Bus passengers highest in three years

Tuesday 12 October was the first weekday when more people travelled by bus than on the equivalent day before the pandemic.

The number of people taking the bus outside of London has returned to pre-pandemic levels for the first time.

“Operators have worked tirelessly to make the bus as attractive as possible for passengers” – Graham Vidler, CEO of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)

Graham Vidler, CEO of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), said: “The growing number of bus passengers demonstrates the central role buses play in so many people’s lives.

“Operators have worked tirelessly to make the bus as attractive as possible for passengers, keeping fares low and investing over £2bn in cleaner, greener vehicles over the last eight years, making it the sector’s greenest and most modern fleet.

“With the majority of bus journeys outside of London capped at £2, there has never been a better time to give the bus a try.”

While welcoming the £930m of redirected HS2 funding allocated to buses in the north of England and the Midlands, CPT is urging the government to recognise the importance of buses to people’s lives across the whole country by committing to long-term, nationwide funding for the sector.

Graham continued: “Government must seize this opportunity to unlock the full potential of bus with a longer-term funding settlement.

“The payback of such investment could be huge, with buses being key drivers of economic growth, levelling up our communities and reducing our carbon emissions.”