Bus journeys in Nottinghamshire fallen by half in the last decade

The Government introduced a £2 cap on all bus journeys outside London last year to encourage more people to travel by bus.

Initially slated to end in March, the scheme has been extended by three months to June 30, while a further £80 million in funding has been provided to protect vital bus services during the same time period.

The Campaign for Better Transport said the added investment was “welcome”, but urged the Government to implement long-term funding reform to encourage more people to take the bus.

Department for Transport figures show passengers took 17.8m bus journeys in Nottinghamshire in the year to March, up from 8.8m the year before – which was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic – but down significantly on pre-pandemic levels.

In 2019-20, the last full year before the pandemic, Nottinghamshire passengers took 25.9m journeys, while over the last decade, services have been dropped by 48 per cent.

Across England, there were 2.8 billion bus journeys in 2021-22, down from 4.1bn in 2019-20.

A decade ago there were 4.6bn journeys, and the number of trips has fallen every year since 2013-14 bar last year due to the pandemic.

The Campaign for Better Transport said the extension of the £2 bus fare cap and funding for key services is “very welcome and a great success”.

Paul Tuohy, CBT chief executive, said: “Another extension only gets us so far. We are urging the Government to implement long-term funding reform to avoid more uncertainty and give everyone access to affordable and reliable bus services.”

The figures also show there were 21.5 journeys per person in Nottinghamshire in 2021-22, up from 10.6. Meanwhile, elderly or disabled passengers accounted for 4.4m, 25 per cent, journeys.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "Travelling by bus remains the most popular option for commuters and families across the country, but the sector is still trying to recover after the pandemic.

“We’re providing £155m to help passengers save money on fares, get more people on the bus and protect vital bus routes – helping with the cost of living and enabling people to get where they need to in an affordable and convenient way.”