UK Bus Market
Bus travel is the most frequently used mode of public transport.
Accounting for two-thirds of all public transport journeys, buses are the backbone of the local transport network.
Bus volumes were in decline from the 1950s to the early 1990s as car ownership widened and investment in public transport declined. Indeed, 86% of post war patronage declined before 1987, the year when the UK bus industry was deregulated.
However, as the graph below shows, bus travel has increased over recent years with a significant amount of the passenger growth coming from London. Customer satisfaction rates continue to grow and are now at record highs of over 80%. The increase in bus use is due to a combination of sustained investment from operating companies, the Government and local authorities resulting in a higher quality of service.
UK long term bus volume trends |
Deregulated bus market share |
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Source: Department for Transportt |
Source: Macquarie Research – September 2009. For London regulated market share click here |
Deregulation of the bus industry (outside of London) in 1985 made it possible for any company to begin operating a commercial service. Generally, operators can set their own fares and timetables. Where a service is unprofitable, but deemed socially necessary by a local authority, they will put that service out to tender and provide a subsidy.
Go-Ahead’s strategy is to focus our operations in dense urban markets which can support a comprehensive network of bus routes, offering good value and ease of use for both commuter and leisure travel. We believe that important factors for operating successfully include providing high quality and punctual services and having strong local relationships with customers and local authorities.
Go-Ahead is one of the UK's largest bus operators. Around 1.6 million people travel on our buses every day.
We operate our bus division through six business units:
| Operating Company |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (£m)+ | 283.3 | 82.5 | 7.5 | 68.2 | 48.3 | 31.9 |
| Managing Director | John Trayner | Peter Huntley | Alex Carter | Alan Eatwell | Roger French | Philip Kirk |
| Nature of Business | Regulated | Deregulated | Deregulated | Regulated/ deregulated |
Deregulated | Deregulated |
| Geographical Area | Central London South London East London |
Tyne & Wear County Durham Northumberland Teeside |
Dorset Wiltshire Hampshire Isle of Wight Southampton |
South East London Kent Surrey East Sussex West Sussex |
Brighton Hove Eastbourne Tunbridge Wells Steyning/Shoreham |
Oxfordshire Routes to: London Heathrow and Gatwick |
| Approx Passenger Journeys+* |
365 million | 70 million | 40 million | 60 million | 45 million | 20 million |
| Avg Number of Employees+ | 4,507 | 2,043 | 1,494 | 1,344 | 1,056 | 554 |
| Fleet Size** | 1,444 buses | 665 buses | 592 buses | 412 buses | 257 buses | 149 buses |
+ For the financial year ended 27 June
2009
* Rounded to the nearest 5 million
** Data as at 27 June 2009
Click here to find out more information about our bus markets
