 20

21 ANNEX B - Conditions of Eligibility for BSOG The Bus Service Operators Grant is a discretionary grant which may be paid under section 154(1) of the Transport Act 2000 by the Department for Transport on behalf of the Secretary of State in respect of eligible bus services within the meaning given by section 154(5) of the 2000 Act. This grant is payable only on a local service as defined in section 2 of the Transport Act 1985, or a community transport service provided by an operator possessing a permit under section 19 of the 1985 Act. The service(s) must then meet the further requirements detailed in the Bus Service Operators Grant (England) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002 No 1015) - as most recently amended by the Bus Service Operators Grant (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013 No 2100). 1. A bus service is an eligible bus service for the purposes of section 154 of the Transport Act 2000 (grants to bus service operators) if it is one of the following classes: a) a local service provided or secured: i) by a local authority pursuant to arrangements made under section 509 of the Education Act 1996(d), or ii) for persons who have attained the age of sixty years or disabled persons, and in respect of which the conditions set out in paragraph 2 are satisfied; b) a local service, other than a service described in paragraph (1)(a) in respect of which the conditions set out in paragraph 3 are satisfied; c) a bus service being provided by an operator to whom a permit under section 19 of the Transport Act 1985(a) has been issued and remains in force, and in respect of which the conditions set out in paragraph 4 are satisfied. 2. The conditions referred to in paragraph 1a) are that: a) seats on the vehicle by means of which the service is provided are available to members of the general public and the service is regularly used by such members; b) the stopping arrangements are such that: i) all the fixed stopping places (whether marked or otherwise generally recognised) other than at the service termini) are located where they are likely to be used with reasonable frequency by members of the general public, and ii) in any section of the area of operation of the service where there are no fixed stopping places, the arrangements for determining when and where passengers may be taken up and set down are such that members of the general public may take advantage of them with reasonable frequency; c) members of the general public are able to make a single journey between any two stopping places (to the extent that such journeys are provided for in the registered particulars having regard to boarding and alighting restrictions) upon payment of a fare that is not a deliberate deterrent to their use of the service; d) in the case of a flexible service, the advance booking arrangements are such that they do not act as a deterrent to members of the general public wishing to make a single journey which is otherwise provided for in the particulars of registration; e) members of the general public are able to pay the fare at a place and in a manner which are not a deliberate deterrent to their use of the service; f) arrangements are made which afford members of the general public a reasonable opportunity to inform themselves of the existence of the service, the times of its operation, and the places which it serves; and g) the service is not a tendered service. 3. The conditions referred to in paragraph 1b) are that: a) at least half of the accommodation on the vehicle by means of which the service is provided is available to members of the general public and the service is regularly used by such members; b) the stopping arrangements are such that: i) all the fixed stopping places (whether marked or otherwise generally recognised) are located where they are likely to be used with reasonable frequency by members of the general public, and ii) in any section of the area of operation of the service where there are no fixed stopping places, the arrangements for determining when and where passengers may be taken up and set down are such that members of the general public may take advantage of them with reasonable frequency; c) members of the general public are able to make a single journey between two stopping places (to the extent that such journeys are provided for in the registered particulars having regard to boarding and alighting restrictions) upon payment of a fare that is not a deliberate deterrent to their use of the service; d) in the case of a flexible service, the advance booking arrangements are such that they do not act as a deterrent to members of the general public wishing to make a single journey which is otherwise provided for in the particulars of registration; e) members of the general public are able to pay the fare at a place and in a manner which are not a deliberate deterrent to their use of the service; f) there is not displayed on the vehicle by means of which the service is provided any sign or description intended or likely to convey the impression that the service is only available to a particular category of person; g) arrangements are made which afford members of the general public a reasonable opportunity to inform themselves of the existence of the service, times of its operation and the places which it serves; 21

22 h) the service is not a temporary service (ie a service that is intended to operate for less than six consecutive weeks and is not an emergency service ie urgently required for the purpose of- aa) maintaining an existing service; bb) securing the provision of a service in place of a service which has ceased to operate; or cc) securing the provision of a service to meet any public transport requirement which has risen unexpectedly); i) the service is not a London franchised service (ie a service provided by Transport for London or any of its subsidiaries, or by any other person other than a not for profit section 19 operator in pursuance of an agreement entered into by Transport for London or any of its subsidiaries); j) the service is not one in connection with which a special amenity element fare is charged (ie a fare that is significantly high in relation to the general level of fares charged for comparable journeys); k) the service is not operated primarily for the purposes of tourism or because of the historical interest of the vehicle; l) the service is not a local authority service (ie a service administered and run by a relevant local authority under a permit granted under section 19 using only local authority staff); and m) the service is not a rail replacement service (ie a service for the carriage of passengers by road provided temporarily in place of the whole or part of any service for the carriage of passengers by railway that has been temporarily discontinued, reduced or modified). 4. The conditions referred to in paragraph 1c) are that the service is used wholly or mainly by: a) persons aged 60 years or more; b) disabled persons,(i.e. a person who has a physical or mental impairment which has substantial long term adverse effects on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities); c) persons in receipt of income support under section 124 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992; d) persons in receipt of universal credit under part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012; e) persons in receipt of jobseeker s allowance under the Jobseekers Act 1995; f) persons in receipt of employment and support allowance payable under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007; g) persons suffering a degree of social exclusion by virtue of unemployment, poverty or other economic factors, homelessness, geographical remoteness, ill health, or religious or cultural mores; h) persons who believe that it would be unsafe for them to use any public passenger transport services; or i) carers or persons under 16 years of age accompanying any of the above. The final decision as to whether or not a grant will be paid in particular cases remains a matter for the Secretary of State s discretion. Where there is doubt about the eligibility of a service under these criteria, advice should be sought from the Department - see address on page

23 ANNEX C - Notes for guidance of auditors 1. In order that the claim may be certified, auditors should carry out such tests as they consider necessary which should include a sample check of the compilation of figures in respect of the routes listed in section 5 to satisfy themselves of the accuracy of the figures given in the claim. Records kept by the operator must be able to support all the figures given in the claim. 2. In checking this claim against the records maintained by the operator, auditors should have regard for the following points: a) It should be possible to determine from the operator s records the total kms operated during the period covered by the claim and the split between eligible local services and non-eligible services. The total should be reconciled with the total actual vehicles kilometres operated, account being taken of such nonroute kilometres as those done in connection with PSV testing, driver training, private hire contracts and maintenance. b) All routes listed in section 5 must be eligible local services during the period covered by this claim, and must satisfy the conditions set out in Annex B above. Non-eligible kms must not be included in section 5. If there are any doubts as to the eligibility of a particular service then advice is available from the address on page 23, telephoning or by at bsog@dft.gsi.gov.uk. c) For any route listed in section 5 it must be possible to build up from the operator s records, the local service kms and dead kms eligible for grant, taking account of any curtailments or cancellation of scheduled services (eg public holidays, school holidays, road closures or inclement weather). d) Grant should only be claimed on dead kms run in respect of eligible local services as set out in paragraph 5 of Annex A. e) Where section 3(a)/(b) and/or (e)/(f) has been completed, the fuel entered at (b)/(f) should relate solely to vehicles whose kms have been included at (a)/(e). Fuel issued to and kms operated by vehicles not used for at least 50% of their kms on eligible local services should NOT have been included. Similarly if section 3(c)/(d) and/or (g)/(h) has been completed, the fuel entered at (d)/(h) should relate solely to the vehicles whose kms have been included at (c)/(g). (See also paragraphs 7 and 8 of Annex A. 3. Finally, in checking the accuracy of this form you are confirming that you have checked the documentation listed in section 2 (operator undertakings), and that the operator s declaration is correct. Checklist box as appropriate I have enclosed timetables for all new services that appear on this claim I have enclosed faretables for all new services that appear on this claim My banking details remain as previously notified (please contact the BSOG team immediately if your banking details have changed) Links to websites Useful information Further information on local bus subsidy reform and regulation can be found at: Documents relating to Background to the Bus Service Operators Grant: Contact us: If you need more information, you can contact the BSOG team by writing to us at: Bus Service Operators Grant Department for Transport Room D/06, Ashdown House Sedlescombe Road North St Leonards on Sea East Sussex TN37 7GA You can also telephone us at: Or by at: bsog@dft.gsi.gov.uk 23