Intalink
Encyclopedia
Intalink is the organisation responsible for organising the management of public transport services in Hertfordshire
on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council
. This relates to buses and trains at the moment, but in the future tram services could be introduced. They design, create and promote cross-operator multi-journey tickets and occasionally run competitions. They manage Quality Bus Partnerships maintaining good standards along routes that need it. Along with this, they provide printed timetables, maps and leaflets promoting the above services.
They also have a number of specific aims, such as persuading operators to submit bus registrations and service change notifications to the council using new Electronic Bus Service Registration techniques, making sure operators do not make an excessive number of changes within a short period of time to maintain stability and to make sure operators keep a high standard of service running.
They have a website providing information about the services they provide. There are short films promoting public transport and information on the ticket offers available. There are also links to the timetables, maps, how to find the nearest bus stop and how to plan journeys using Traveline
.
In addition to the above, they also have a Twitter
account detailing any service updates or changes in the future.
Tickets are available and accepted on almost every service within the county, with few exceptions. The main exceptions are school services, coaches and services contracted to Transport for London
. The Explorer is also valid in a number of locations outside the county, mainly services contracted to Essex County Council and services that are mainly in-county but leave the county for a section of route. All Intalink-produced timetables show the validity of Explorer tickets.
From the end of August 2010 the price of the single person tickets will increase. The adult will become £8 and the concessionary will become £4. The £12 four-person ticket will remain unchanged.
There are also proposals to convert the rail line from Watford
to St Albans
from rail, operated by London Midland
, to a tram service operated by the county (possibly under Intalink branding). This would present a unique situation in the county as currently there are no trams running as a public service in Hertfordshire.
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
. This relates to buses and trains at the moment, but in the future tram services could be introduced. They design, create and promote cross-operator multi-journey tickets and occasionally run competitions. They manage Quality Bus Partnerships maintaining good standards along routes that need it. Along with this, they provide printed timetables, maps and leaflets promoting the above services.
Intalink Strategy
On behalf of the county council, Intalink have a number of responsibilities and duties in a wide variety of areas. These involve making sure that the public is aware of the Intalink brand and the services provided. They also seek to reduce congestion and emissions through the use of careful planning with operators. They also believe that social exclusion, accessibility, travel plans and mode share (where people share a mode of transport, such as taxis or cars) are important factors in Hertfordshire. They aim to demonstrate the advantages of public transport to users, communities, local authorities, businesses, leisure and health and new members that could wish to join the Intalink community. They aim to keep the public transport in Hertfordshire to a high standard in conjunction with local operators.They also have a number of specific aims, such as persuading operators to submit bus registrations and service change notifications to the council using new Electronic Bus Service Registration techniques, making sure operators do not make an excessive number of changes within a short period of time to maintain stability and to make sure operators keep a high standard of service running.
Publications
As part of their duties Intalink release a number of publications. Many of these are available on the website organised into specific categories. The publications include:- Area Travel Guides (showing timetables and maps of train and bus services). These are divided into 7 main areas of Hertfordshire.
- A County map (showing all bus and train services in Hertfordshire, except for school services).
- Intalink Intachange magazines, published bi-monthly, providing news, information of service changes and ticket offer updates.
- Leaflets showing information about contracted services (such as the S services around St Albans)
- Bus stop timetables, where operators do not provide their own.
They have a website providing information about the services they provide. There are short films promoting public transport and information on the ticket offers available. There are also links to the timetables, maps, how to find the nearest bus stop and how to plan journeys using Traveline
Traveline
Traveline is a partnership between local authorities and transport operators in the UK to provide impartial and comprehensive information about public transport which has operated since 2000...
.
In addition to the above, they also have a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account detailing any service updates or changes in the future.
Ticketing
Intalink manages a number of ticketing schemes across the county in coordination with bus operators. These are outlined below.Intalink Explorer
The Explorer ticket was introduced in 2001 and started off as a simple £6 ticket for one person that provided unlimited bus travel throughout the county. Since then it has developed and in there are three current types of Explorer tickets available:- Unlimited travel for up to four people, no matter whether adult or child, across the whole network for £10.
- Unlimited travel for one adult across the whole network for £8.
- Unlimited travel for one child(Under 11), or concessionary travel receiver, across the whole network for £4.
Tickets are available and accepted on almost every service within the county, with few exceptions. The main exceptions are school services, coaches and services contracted to Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
. The Explorer is also valid in a number of locations outside the county, mainly services contracted to Essex County Council and services that are mainly in-county but leave the county for a section of route. All Intalink-produced timetables show the validity of Explorer tickets.
From the end of August 2010 the price of the single person tickets will increase. The adult will become £8 and the concessionary will become £4. The £12 four-person ticket will remain unchanged.
BusNET
This offers discounted season tickets to travel within specific places within the county. It is aimed at local students and businesses to get colleagues between home and their place of work or study. There are two examples in the county currently:- HertfordHertfordHertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
Town Centre - HatfieldHatfield, HertfordshireHatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
Business Park
PlusBus
This is a national scheme allowing integrated bus and train travel for one price. Intalink currently manage the promotion of this scheme in Hertfordshire. It is currently at 35 out of 50 rail stations in Hertfordshire and for a small supplementary charge to a rail ticket, unlimited bus travel in the area around the railway station is available. More information about the areas of validity are available on the PlusBus information page on the Intalink website.Future developments
In the future, there are many plans to promote and improve public transport through Intalink. There are plans to introduce real time information showing what time a bus will actually arrive, as opposed to the current system where just the scheduled time is shown. Bus stop timetables may be changed; currently Intalink are trialling stop specific timetables as opposed to the current type where the same timetable is posted at every bus stop. If the plans go ahead, operators will be able to also send out updates to the bus stops (where they have electronic displays) to display status updates and details of alterations or cancellations.There are also proposals to convert the rail line from Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
to St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
from rail, operated by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
, to a tram service operated by the county (possibly under Intalink branding). This would present a unique situation in the county as currently there are no trams running as a public service in Hertfordshire.