Number of people using buses in Shropshire falls by more than half in 10 years

Data from the Department for Transport show passengers numbers have declined on the county's buses by 58 per cent in the last ten years.

Passengers took 2.4 million journeys by bus in Shropshire in the year to March 2022, which doubled from 1.2 million the year before – although 2020/21 was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, in 2019/20, the last full year before Covid struck, Shropshire passengers took 4.2 million journeys, and over the last decade, services have fallen by 58 per cent, the figures show.

The borough of Telford and Wrekin has also seen a drop in bus use, but not as severe - with a 49 per cent fall recorded over the last ten years with 2.9 million journeys taken in the year to March 2022.

While this figure was up from 1.3 million during the pandemic-affected 2020/21, it is still half the number of bus journeys taken a decade ago.

The figures also show there were 7.5 journeys per person in Shropshire in 2021/22 – up from 3.7 in 2020/21 which was among the lowest in the country.

Telford and Wrekin saw 15.4 journeys per person in 2021/22– up from 7.3 in 2020/21.

Meanwhile, elderly or disabled passengers accounted for 787,608 (27 per cent) of journeys in Shropshire and 1 million (40 per cent) of journeys in Telford & Wrekin.

The figures follow the Government's introduction of a £2 cap on all bus journeys outside London last year to encourage more people to travel by bus.

Initially slated to end in March, the scheme has been extended by three months to June 30, while a further £80 million in funding has been provided to protect bus services during the same time period.

Across England there were 2.8 billion bus journeys in 2021/22 – down from 4.1 billion in 2019/20.

A decade ago there were 4.6 billion journeys, and the number of trips has fallen every year since 2013/14 bar last year due to the pandemic.

The Campaign for Better Transport said the extension of the £2 bus fare cap and funding for key services is "very welcome and a great success".

Paul Tuohy, chief executive of the campaign group, said: "This will reassure communities across the country who are reliant on buses to access work, education, and healthcare.

"However, another extension only gets us so far. We are urging the Government to implement long-term funding reform to avoid more uncertainty and give everyone access to affordable and reliable bus services."

David Renard, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said the Government must use the time the funding buys "to work with councils and operators to develop a long-term, reformed bus funding model with significant new money".

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "Travelling by bus remains the most popular option for commuters and families across the country, but the sector is still trying to recover after the end of the pandemic.

"We’re providing £155 million to help passengers save money on fares, get more people on the bus and protect vital bus routes – helping with the cost of living and enabling people to get where they need to in an affordable and convenient way."