City ranked in national top 10 for growth in bus patronage
Hull has been confirmed as one of the top 10 places in the country for growth in bus patronage, according to the latest figures from the Department for Transport for 2023/2024.
Hull has been confirmed as one of the top 10 places in the country for growth in bus patronage, according to the latest figures from the Department for Transport for 2023/2024.
In its annual bus statistics report, the city came in at number 10 in a list that included London, Brighton and Hove, Nottingham, Reading, Southampton, the West Midlands, Bristol, Tyne and Wear and York.
Nationally, there was an 8% increase in the number of people using the bus up to March 2024.
This increase to 61 journeys per capita for the whole of Great Britain in the 12 months up to March 2024 stands against one of 19% for the previous year for that measure.
It means patronage lies at 88% of that seen in 2019/20 as the sector endeavours to continue its bounce back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Locally, the news has been welcomed by the Hull Bus Alliance, which is made up of Hull City Council, East Yorkshire Buses and Stagecoach East Midlands, as it continues its efforts to enhance the area’s bus offer, through its bus service improvement plan (BSIP), to improve bus connectivity across the city and raise passenger numbers.
The BSIP sets out how, working together, the alliance will improve bus frequency and reliability, pilot new routes and services and introduce fare discounts that will help grow bus usage, address traffic congestion, and improve air quality in the city.
Work by the alliance over the past year has seen a number of successes, including the rollout of increased and more reliable services across the city by both operators as well as greater awareness of products such as the Hull Card, the Hull Group Card and the KAT Card, which has seen a 28% take up this year compared to last.
Councillor Mark Ieronimo, cabinet portfolio holder for transportation, roads and highways at Hull City Council, said: "The council is pleased to see that Hull has been recognised as one of top 10 places in the country for growing the number of people using the bus.
"As a local authority our ambition is to encourage more people to consider making sustainable travel choices, whether that is for leisure, for running errands or for their daily commute, to meet the priorities of our residents set out in our community plan like building safe and welcoming neighbourhoods and responding to the climate emergency.
"The Hull Bus Alliance has made great strides over the past 12 months, but we are not resting on laurels. We know that there is more that we need to do to ensure our city has the bus services that our residents expect and deserve."
Ben Gilligan, managing director of East Yorkshire Buses, said: "We are pleased to see that there has been a clear increase in customers choosing to use the bus as an alternative to adding to the congestion on our roads. The bus provides a great, good value option for customers to travel sustainably and the more people who chose to use it, the better the service becomes. We look forward to building on this performance throughout 2025."
Matt Cranwell, managing director at Stagecoach East Midlands, added: "Stagecoach East Midlands are a proud member of the Hull Bus Alliance, and pleased to see that bus patronage is continuing to grow in Hull. As part of the alliance, we continue to work hard at improving bus services for local residents to allow passengers seamless travel across Hull and the wider Humber region. We hope that with continued investment in the latest vehicles and great value tickets, more residents will choose to travel sustainably by bus, and we continue to see consistent passenger growth in the area, leading to reduced congestion and cleaner air."