Operators ask government for national strategy to encourage more people to use buses

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Bus operators have pledged to buy only ultra-low or zero-emission vehicles from 2025 as they called on the government to outline a national strategy to encourage more people to use buses.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents most bus operators in the UK including the big five firms – Arriva, FirstGroup, Go Ahead, National Express and Stagecoach – said it wanted lower fares for jobseekers and apprentices, smart ticketing and innovative, sustainable solutions for rural areas, where bus services have been hit particularly hard.

While bus travel remains the most popular form of public transport, passenger numbers in Britain have flatlined after declining central funding led to fewer services and higher fares.

The CPT said that with government help, the bus industry could help to address the climate crisis and was targeting 1bn more passenger journeys by bus by 2030. About 4.4bn journeys a year are made by bus in Britain.

Graham Vidler, the CPT chief executive said: “Buses are already the cleanest form of road transport and have a crucial role to play in tackling environmental issues and helping to meet important targets on improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions.

“With the right support from government to make the transition, the bus industry will buy only ultra-low or zero-emission buses by 2025, reducing CO2 emissions by 500,000 tonnes a year.”

On average, more than 2 million people a day travel to work by bus, and 1 million more to school or college.

Vidler said: “If everyone switched just one car journey a month to bus, there would be 1bn fewer car journeys and a saving of 2m tonnes of CO2 a year.”

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The speed and reliability of bus services have been adversely affected by congestion in urban areas, while cash-strapped councils have withdrawn thousands of subsidised services elsewhere, especially in rural communities.

The Campaign for Better Transport, which last week called on the government to deliver a national bus strategy, welcomed the bus operators’ commitment to greener vehicles. Its chief executive, Darren Shirley, said: “Operators and government now need to work together to deliver for passengers, communities and the economy and to cut carbon emissions.”

The under secretary of state for transport, Baroness Vere, said the government was spending an additional £200m on boosting bus services and funding a range of low-emission technologies across the sector.