The Bus Demand Jigsaw

The book examines the latest trends in demand for bus services in the UK by area and region, looking at changes in demand for services in different parts of the country, finding a complex interplay of demographic, economic and social changes. These have driven underlying patronage downwards in many areas.

It is packed with graphs, charts and tables and brings data and statistical information together in one volume from diverse sources including the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Transport, Transport Scotland and the Welsh Government.

The book analyses bus travel by journey purpose, by age and gender, by income and by socio-economic classification. It highlights the importance of car ownership as a determinant of household bus demand.

Experience of working on bus demand models over many years enables us to explain the changes in bus patronage that have occurred in recent years by economic, social and demographic factors. Such work can explain both the falls that have occurred in many places and the gains that took place in London up to 2014.

Looking ahead, the author’s understanding of all these factors is used to examine the likely effects of the current COVID-19 crisis and the Government’s Decarbonising Transport plan on demand for bus services in the short, medium and longer term.