Some journey times on a bus route in the south east of England have increased by 50% in 10 years. That’s a damning indictment of the congestion problem that the industry faces.
The operator concerned has had to allocate additional vehicles to maintain previous frequencies, while undoubtedly seeing no revenue benefit. In fact, extended journey times probably mean that income has dropped.
It would be easy to wring one’s hands and gnash one’s teeth at such instances, but if the long game is to be played – impossible in some areas – an argument could be made that they strengthen bus priority’s case.
But dealing with congestion on a wider scale is a hot potato. It demands solutions that in some cases would represent political suicide.
Barring better oversight of roadworks and changes to smooth traffic through pinch points, it’s thus difficult to see how significant increases in average speeds can be achieved. Small-scale bus lanes and bus-only roads often move problems elsewhere rather than removing them.
That’s already happened in some places. In Edinburgh, Lothian Buses reports that traffic levels in the city centre have flatlined. Its greatest reliability issues are now encountered elsewhere.
Road pricing is a thorny topic, and not one that politicians are likely to touch in the current climate. It, too, will likely do little other than to displace current issues.
Is there thus an argument for the industry to contribute to the cost of extensive, meaningful bus priority? Doing so would go a way to mitigating the perception of the sector as profit-driven and with no regard for its customers.
Indeed, one mainstream media journalist is currently creating a spreadsheet with details of how operators “rip off” customers. Her source? Twitter. That’s further fuel for the fire.
