Bus use 16% below pre-Covid levels but figure is on the rise

Over 1.6m journeys were made last year, compared to the 1.3m journeys made in 2021. However, this was still some way behind 2019, where a total of 1.9m. journeys were completed.

Bus Users Guernsey founder Fergus Dunlop said that the 2022 number had been affected by dozens of cancelled services daily and many people continuing to work from home.

‘The initial bounce-back after Covid was impressive, but momentum was lost when the bus tracker page vanished from the buses.gg website in November 2021, only returning a year later thanks to new owners Tower Transit UK,’ he said.

Mr Dunlop added that the lack of a tracker page, combined with driver shortages and a 25% basic fare increase, led to passenger confusion during the first part of last year. However, following an increase in the number of journeys made in the early part of this year compared to last year, he said that the underlying position was encouraging.

‘The good news is that we have got off to a good start in 2023, thanks to a combination of factors including some stability in the timetable, the return of the tracker app, and the squeeze on living standards,’ he said.

Mr Dunlop added that he thought that bus use in Guernsey was ‘resilient’.

‘I think the driver situation is easing. Punctuality is still good. Hopefully we are putting the past behind us. What we don’t need now is another price rise.’

Traffic & Highway Services lead officer Colin Le Page said that the numbers in 2022 were extremely encouraging.

‘Although still 16% down on the 2019 record levels, there were 1.63m. passenger journeys, which is a significant increase from 2021,’ he said.

Mr Le Page added that THS had seen a significant increase in the number of people using the Puffin Pass, showing that individuals were benefitting from the reduced fees for regular users.

Mr Dunlop remained optimistic that the number of journeys would eventually recover and pass the two million mark in the next two years. ‘We had hoped that CT Plus could break the two million passenger-journey mark for the first time in 2020. However, with high motoring costs, I don’t see why we can’t get to two million, and some way beyond,’ he said.