Bus use on the up discovers national survey
Average trips on buses outside London increased from 25 to 28 trips per person in 2024, according to the Government’s latest statistics.
The National Travel Survey (NTS) collected personal travel by residents of England travelling within Great Britain. Data is collected via interviews and a seven-day travel diary, which enables analysis of patterns and trends in travel behaviours. The latest findings are from the survey conducted during 2024.
Despite the growth of bus use outside London, trips on buses in the capital decreased from 14 to 13 trips per person in 2024. This was a decrease of 7% compared to 2023.
According to the survey, the increase in trip rates on buses outside London in 2024 may have at least partially been impacted by the national £2 bus fare cap that came into affect in January 2023.
Trip rates for buses (in and outside London) remained below pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
The survey found females of all ages made more bus trips but travelled a similar distance by bus compared to males. Males and females aged 17 to 20 made the most bus trips with 94 and 81 trips per person respectively and travelled a longer distance on average by bus than other age groups with 474 miles per person and 362 miles per person respectively.
“The national bus fare cap, together with investment by bus companies in new routes, services and vehicles, has boosted the popularity of bus travel” – Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the CPT
Commenting on the findings, Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the CPT, said: “Bus operators welcome evidence today of a significant increase in bus travel in England during 2024. The number of bus journeys per person annually rose from 25 to 28 outside London, underlining the bus’s position as Britain’s favourite form of public transport. The national bus fare cap, together with investment by bus companies in new routes, services and vehicles, has boosted the popularity of bus travel.
“It was notable that the only part of the country to see a decrease in bus travel was London, where traffic congestion has slowed down buses, deterring passengers.
“Buses across Britain carry 11 million people every day to work, to education and to access local services. On average, people outside London travelled 139 miles by bus over the course of the year – equivalent to a journey from Exeter to Oxford, or from Carlisle to Hull.”