The Department for Transport’s (DfT) latest annual bus statistics for England in the financial year 2010/11 indicate a slight net increase in passenger journeys, though the 0.1% rise hides a decrease in metropolitan areas, offset by an increase in London.
While passenger journeys were on an upwards trend nationwide from 2004/05 to 2008/09, with a 15% increase, the number has remained largely stable since then, with an increase in London being offset by a decrease across the rest of England.
Latest estimates for 2011 Q2 suggest a 6.6% decrease in journeys in English metropolitan areas of 6.6%, with an increase of 1.4% in London. Non-metropolitan areas show no change. The result is a very slight net increase of 0.1% passenger journeys to 4.6bn.
In an analysis of bus vehicle miles, the DfT says the statistics show little change in mileage on a nationwide scale for six years, with the figure remaining between 1.30 and 1.34bn miles. There has been a 1% increase in vehicle miles on services run by local authorities, rising to 23% of all journeys in England outside of London.
Provisional figures on operating revenue for local bus services suggest an increase of 0.6% (in inflation-adjusted real terms) equating to a 19% increase from 2004/05. Revenue per passenger journey remained broadly flat as a whole over this period and was 120 pence per journey in 2010/11.
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