The number of bus trips and distance travelled per person in England outside London did not increase in 2022-23 compared to 2022, according to mid-period estimates from the government’s yearly National Travel Survey (NTS).
In the year ending June 2023, the average person outside the capital took 23 bus trips per year – the same as for the 2022 calendar year. This was 28% down on the 32 trips per person in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on travel habits.
It was a similar story for distance travelled on buses outside London. Figures showed this remained at 120 miles per person for 2023 – 24% down on prepandemic (158).
However, the recovery of bus use was more clearly seen the London statistics. Here, bus trips per person picked up from 14 in 2022 to 16 for the 2023 midway estimate – 50% of the way back up to the 2018-19 level of 18. Bus distance travelled per person rose from 54 miles in 22 to 58 in 2022-2023. This was below the 73 miles per person in 2019.
The NTS is a household survey collecting data from interviews and seven-day travel diaries and has a sample size of more than 10,000 for the 2023 version.
Can or van driver journeys rose from 337 in 2022 to 346 for the year ending June 2023. This compared to 380 trips per person in 2019. Distance travelled as a car driver increased from 2,726 miles in 2022 to 2,889 miles in 2022-2023. The figure was 3,198 miles for 2019.
As regards bus travel outside London, the survey results differ markedly from the Office for National Statistics’ latest figures. Those figures showed bus journey numbers rose by 19.3% in England for the 2022-23 financial year versus the year earlier.
