Handling of TfL Bus shelter and bus stop faults through Fix My Street
Request ID: FOI-2468-2122 Date published: 21 February 2022
You asked
1. What is TfL’s routine system for and periodicity of inspecting its bus stop and bus shelter estate for faults?
2. When a Fix My Street fault is logged is there any on-site attempt to verify the efficacy of the fault as reported?
3. Once a problem is reported by TfL to its contractors for repair / resolution what feedback system exists for the contractor to advise TfL when works have been completed?
4. What system does TfL have in place to only feedback actual fixes to Fix My Street logged calls and not time expired auto generated assumed fixes?
5. If there is no system for question 4 in place what system does TfL have to still monitor unfixed faults (despite having been reported in Fix My Street as fixed) until its contractor has satisfactorily fixed the fault?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2468-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28 January 2022, asking about bus shelter and bus stop faults.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
What is TfL’s routine system for and periodicity of inspecting its bus stop and bus shelter estate for faults?
Transport for London (TfL) shelters are cleaned every two to four weeks, with daily reports from our cleaning contractor of any faults or defects with the stop of shelter cleaned. Bus stops are cleaned once per year and faults are reported in the same way by the cleaning operatives. RCD testing (electrical safety check) of powered bus shelters are carried out every 6 months, with a full electrical inspection and certification at least every 7 years. We inspect bus shelters at least once every two years to assess the condition; for some shelters the planned checks are as frequent as 6 monthly. Ad hoc inspections are carried out in addition to the planned inspections. Members of the public are able to report faults to our 24/7 Response Desk, our contact details are available at https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/, or use the online reporting tool Street Care https://streetcare.tfl.gov.uk/.
When a Fix My Street fault is logged is there any on-site attempt to verify the efficacy of the fault as reported?
Our staff carry out a site visit to verify the extent and type of fault and if required appropriate instruction will issued go the contractor for repair.
Once a problem is reported by TfL to its contractors for repair / resolution what feedback system exists for the contractor to advise TfL when works have been completed?
The contractors report back to TfL when faults are rectified, these completions are recorded in our systems. A fault will remain open until recorded on the system as repaired and this is monitored by our staff. A proportion of repairs are audited and the data used for performance management of the contractors.
What system does TfL have in place to only feedback actual fixes to Fix My Street logged calls and not time expired auto generated assumed fixes?
The large volume of customer reported faults received via Street Care mean that we use automatically generated fixed statuses once faults are raised to our contractors for rectification, with the times based on appropriate contractual timelines for the fault and asset type. Street Care is not integrated with our asset management / fault management systems and updating manually is not possible. If after 28 days you feel that your issue hasn’t been resolved, please let us know. You can do this by either re-reporting it or by contacting Customer Services team.
If there is no system for question 4 in place what system does TfL have to still monitor unfixed faults (despite having been reported in Fix My Street as fixed) until its contractor has satisfactorily fixed the fault?
We conduct comprehensive performance management regimes for all our contractors, including those responsible for bus stops and shelter maintenance. The KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) include rectification of faults within set time periods, which are tracked through our asset management system and reported on periodically at performance review meetings. Audits and inspections by our staff (as described in response to question 1) identify unsatisfactory performance and unresolved faults, allowing us to fail a job reported as complete or re-raise the fault if necessary. Street Care data is not used as a performance management tool for our contractors.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
