That’s according to a new report from LowCVP entitled ‘Any journey is greener by bus’, which was commissioned by campaign group Greener Journeys and launched yesterday (9 February) at the UK Bus Summit, in London.
The report identifies several improvements that have boosted passenger numbers, including cleaner vehicle technology, real-time travel information, integrated ticketing, free WiFi and charging, improved seating, shorter journey times, better routing and bus priority measures such as bus lanes.
Some of the areas experiencing the biggest growth in bus use are Bristol (19% increase from 2009/10 to 2015/16), Reading (17%), Milton Keynes (15%) and Oxfordshire (12%).
Further north, York has seen a 7% increase in bus usage since 2011/12 – the equivalent of an extra 600,000 passenger journeys per year, says the report.
Claire Haigh, chief executive of Greener Journeys, says: “This new report clearly shows that investment in buses, and prioritisation of bus networks, can reap real rewards by increasing passenger numbers and taking more cars off the road, with all the economic, social and environmental benefits that brings.
“We would encourage councils and operators across the UK to look at the innovative services, measures for tackling congestion and clean bus technology detailed in this report as a model for raising usage and sparking their own bus renaissance.”
Andy Eastlake, LowCVP’s managing director, says: “This report, the third in a series on progress in the bus industry, shows that innovation in technology is a part – but only a part – of what will make passengers return to the buses in greater numbers.
“Buses have the potential to play a central role, particularly in cities of the future where the idea of mobility as a service is already becoming a reality,” he says, adding that industry must ensure it keeps pace with the services that modern passengers now expect.
Click below to see the full report.