Campaign group Bus Users UK (BUUK) is calling on local authorities to invest in modern, centrally-located bus stations, after it emerged that passenger numbers using Wrexham bus station had grown by 40% since its rebuilding in 2003.
Some local authorities across Britain are scaling back central bus facilities to facilitate full pedestrianisation. Cardiff Council, for example, plans to reduce the status and size of Cardiff Central bus station.
New evidence from Wrexham suggests that investing in town centre bus stations can be a cost-effective method of encouraging greater use of public transport. Martin Wright, Wrexham’s chief transportation and asset management officer, said: ‘Since 2003, there has been an increase in passenger usage of the bus station of 1,133,000 passengers.
This represents growth of 39.8% – an average of 6.6% a year.’
The all-Wales concessionary travel scheme, introduced in 2002, accounts for some of the growth but probably only a minority.
Bus passenger journeys in Wales have been growing by about 1% a year, on average.
Reconstruction works at Wrexham bus station depressed the 2003 passenger figure, which was 4.7% lower than the 2002 figure. However, total passengers using the bus station in 2004 were 14.6% higher than in 2002.
Barclay Davies, Wales officer for BUUK, urged other authorities to make similar investments. He said Wrexham bus station was now clean and light, had a café, and was patrolled by a warden. ‘It’s an inviting place for bus-users and it’s fairly central to the town,’ he added.
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