Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB: 2009 edition

Logo: National StatisticsThe Department for Transport has published National Statistics on public transport in Public Transport Statistics Bulletin: Great Britain 2009 Edition according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

The key points are as follows:

  • Between 2007/08 and 2008/09, passenger journeys on local buses in England are provisionally estimated to have increased by 1.6 per cent to 4,783 million journeys. This was mainly driven by an increase in bus patronage in London of 2.8 per cent with passenger journeys in the rest of England increasing by 0.5 per cent.
  • Over the same period, passenger journeys on trams and light rail systems in England increased by 1.3 per cent.
  • Bus patronage largely remained unchanged in Scotland and Wales between the two years.
  • In 2008/09 local bus operators ran 99.0 per cent of their scheduled mileage, unchanged from 2007/08. The target for 2010/11 is 99.5 per cent.
  • Average local bus fares in Great Britain increased by two per cent at constant prices (i.e. allowing for inflation) between 2007/08 and 2008/09.
  • The average rating for overall satisfaction for bus services in England is 82, unchanged from 2007/08. Overall satisfaction is higher than this in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas at 84 points out of 100. In London this rating is lower at 80 points, although both London and metropolitan areas have shown an increase of one point over the year. The score for non-metropolitan areas is unchanged from the previous year.
  • The upward trend in passenger journeys on the National Rail network continued with 1,274 million passenger journeys made in 2008/09, an increase of 3 per cent on 2007/08. Passenger kilometres travelled on national rail increased by 3.9 per cent to 50.7 billion in 2008/09 (Tables A and D).
  • London Underground passenger kilometres increased to 8.6 billion in 2008/09, up 4 per cent compared with 2007/08 (Table D).

DfT are currently undertaking a methodological review of its Public Service Vehicle survey. The estimates of bus patronage for 2007/08 and 2008/09 are based on a new estimation methodology and are provisional. Trends between the two years should be interpreted with care and comparisons with previous years will be distorted until prior years are revised. Further details can be found in Annex B of the Bulletin.

Notes

1. The publication Public Transport Statistics Bulletin Great Britain: 2009 Edition is available from Department for Transport, Statistics Travel Division, 3/09, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR, Tel: 020 7944 4139.

Publication details

Published on 29 October 2009 by Transport Statistics.

Email bus.statistics@dft.gov.uk for queries concerning this bulletin.

For information about release of this product see National Statistics Online.

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