NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS SUCCESS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT INDUSTRY IN WALES
BUS and rail services in Wales are becomingly steadily more popular, according to a new 94-page report issued by transport consultancy TAS this week. The report highlights recent increases in bus patronage (up by 8.7% since 2001/02 to 113m journeys in 2004/05) and rail patronage – which grew by more than a quarter in the five years to 31 March 2004.
The recent success has come despite continuing rapid growth in car ownership in the principality, which has grown by over 59% over the last 20 years – much faster than in England. At 462 cars per 1,000 population in 2004, Wales had more cars per head than either England (460) or Scotland (411).
The bus industry has undoubtedly benefited from the introduction of free concessionary fares by the National Assembly for Wales in 2002. As well as the growth in passenger numbers, profitability has also improved: whereas Welsh bus operators were the poor relations of the industry throughout the 1990s, recording profit margins typically half achieved by companies in the rest of Great Britain, their returns are now in line with the rest of the country (at around 9% in 2003/04).
The figures show that a high percentage of the Welsh bus industry remains in public ownership: the municipal operators of Cardiff, Newport and Islwyn account for around 29% of industry revenues, with Swansea-based First Cymru on 25%, Stagecoach Red and White on 18.5% and Arriva Cymru on 15.1%.
Passenger journeys on the National Rail network in Wales have grown by over 27% in the most recent five years, the report notes – with internal journeys growing most quickly, at 33%. Cross border journeys are 17.4% up. Looking at trends for journeys to, from and within local authority areas, the fastest growth over the last ten years has been achieved in Powys (53%), Wrexham (52%) and Ceredigion (51%). The Welsh capital is the most important area for patronage, accounting for almost 11m journeys. Rhondda Cynon Taff is the next most popular with 3.1m.
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For further information, contact Chris Cheek on 0870 900 1440