Sustained public-private investments double the number of bus journeys

By focusing on passenger needs and public-private partnership, Brighton and Hove has doubled the number of bus journeys in 20 years. Figures  reveal that the total number of single passenger journeys using all eight operators in the city have soared from 22million in 1992/3 to 44.8 million in 2012/3.

18 June 2013 - Sustained private and public investment in services has contributed to making it easier and more convenient for people.

City council head of transport Mark Prior said: “We work with our partners to provide a network that offers good choice, is easy to use and convenient. More people choosing to use buses will also help to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.”

Recent features introduced to ease bus travel include a network of priority bus lanes on key routes, such as the Western Road/North Street corridor and the A259 coast road and Real Time Information signs at bus stops that let people know when buses are due. There are also talking bus stops for the blind or partially-sighted.

Brighton and Hove Bus Company managing director Martin Harris said: “It has been a big success because we work hard to ensure the bus services respond to what people want and working in partnership means we can achieve so much more.”

Andrew Dyer from Stagecoach South, said: “Our continual investment into new vehicles, smarter ticketing, more frequent services and the introduction of the concessionary fare scheme alongside improvements made by the council, has encouraged more people in the area to use the bus.”

Tom Druitt from the Big Lemon Bus Company, added: “It’s wonderful to hear that more and more people are using the buses…I look forward to working with the city council and the other operators in the city to make the buses more and more convenient, affordable and sustainable.”

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