Supporting London's continued growth as a world city: the vital role of the bus

摘要

The role of the bus in London has been revitalised in just five years. Patronage is now at the highest level since 1968, with the highest rate of growth since 1946, and service quality measures have exceeded all previous levels since records began in 1977. This success has been achieved by the integration of a whole range of policies which together have had an impact greater than their individual effects. Our choice of policies has reflected the issues that our passengers consider to be important and we believe this is why they have had such a marked effect on patronage. These schemes include: contract changes; congestion charging; network expansion; bus priority or corridor management; smartcards and ticketing changes; boarding changes and different vehicles; a new enforcement regime; improvements to staff conditions; measures to increase safety across the network; simple and clear information; making the network accessible to all; and, managing the environmental impact of our service. Buses are vital to the strength of a world city because they can contribute to meeting wider objectives, including benefiting the economy and tackling social exclusion. Recent research indicates that those travelling to town centres by bus spend the same amount on a weekly basis as car drivers. Further, buses provide a flexible means of meeting demand, particularly compared to rail or underground systems. Social inclusion is increased by the affordable and accessible bus service which serves all areas of London and increasingly operates seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day. In particular, bus use is high among people from potentially excluded groups. We recognise that this is not the end of the story. Our passengers have valued the changes we have implemented and patronage has increased, but more improvements must be made and more benefits can be achieved. Further, with the population of London expected to increase, there is more scope to use the flexibility provided by the bus network to meet changing demand patterns. These improvements and possibilities make it clear in London that buses have a vital current and future role in urban transport systems and that the profile of buses should be raised.