Bus and coach statistics Great Britain: 1997/98

Key Facts 1997/98

This factsheet presents some key statistics about the bus and coach industry in Great Britain in 1997/98. Most of the information presented here has been derived from returns made to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions from a sample of Public Service Vehicle operators. Key uses of the data are to monitor and develop policy for the bus and coach industry, and to assess the importance of the industry in the economy relative to other modes of transport.

More information on public transport, including commentary and figures for various parts of Great Britain, and bus and rail data from several other sources, such as the National Travel Survey, local authority/PTA financial returns, and the DETR vehicle information database, are presented in Part 5 of "Transport Statistics Great Britain:1998 Edition" (The Stationery Office, September 1998). Local statistics for Scotland and Wales are also published in Transport Statistics reports available from the Scottish Office and Welsh Office respectively.

The long term decline in passenger journeys on local buses in Great Britain has shown signs of levelling out with a decrease of less than one per cent in 1997/98. Passenger journeys in London increased by 4 per cent in the financial year. London patronage has moved against the general trend in Great Britain, with an increase of 7 per cent over the last decade. When passenger journeys in London last increased by a significant amount, by7 per cent between 1983 and 1984, this coincided with a policy of reductions in fares. In London, increased economic activity and a simpler bus fare structure, with real bus fare increases of less than one per cent in 1997/98, together with diverse patterns of employment and the enormous number of visitors, have combined to increase public transport journeys.

(i) Supply and demand

Local bus service supply in Great Britain remained at 2.6 billion vehicle kilometres in1997/98, as in the previous year. The trend in vehicle kilometres run over the last decade has been upward, by 12 per cent.

Vehicle kilometres run on other (non local) services increased to 1.6 billion, an increase of 4 per cent on the previous financial year. Over the last decade the total mileage run on tours, excursions, express work and private hire has increased by 18 percent.

In 1997/98, the trend of falling passenger journeys on local bus services in Great Britain is showing signs of levelling out, after a small fall of less than one per cent, to 4.3 billion journeys. The trend over the decade has been a decline of 18 per cent. Since 1970, passenger journeys on local buses in Great Britain have fallen by half.

(ii) Local bus fares

In 1997/98, local bus fares in Great Britain rose by 2 per cent in real terms. When compared with other transport indices, rail and local bus fares have increased by about a third in real terms since 1980. Private motoring costs, including the cost of purchase of the vehicle, road tax, insurance and maintenance, have decreased by 4 per cent over the same period.

(iii) Passenger receipts

In Great Britain in 1997/98, passenger receipts for local bus (and traditional tram) services (including concessionary fare reimbursement) were £2.6 billion, about 3 per cent above the previous year in real terms. Over the last decade receipts for local bus services have remained at about the same level in real terms.

Passenger receipts for other (non-local) services were £1.1 billion in 1997/98, up 5per cent in real terms on the previous year. The real increase over the decade has been 14per cent.

Most local bus services are operated commercially. Less public transport support is required than a decade ago, at £513 million then (at 1997/98 prices) compared to £224million in 1997/98. Concessionary fare reimbursement for elderly and disabled people has remained fairly steady over the decade, in real terms. It was worth £448 million in1997/98.

(iv) Local bus operating costs

Over the last decade, the average local bus service operating cost per vehicle kilometre in Great Britain has fallen from about £1.30 to 90 pence, in real terms. Real costs per passenger journey have fallen by a smaller margin, from about 60 pence to about 55 pence.

(v) Bus and coach stock and staff

At the end of March 1998, the bus and coach fleet in Great Britain comprised 76,200vehicles, up 300 on the previous year. Double deck vehicles accounted for 23 per cent of these, and 32 per cent were mini/midibuses with up to 35 seats. Coaches made up a quarter of the fleet, at 19,500 vehicles. Low floor and kneeling buses are entering service in many areas. About 4,000 of these were in use by 31 March 1998.

At the end of March 1998, bus and coach operators in Great Britain employed 146,000staff, slightly more than in the previous year. Of these, 75 per cent were platform staff (drivers, conductors and other on-vehicle staff) and 14 per cent were maintenance staff. Other staff, mainly in administration, declined to 12 per cent. Over the last decade staff employed in the bus and coach industry have declined by 9 per cent.

(vi) Other public transport trends in 1997/98

The national rail network, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and the other light rail and metro systems in Great Britain have shown increases in patronage. Passenger journeys on the national rail system have increased to 846 million, those on London Underground to 832 million, and those on other metro and supertram systems to 93 million. Domestic airline passengers uplifted increased by 6 per cent to 16.2 million.

Contact point:

Paul O'Hara
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Personal Travel Statistics Branch 1 (Public Transport)
1/34 Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street, SW1P 4DR
+44 (0)20 7944 3076

E-mail bus.statistics@dft.gov.uk for statistical queries concerning buses and coaches