Investment in bus services could transform the commute

Bus services account for around half of all journeys on public transport but get little attention from policymakers and politicians. Buses are rarely acknowledged as the workhorses of the UK transport network that carry by far the largest number of people to work and leisure, never mind recognised for their potential to deliver so much more. Sadly, this means that they haven’t yet received the scale of government investment needed to vastly improve services for the businesses and communities that rely on them.

In 2017/18, almost one fifth of UK bus services ran late. This is part of a broader trend in which inefficient and unreliable commutes continue to drive down productivity and employees’ quality of life. Last year, a CBI, Porter Novelli and Opinium poll of over 2000 employees across the country found that they lost on average 2.7 hours a week owing to travel disruption and delays. This may not sound like much, but,