03/10/2006
- Transport partnership projects help drive passenger growth
- Major success for Bus Route Development Grant initiatives
- Highlands, North-east, Tayside, Fife, South-west beat Scottish average
- Two Scottish Stagecoach companies in the running for top award
Bus use in Scotland is growing as local people get back on board public transport as a result of partnership projects across the country, according to new figures from Stagecoach.
The number of passengers using Stagecoach bus services in Scotland, where the company operates more than 1,300 vehicles, is up more than 4% compared to 2005.
A series of joint projects with local authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and the Scottish Executive has sparked further huge growth in passenger numbers, with increases of up to 35% in some parts of Scotland.
The Scottish Executive has taken forward Stagecoach’s Kickstart concept for targeted funding to support the introduction of new bus services under the Bus Route Development Grant (BRDG) scheme.
The initiatives have included investment in new buses, with better accessibility, security and environmental performance; improved frequencies; better infrastructure; and innovative telemarketing programmes to attract people out of their cars.
Details of the passenger growth are revealed only a week after Stagecoach companies in Fife and West Scotland were shortlisted for the Best Bus Operator in Britain award, which was won last year by Stagecoach’s West Scotland operation.
New three-year partnership projects under way in the Highlands, North-east, Tayside, Fife and south-west Scotland have already had a huge impact, including:
Highlands: A £883,000 joint project to improve bus services linking Old Hilton, New Hilton, Milton and surrounding areas to Inverness city centre has resulted in a 17% growth in 11 months.
Highlands: Two key routes to Inverness from Milton, Invergordon, Alness, Evanton, Dingwall, Conon Bridge and Maryburgh have benefited from a £379,000 investment, sparking up to 30% growth since October 2005.
North-east: Three routes between the Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland areas have seen route and frequency improvements. The £3,875,000 investment includes the introduction of 25 new accessible coaches, the first fleet of its kind on registered bus services in Scotland. Since July 2005, this has resulted in 8% overall passenger growth and around a 20% increase in the section of route between Buckie and Inverness with the increased frequency of service.
North-east: improved ‘Coastrider’ services between Stonehaven and Aberdeen, part of a £590,000 project, have returned growth of 21% in just five months.
Perth: £820,000 improvements in services connecting North Muirton to Perth City centre, providing buses up to every five minutes, have sparked an increase of more than 13% in passenger numbers since October 2005.
Fife: Service 747, a new bus route launched in February 2006 between Inverkeithing railway station, Ferrytoll Park & Ride and Edinburgh Airport, is now used by more than 1,000 passengers every week.
Fife: Service 78 between High Valleyfield and Dunfermline, which has an improved 15-minute frequency as part of a £645,000 project, has achieved passenger growth of 19% in just six months.
Fife: Three key routes between Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes have benefited from a £1.2 million investment since March 2006 and passenger numbers are up 8% to date.
Fife: Service 99 between St Andrews and Dundee has resulted in passenger growth in excess of 37% in just five months.
South-west Scotland: A £546,000 joint project with Dumfries and Galloway Council to improve bus services within Dumfries town centre has involved new vehicles and increased frequencies. It has resulted in a 2.5% increase in passenger numbers in the first three months of operation.
South-west Scotland: The new X16 service operating between Ayr, Kilmarnock, East Kilbride and Hamilton has carried around 165,000 passengers since its introduction on 30 January 2006. It has proved so popular that the frequency was increased in May from hourly to every 30 minutes at peak times.
The growth rates for the new projects are significantly above the average rate for all bus use across Scotland, which went up by 2% in 2004-05, the most recent period for which data is available.
Brian Souter, Chief Executive of Stagecoach Group, said: “This is a great public transport success story for Scotland. It shows what can be achieved when there is a strong partnership approach between good bus operators and proactive local authorities.
“Stagecoach has been at the forefront of new ideas on improving bus travel for local people. These new figures prove that the Kickstart concept is growing the number of people taking the public transport option and providing excellent value for money to taxpayers.”
Politicians at local authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships across Scotland have welcomed the increase in bus travel.
Charlie King, Chair of HITRANS, the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership, said: “Hitrans aims to reduce the number of private car journeys and increase bus usage in line with its regional transport strategy. We welcome the investment in these partnership initiatives, which have seen great results in terms of increased usage of buses in Inverness.”
Councillor Roma Hossack, Moray Council’s representative to the HITRANS Board, said: “I am very encouraged to see the significant increase in passenger numbers on services operating within Moray. The Moray Council and Stagecoach have invested heavily in improving public transport provision in Moray, and this clearly demonstrates the benefits when both parties work together. The Council looks forward to continuing to work closely in partnership with Stagecoach on a number of opportunities such as local ticketing initiatives."
Councillor Alison McInnes, Chair of NESTRANS, the transport partnership for Aberdeen City and Shire, said: “Buses play a vital role in getting people to work and providing access to essential services, while also providing a sustainable alternative to car. It is pleasing that the investment in the Quality Partnership initiative is reaping rewards and, on top of this, NESTRANS will spend almost £2 million this year on further quality corridor improvements to make bus travel an even more attractive choice.”
Councillor Alan Livingstone, Convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee, said he was delighted with the passenger growth figures for the Perth scheme.
“Providing a satisfactory public transport service is a partnership responsibility and we continually assess how effective the bus service is,” he said. “Clearly we are making progress and we look forward to continued joint working with Stagecoach Perth over the remaining three years of what is a four-year project.”
Fife Council’s transportation spokesperson, Councillor Jim Philp, said: “These additional innovative bus services are being very well received by Fifers and it’s very encouraging to see the significant growth in bus travel.”
Councillor John Forteath, Vice Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council's Planning and Environment Services Committee, said: "The Council recognises the benefits of working in partnership with the Scottish Executive and forward-looking bus companies, such as Stagecoach West Scotland. These improved services are further proof of the benefits of such partnership working."
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group, tel: 01738 442111; mobile 07764 774680; or email steven.stewart@stagecoachgroup.com
