1. Introduction

1.1 This chapter provides information about bus and coach travel, such as the numbers of passenger journeys and vehicle-kilometres, passenger receipts and local bus fare indices, the numbers of vehicles of various types and the numbers of staff employed.

2. Main Points

2.1 The main features in bus and coach travel over the past ten years are a continuing decrease in passenger journeys on local services, an increase in the distance travelled by vehicles and a continuing decrease in the number of staff employed.

2.2 The number of buses and coaches in 1996-97 was about the same as in the previous year for all sizes and types of buses, and the overall total was 8% higher than in 1986-87. Over the period since 1986-87, there has been a substantial increase in the number of 17-35 seat buses: in 1996-97 there were 2,000 compared to 500 in 1986-87. In contrast, the number of double deckers fell from 2,900 in 1986-87 to 2,400 in 1996-97. (Table 2.1)

2.3 The number of passenger journeys on local bus services has continued to fall. In 1996-97 there were 467 million passenger journeys, which was 6% less than the previous year and 28% less than in 1986-87. (Table 2.2)

2.4 The distance travelled by local bus services in 1996-97 (368 million vehicle kilometres) rose by 5% on the previous year, and was 22% higher than in 1986-87. The distance travelled by other (non-local) bus services also increased in 1996-97, by 7% over the previous year, to 166 million vehicle-kilometres (13% higher than in 1986-87). (Table 2.3)

2.5 The distance travelled by local bus services per head of population has been consistently higher in Scotland than in Great Britain. In 1996-97 it was 72 vehicle kilometres per capita in Scotland compared to 47 in Great Britain, and so is 52% higher in Scotland. (Table 2.4)

2.6 There were 17,000 staff employed by bus and coach operators in Scotland in 1996-97, 2% fewer than the previous year and 17% fewer than in 1986-87. (Table 2.5)

2.7 The total of bus passenger receipts, from local and other services, in 1996-97 was £389 million, in real terms 3% less than the previous year and 15% less than in 1986-87. Passenger receipts on local bus services fell by 4% in real terms. Over the previous year, there was only a 1% fall for other (non-local) services. (Table 2.6)

2.8 Local bus fares in 1996-97 increased over the previous year by 7.1% in Scotland compared with a rise of 5.0% for Great Britain as a whole. Since 1986-87 fares have increased, in current price terms, by 73% in Scotland and 84% in GB; over the same period the Retail Prices Index rose by 56%. (Table 2.7)

3. Notes and Definitions

3.1 "Local" bus service: one which is available to the general public, where passengers pay separate fares and travel a radial distance no greater than 15 miles / 24 kilometres from the point of boarding.

3.2 "Other services": include contract, private hire, express journeys, excursions and tours which are not registered as local services.

3.3 Passenger journeys: each trip made by a passenger on one vehicle on one route counts as a separate journey. Return tickets therefore count as two passenger journeys. The numbers of passenger journeys using season tickets or travel passes may be estimated by operators.

3.4 Vehicle kilometres: estimates include some categories of empty running of buses (eg between garage and terminus) but exclude driver instruction and vehicle testing.

3.5 Local bus fare indices: Information about the size of each fares change is supplied by a panel of large operators. Indices are obtained by averaging charges using weights based on receipts from passengers (excluding concessionary fare reimbursement from local authorities). In theory, therefore, the index measures the change in the average charge to the fare-paying passenger.

3.6 Commercial services: are those run without direct financial support from a local transport authority. They are still eligible for central Government subsidy in the form of fuel duty rebate and (where applicable) for concessionary fare reimbursement from local transport authorities.

3.7 Subsidised services: are those considered socially necessary and run under contract to local transport authorities with some direct subsidy. They include a few services subsidised without competitive tendering, under Section 91 of the Transport Act 1985 ('de minimis' arrangements).

3.8 Concessionary fare reimbursement: Local authorities and PTAs are able to provide concessionary fare schemes for groups such as elderly people and disabled people and (since 26 October 1986) children. Authorities reimburse operators for revenue lost as a result of their participation in the schemes, after taking into account income from the extra travel generated. The reimbursement by authorities should be seen as a subsidy to the passenger, not to the operator. These schemes should not be confused with the reductions offered to children, for example, by many operators on commercial grounds.

3.9 Staff employed: Platform staff comprise drivers, conductors and any other on-vehicle staff; maintenance staff include all employees engaged on cleaning, repair, service or maintenance of vehicles, while other staff include administrative staff. There may be some duplication of functions, particularly amongst the smaller operators.

4. Sources

4.1 The Public Service Vehicle Operator Annual Return

4.1.1 The basis for most of the statistics in this chapter is the annual returns which a sample of Public Service Vehicle operators make to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR).

4.1.2 The sample includes all operators who are licensed to run 15 or more vehicles, plus random samples of smaller operators (selected with probabilities depending upon their numbers of vehicles - eg 5% of those with one vehicle, 25% of those with five vehicles, 60% of those with 10-14 vehicles).

4.1.3 The figures for each smaller operator are "grossed-up" using a grossing-up factor which is the inverse of the achieved sampling fraction. For example, as roughly 5% of the smallest operators respond to the survey, the grossing-up factor for them will be about 20. (While the aim may be to sample 1-in-20 of the smallest operators, the survey is unlikely to obtain returns from exactly 1 in 20 of them: for example, if there were 250 such operators, and 12 of them were chosen for the survey and made returns, the grossing-up factor would be 250 divided by 12, which is about 20.8)

4.1.4 The survey's design aims to achieve the required coverage for Great Britain as a whole. The sampling is based purely upon the size of the operator's fleet (in terms of the number of licence discs) and takes no account of where in Great Britain the operator is based.

5. Further Information

5.1 The Scottish Office statistical bulletin "Bus and Coach Statistics" contains further information on Scottish bus and coach services, including more detailed comparisons with Great Britain. More details of this publication are given under "Scottish Office Transport Statistics Publications".

5.2 DETR's annual "Bus and Coach Statistics Great Britain" volume is published by The Stationery Office. It includes some more detailed analyses of GB bus and coach statistics.

5.2.1 Enquiries regarding the statistics should be made to Paul O'Hara of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (tel: 0171 890 3076).