Bus mileage 11% below pre-pandemic levels in blow for local authorities

Bus mileage in England is still 11% below pre-pandemic levels, according to new data, as local councils grapple with significant funding challenges.

The total distance covered by buses up until the end of March was 1.01 billion miles, a Department for Transport (DfT) report reveals. This figure is roughly on par with the previous 12 months but represents an 11% drop from the 1.14 billion miles recorded in 2019/20, largely before the Covid-19 outbreak, and a 22% decrease from the 1.29 billion miles travelled a decade ago.

In the year leading up to the end of March, approximately 3.63 billion passenger journeys were made, a 7% increase from the 3.38 billion in the preceding 12 months. However, this total is still 10% lower than the 4.05 billion in 2019/20 and 22% down from the 4.67 billion in 2013/14.

The report indicates that last year, individuals with the lowest incomes took two-and-a-half times more bus trips than those with the highest earnings. Separate inflation data from the Office for National Statistics reveal that bus and coach fares in the first quarter of 2024 were six times higher than during the same period in 1987. This compares to a five-fold increase in train fares, while motoring costs are around three-and-a-half times higher.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in October that the cap on single bus fares in England will rise from £2 to £3 from January 1. Funding for bus services comes from various sources, including some funds available for operators and others earmarked for local authorities.

Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), a pressure group, has issued a report earlier this month warning that the current system results in some councils receiving "very little funding" for buses. The group is urging the Government to overhaul the funding system by providing all local authorities with a single, long-term pot to improve services.

Silviya Barrett, CBT director of policy and campaigns, said: "It’s encouraging that once again we’re seeing more people take the bus, helped by the £2 bus fare cap making bus travel more affordable in the past year."

She further urged the Government to introduce a bus service guarantee in the forthcoming Better Buses Bill, to define a minimum level of bus services in every community and ensure that local authorities have the necessary long-term funding to deliver them. Adam Hug, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: "It is encouraging to see passenger numbers increasing, as these figures prove, and councils want to go even further to get more people back on board."