Bus operators in Greater Manchester expect to lose up to one in 10 of their passengers over the coming year, because of the recession.
‘We are seeing some very early signs, although it does vary according to the company and the location,’ said Mark Threapleton, chairman of the Greater Manchester Bus Operators Association.
Speaking at Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority’s public transport seminar on behalf of the 15-member companies, he showed a graph of rising passenger trends – driven mainly by the free concessionary fares scheme – in the area until last year. But, he warned: ‘The impact of the recession is going to hit us, and we are predicting a passenger loss of between five and 10% over the next 12 months.
‘We are not expecting the number of concessionary passengers to fall, but employment is starting to be squeezed, and that affects us. We do, though, expect that reverse when the recession is over.’
Punctuality and rising costs are the main problems, with bus speeds falling from an average of 11.7 mph to just 10 mph since 1996. And fares are rising faster than inflation because bus costs have risen by 30% over the last five years compared with a retail price increase of only 15%. Fuel costs have gone up 175% in the same period.
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