Paid parking could coax more onto the buses

There were 1.3m. bus journeys in Guernsey in 2021 – the last comparable year with Jersey – which equates to about 25.5 journeys per person per year.

But Jersey saw about 3m. bus journeys that year, meaning that each person on average took approximately 29.1 journeys per year.

However, Jersey’s official figures include bus transfers and children travelling on dedicated school buses, while Guernsey’s do not.

The standard cash fare for an adult in Jersey is £2.70, compared with the £1.25 fare charged on Guernsey’s buses.

Head of Transport for the government of Jersey Tristen Dodd said there was no single reason as to why Jersey seemed to enjoy more of a bus-using culture, but suggested that charges for using public car parking areas during the day could provide a partial explanation.

Environment & Infrastructure is responsible for Guernsey’s bus service. President Lindsay de Sausmarez refused to answer directly on what impact paid parking could have on bus usage in Guernsey if it was introduced, saying that raising revenue through transport was a matter for Policy & Resources to investigate with E&I.

‘Speaking generally, where there is a cost difference in transport options, that will be one factor in people’s choices, but the transport system as a whole is more complex than any one consideration, and in my view it would be a mistake to look at options only through the lens of raising revenue.’

Paid parking has been repeatedly rejected in Guernsey, but as Policy & Resources looks at options to balance the books, P&R president Peter Ferbrache has said he personally would suggest considering paid parking again.

Mr Dodd linked paid parking to higher bus usage in Jersey, with parking costing 97p per unit, with one unit charged hourly in most long and short-stay car parks.

‘The income generated from public car parks is not directly reinvested in the bus service, but some of the revenue is allocated towards sustainable transport initiatives, and members of the public have an incentive to save money by using alternative modes of travel,’ he said.

Mr Dodd said that bus service frequency and hours of operation were also important factors in encouraging residents and visitors to travel by public transport.

‘For many commuters their door-to-door journey time by bus is competitive with that of a car, as the walking distance from bus stop or bus station to office is often less than from car park to office,’ he said.

Deputy de Sausmarez said it was difficult to directly compare figures between the islands because statistics were recorded differently.

‘Jersey is bigger, but it has a much greater distinction between urban and rural areas, which makes it easier to plan bus routes that are convenient for a higher percentage of the population,’ she said.

‘Guernsey meanwhile has a higher rate of vehicle ownership per person, and the annual costs of car ownership in the two islands also differs.’

Research in 2019 found it cost Jersey vehicle owners about three times as much as Guernsey vehicle owners due to costs like GST on fuel and insurance, paid parking and higher first registration charges.

Deputy de Sausmarez was pleased that the local bus figures for March showed a 2.54% increase compared with the same time of year in 2019 - the last full year unaffected by the Covid pandemic.

‘Encouraging more people to travel by bus is one of the objectives of our Integrated Transport Strategy. The more people that travel by bus, the more we all benefit from the reduction in traffic, emissions and air pollution.’