Yahoo News Revealed: The local area with the worst bus service in the country
The local area with the worst bus service has been revealed in a new report from the Department for Transport.
North Somerset has the least punctual bus service in England, the DfT's annual bus data showed.
In this area, 71.1% of non-frequent services ran on time, defined as between one minute early and five minutes 59 seconds late.
In comparison, the best area was Devon, which had 99% of non-frequent services arriving on time.
A frequent service has six or more buses per hour but several areas have no frequent services.
In total, 87.9% of non-frequent services in England ran on time, which is the highest level since the data was first published.
Percentage of non-frequent services running on time by region:
North East - 91.6%
North West 89.8%
Yorkshire and the Humber 89.5%
London 89.0%
East 88.3%
South East 88.2%
West Midlands 87.7%
East Midlands 84.8%
South West 78.5%
Bus passenger satisfaction was 74% overall in England, but the North East came out on top with 78% in individual regions while the East of England was the lowest with 70%.
The DfT’s statistics also showed a drop in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Total passenger journeys fell by 61% to 1.57 billion in the year ending in March compared with the previous 12 months.
Bus mileage decreased by just 16% as government grants kept many services running for key workers.
Bus passengers were hit with above-inflation fare rises, the figures show.
The DfT said fares in England increased by 1.7% in the year to March.
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation grew by just 0.7% over the same period.
The rise was driven by the price of bus travel in London increasing by 3.3%.
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Since March 2005, bus fares across England have increased by 80%, whereas CPI has risen by just 44%.
Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics show that average bus and coach fares are nearly six times more expensive than in 1987.
The stats also revealed 52% of England’s 32,600 buses met the latest Euro VI emissions standards, and a further 2% were zero-emission.
Meanwhile, there are currently an estimated 4,000 bus and coach driver vacancies across the country.
Services have been cancelled as a result due to there not being enough drivers to cover shifts.
The Unite union has blamed the shortage on drivers being offered more to operate HGVs.
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