Moving On

Yesterday, our crude stats package showed that quite a lot of you chose to outclick* from Omnibuses to the CPT’s “On the Move” page. I trust you found it as informative as I did.

Here are some random thoughts based on On the Move:

• Britain’s central and local government subsidises its buses by 32 per cent. This is actually little different to 25 years ago (33 per cent in the Mets). What 2005's figure probably doesn't include is public funding for such matters as bus stations, stops, shelters, publicity & timetables and anti-crime initiatives.



• UK bus passenger journeys have increased by 9 per cent over the last six years of consecutive growth. How much of that is due to London?



• Turnover was up one per cent on last year. Is this quite literally fuelled by oil prices?



• 8,000 new buses entered service in 2004/05, bringing the average age to just seven years. How will this affect companies’ future fleet replacement policies, which have in the past depended on a good spread of vehicle ages?



• Fuel in 2005 cost the bus industry the same per litre as it did in 2000. Fuel is currently up to 20 per cent more expensive today.
  

* Outclick (U.S. & Canad.) (vb) to leave one web site for another by clicking via a pointing device such as a mouse.