Bus patronage in Great Britain has fallen for the third consecutive year and is at its lowest point for a decade, according to Government figures released yesterday.

 

The total number of passenger journeys on local bus services for the year to April stood at 4.9Bn, down from 5.2Bn in 2013/14. For each year since 2007 the number of passenger journeys has consistently been above 5Bn.

 

All but one region in Great Britain saw a fall in passenger journeys in the last year, with some regions clocking up several years of continued decline. In North East England bus patronage has fallen for each of the last seven years (to 180 million annual journeys) and the East Midlands has seen falls for each of the last six years (to 198 million journeys).

 

Only in the South West has the total passenger number risen in the last year, up one million to 217 million.

 

Passenger group Bus Users chief executive Claire Walters said the fall in bus patronage was “not surprising” given drops in the level of local authority subsidy and number of services.

 

“Because subsidising buses is not a statutory requirement when the cuts bite hard it is one of the things that disappear. What is not fully understood is that cuts to bus subsidy can have an impact on social isolation and lead to increases in adult social care cost.”

 

Lianna Etkind of the Campaign for Better Transport said the new figures are “the inevitable consequence of years of cuts to bus funding”, but added that the new Bus Services Act does offer hope for some areas.

 

“Local authorities can use new powers to protect or even restore bus routes, but we also need long term, sustainable funding from central Government or we will continue to see buses decline," she said.

 

Transport Focus director David Sidebottom said it is disappointing that these figures show a further decline in bus use. But he added: “We are seeing new approaches through meaningful partnerships between operators and authorities which can reverse that trend.”

 

The Department for Transport said the new Bus Services Act gives local authorities new powers and offers practical measures to bring about significant improvements for passengers and communities.

 

“Buses are vital for communities and we have given councils extra powers to work in partnership with bus companies to improve the service passengers expect and deserve,” a spokesman said. “To encourage bus use and improve journeys for passengers we provide around £250M to support bus services every year, benefiting people up and down the country.”

 

* Transportation Professional’s June issue, published early next week, includes a feature about cuts to bus service provision in rural areas.

 

(Photo: Alastair Lloyd)