That’s the key finding from a survey, commissioned by Volvo Buses, to examine the public’s opinion on greener transport and the impact on air quality. More than 1,000 people were surveyed from across the UK; respondents included car drivers, bus, train and taxi users, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Almost half (47%) say the car is still their most common mode of transport, but there is an age divide when it comes to using buses: 18% of those aged 55 and over use the bus most often, and this increases to 27% among the16- to 24-year-olds.
More than half (55%) believe more should be done with city planning to give buses priority over other traffic to speed up journeys, and four in ten would be happy to put up with delays to journeys while improvements to a city’s infrastructure are made.
The top five reasons, apart from fare prices, that would encourage more people to use a bus are: more frequent services (28%); routes to places they need to go (25%); bus stops closer to home (22%); buses that can get them to their destination quicker (14%); and cleaner bus interiors (12%).
“People often have a perception of what a bus service can be, when comparing it to, and choosing their transport options,” says Håkan Agnevall, president of Volvo Buses.
“The reality is a quieter, electric bus network allows people to have bus stops closer to their homes and where they need to go, as with no emissions and reduced noise pollution, there are few restrictions on where they can be. At the same time, less emissions means more buses can be on the streets, speeding up frequency and journey times.”