The Managing Director of National Express UK has brought attention to the benefits the lockdown has brought to the nation, and has called for measures to be put in place to protect buses from congestion as the nation returns to work.
National Express West Midlands (NXWM) data has shown that bus journey times have been halved since the pandemic began. This, the operator says, has allowed hundreds of thousands of NHS and key workers to spend more time at home with their families instead of stuck in traffic.
Currently, data shows that bus journeys on the NXWM network are more punctual with fewer than 2% of buses arriving late in current conditions. Other benefits have included cleaner air, with levels of nitrogen oxides in Birmingham falling by over a third. Those levels are on the rise, as Department for Transport statistics show car use is up to 94% of pre-lockdown levels.
Managing Director of National Express UK Tom Stables says: “Our key workers have got us through this crisis. One of the few silver linings to come out of this horrible pandemic is that we’ve been able to give key workers back their own precious time.
“As we come out of lockdown, we need to keep the region’s buses running smoothly by protecting them from traffic congestion. If we don’t, our NHS heroes will again be spending more and more of their free time on buses stuck in traffic, when they should be at home with their loved ones.”
A survey of 7,000 people carried out by Transport for West Midlands revealed people want the legacy of the virus to be cleaner air, quieter roads and a better work-life balance.
