Jonathan Welch takes a look at some of the findings from the most recent set of bus use figures for England
The latest bus statistics for England show that the number of local bus passenger journeys saw an increase of 0.2 billion, or 7%, to 3.6 billion in the year ending March 2024. This remains below the pre-Covid figure of 4.1 billion in the year ending March 2020. In the year ending March 2024, there were 1.0 billion bus service miles operated in England, broadly similar to the previous 12 month period.
In the year to March 2024, the total number of concessionary journeys (including elderly, disabled and youth concessions) made up 28% of journeys on local buses in England, 1.0 billion in total, down from 29% in the year ending March 2023, and 32% immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic. The percentage of concessionary pass users in England outside London and within London was the same.
Looking at the longer term trend in local bus journeys in England since the year ending March 2005, bus use increased between the years ending March 2005 and March 2009, after which it remained fairly stable until the year ending March 2015, before gradually beginning to fall again, until the pandemic hit the industry in 2020 and 2021. Since then, bus use has been continually recovering, figures show, with local bus journeys in the year ending March 2024 being up to 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
London services
There were 1.8 billion passenger journeys made by local buses in London in the year ending March 2024, an increase of 5% compared with the previous year, and accounting for 51% of all passenger journeys made by local buses in England in the year. Until the year ending March 2013, bus use in London increased every year since the year to March 2005, before starting to gradually decline until the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regional operations
The latest figures show that there were also some 1.8 billion passenger journeys made by local buses in England outside London, an increase of 10% compared with the year ending March 2023, continuing the recovery from the previous year and reaching 91% of pre-pandemic levels.
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