Improving bus reliability and convenience are the top ways to influence people to use the bus more, according to an extensive report newly published by the Department for Transport.
Increasing Bus Patronage Through An Audience Strategy is a review of 55 literature sources, including government whitepapers and research and a 20-minute online survey of 8000 people in England in October 2021. It was commissioned by DfT and carried out by Yonder Consulting.
When the public were asked what factors were most important when choosing a mode of transport, 88% agreed with the statement “how reliable my mode of transport is” – as opposed to 82% for “how easy or difficult it is to complete my journey”. Seventy-five percent agreed with “how unsafe or unsafe I feel”, just ahead of the 74% for “overall journey time”. “Ability to travel flexibly, without any prior planning” was next most commonly chosen (72%), followed by “how much I need to carry (70%).
The survey results showed that six in ten “infrequent” bus users and nine in ten non-users said they would be unlikely to use the mode in the future. This suggested to the report’s authors that interventions would be required to change opinions.
The report went on to state that bus was seen from the research to perform well in the following areas which any interventions should not negatively impact on: easy of journey, safety from others, simplicity of journey planning, availability of nearby bus stops, accessibility, availability of bus routes and availability of real-time information.
Overall, the bus is perceived to underperform on reliability, overall journey time, and flexibility, according to the report.
The research highlighted that the bus was the second most frequently used mode of transport but buses would need to offer a viable alternative to the car to increase patronage.
The paper categorised public attitudes by breaking down the public into six categories when it came to bus use: sustainable urbanites, pragmatic professionals, anxious vulnerables, open-minded potentials, apprehensive avoiders and car-living critics. It outlined key areas for operators to focus on to attract each group to the bus.
