The body supporting bus passengers in the UK is calling for communities to be at the heart of transport planning with long-term, fully funded support for public, shared and active travel.
It says, with the latest figures from the Department for Transport showing a mixed picture for UK bus services with bus mileage down and passenger journeys up, thanks in part to the £2 fare cap in England and free travel for the under 22s in Scotland.
In its Manifesto for Bus Services, it puts bus priority measures among its “key asks”, along with a commitment to ensuring services are fully accessible, integrated with other transport modes and built around housing developments, education, employment and healthcare. Bus Users is also calling for simplified fares, a lifting of restrictions on concessionary passes and a legal requirement for local authorities to provide socially necessary services.
Claire Walters, Chief Executive of Bus Users UK said: “Bus services are the most accessible, affordable and used form of public transport and the lifeblood of local communities. But they have been failed by transport policy that consistently favours the private car regardless of the social, environmental and economic cost.
“Initiatives such as England’s fare cap and Scotland’s free travel for young people are clearly having an impact but bus mileage continues to fall as operators manage rising costs, short-term funding and congestion. We need to radically rethink the way we travel and we would urge the newly elected Government to prioritise public, shared and active travel for a healthier and more sustainable future.”
(Picture – Bus Users UK)
