|
Over 90% of public transport use in the
West Midlands is by bus. Buses carry about 1 million passengers
every day, of which 66% do not have access to a car. Hundreds of
thousands of people are dependent on bus services for their everyday
travel needs. Some areas of the West Midlands are more dependent
than others.
Car ownership levels in
the West Midlands are far lower than comparable conurbations in
mainland Europe. Whilst traffic congestion is a problem now, the
forecasts for traffic with a 'do nothing' approach are far worse.
Many existing bus users
will aspire to owning a car over the next ten years and there will
be a worsening effect on congestion. To avoid the traffic congestion
forecast, the West Midlands has to transform the poor existing image
of bus services many people have so that more and more will choose
to use the bus, particularly at busy times.
A key objective of such
an approach is to retain existing users, particularly for peak journeys
as they gain access to a car for the first time. Bus services need
to promote social inclusion, by getting people without a car easily
to destinations. They also need to maintain and develop transport
market share.
Patronage
The bus will continue to be the main provider
of public transport in the region. However, as in all other areas
outside London, bus patronage has been in long-term decline over
the last forty years. For example, in 1980, just over 500 million
passenger journeys were made by bus in the West Midlands. By 2004,
fewer than 315 million journeys were made by bus - more than 30% less.
If you are interested in statistics, click on the link to Annual
Statistics for Bus 2004/5
Operators
There are approximately 50 operators
of registered local bus services in the West Midlands. The largest
bus operator in the area is Travel West Midlands, which accounts
for over 80% of all journeys.
Other operators include Diamond, ARRIVA,
Stagecoach South Midlands, Firstbus and Centralconnect. There are also a number of smaller companies operating
in the area.
If you wish to report incorrect information at a bus stop click here
|
