
Summer recovery: signpost for the future?
Passenger numbers recover to 44% in July-September quarter. Chris Cheek offers his analysis The bus use figures for last summer are dreadful, but they are a great deal better than the previous quarter A strong recovery in bus patronage during the summer quarter has been confirmed by the publication of the latest quarterly...

Watchdog finds public transport use increasing
Transport Focus finds 16% travelled by public transport in the last week, up from 12% a week earlier Seven in 10 agree that they will feel safer using public transport if passengers wear face coverings New research released by Transport Focus has found that public transport use increased by the highest amount over...

Public backs bus and cycle investment
40% of 2,000 polled want to see investment in local bus services Britons back government investment in bus services and cycling according to new research commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Green New Deal. According to the poll of 2,000 British adults by Opinium, 40% of people want to see...

First signs of COVID-19 effect in bus stats
Passenger numbers down by 13% in January-March quarter. Chris Cheek offers his analysis Bus patronage in Great Britain over the past 10 years The downward trend in bus demand in Great Britain accelerated in the quarter ended March 31, falling by 13%, according to statistics published by the Department for Transport. The fall includes...

Bus patronage was falling before coronavirus crisis
Analysis of bus use statistics for the last quarter before the COVID-19 crisis does not bode well for the industry’s post-lockdown future, writes Chris Cheek Bus demand in Great Britain maintained its downward trend in the quarter ended December 31, 2019, falling by 2.7%, according to statistics published by the Department for Transport. The...

Bus use falling, but new markets emerging
New report reveals that traditional bus markets are declining but new ones, such as ‘Millennial Bus Man’, offer a fresh long-term focus for revival The report finds that while traditional bus markets are in decline, new ones are emerging among millennials A new report by the Independent Transport Commission uncovers major changes in...

Bus drivers still key, say bus passengers
Survey shows that Stagecoach and Go-Ahead continue to set the pace in terms of bus user satisfaction, with FirstGroup still struggling to keep up A full report appeared in the latest edition of Passenger Transport Passenger watchdog Transport Focus chose to emphasise the importance of bus drivers when launching its eighth annual Bus...

HS2 can unlock true potential of network
HS2 can deliver for the regions. Growth in intra-regional travel has been spectacular in some cases, and HS2 can open up new growth opportunities – writes Chris Cheek In rail terms, there is no doubt that the needs and requirements of London and the South East tend to dominate policy considerations. This is not...