Passenger Transport Monitor for Scotland
Scottish Bus Industry outperforms English counterparts as public transport booms north of the border
Scotland's bus industry has outperformed the deregulated industry in England and Wales since the late 1990s, and has enjoyed six straight years of patronage growth, according to a new report by leading transport consultant TAS. Demand for rail travel is also growing - passenger numbers on ScotRail grew by over 10 per cent in 2004/05, the report notes.
"Passenger transport north of the border is very strong indeed," said the report's editor Chris Cheek, "and comes despite some of the highest growth in car ownership in the UK," he added. Between 1985 and 2004, car ownership per 1,000 population grew by 74% in Scotland, compared with 46.5% in England and 59% in Wales, says the report. However, there could be more growth to come, TAS warns: at 411 cars per 1,000 people, Scotland remains behind both England (460) and Wales (462).
The report notes that Scotland has enjoyed much lower increases in bus fares since deregulation in the late 1980s: according to Department for Transport fare indices, growth over the period to 2003/04 was just 18.3% in Scotland, compared with 43% in the English Metropolitan areas and over 30% in the English Shires.
The growth in patronage fed through into bus company profits, too: the ten major operators in Scotland saw profits rise by over 13% in 2003/04, with a combined operating profit margin of 10.5%, up from 9.8% in 2002/03. The National Express subsidiary Travel Dundee was the most profitable company in Scotland, with a margin of 18.5%. Second came First Glasgow on 14.2%, followed by First Aberdeen on 14.0%. Worst performers were Arriva Scotland West (4.9%) and First Edinburgh (4.0%).
Market share estimates show that the ten companies in the report control around 88% of the Scottish market between them, with FirstGroup subsidiaries accounting for just under 40%. Stagecoach comes next on 23.8% and Lothian Buses on 17.8%.
Passenger Transport Monitor - Scotland is available, priced £69.50 + P&P, from TAS Publications & Events Ltd. For more details, call 0870 900 1440 or visit www.tas.uk.net.
For further information, contact Chris Cheek on 0870 900 1440.
Notes to Editors
1. TAS Publications & Events is the publishing arm of The TAS Partnership. Founded in 1989, TAS has since grown to become the UK’s leading specialist public transport consultancy, with a turnover in excess of £1.5m per annum. Its recent clients include the Department for Transport, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales – plus local authorities and transport operators throughout the country.
2. The company has been reporting on the development of the UK public transport in an acclaimed series of reports since launching the first Bus Industry Monitor report in 1991.