The number of public transport journeys in Victoria, Australia increased from 518 million in 2010-2011 to 537 million in 2011-2012. Buses saw the biggest growth – 16% - with an extra 17 million trips.
Public transport chiefs attributed the spike to new bus routes, more frequent services, extended hours, increasingly popular university bus routes and Smart Buses, which provide high frequency cross-town services.
Public Transport Victoria CEO and Chair Ian Dobbs said bus use had more than doubled in the past six years.
“Buses have the capacity to carry a lot more people, particularly in off-peak periods, and this result shows that public transport users will use buses when routes are direct, run regularly and connect with other transport modes”.
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