By Matthew Moll

The Government, politicians and civil servants should do all they can to get people back on buses as soon as it is safe for social distancing to be relaxed. Recent surveys have shown that previous public transport users with a car are more likely to use it instead of the bus, whilst those without are often managing to get by thus forming a habit of not travelling by bus. However buses are economically important allowing people to access employment, health, education and leisure opportunities whatever the weather, alongside creating direct and indirect employment themselves. There will be a lot of work to undo the message currently being distributed of “don’t use public transport” which is set to continue when lock down eases.

Here are three ways that it can be achieved.

1 – Be on message with the industry

Yes, we should continue to be able to have the debate about how buses should be run and who should own them but in the right way at the right time. Those who have spent the last few years constantly bashing the bus (including many media outlets) should join with groups such as CPT, Campaign for Better Transport, Greener Journeys and Bus Users UK to get a consistent message out that says buses are safe to use again.

2 – Get on the bus to reassure people

It is perhaps a sad reflection of the times that being on public transport is seen merely as a photo opportunity by politicians rather than normality. However in the post COVID-19 world this is actually a good thing. Politicians both national and local along with celebrities need to be seen to be endorsing public transport use. Some of the major operators have recently used local and national media personalities to encourage people to become bus drivers meaning they already have a first port of call to get the ball rolling.

3 – Bring back the new bus fund

Stagecoach recently announced it has cut back its Capital Expenditure budget for the 2020/21 financial year including delaying the new coaches for the Oxford Tube. We have to be careful that by the time operators feel ready to invest again in new vehicles we haven’t lost some of our manufacturers. At the same time a new bus launch is always good publicity for an operator and an easy photo opportunity for politicians, especially if they’re able to say they helped fund the fleet. Getting new buses on the road as soon as possible will help reduce pollution and ensure that the image of the post COVID-19 bus industry is one of confidence in the future rather than just scraping by (even if that is what is actually happening for the first year or two). This is different from any green bus fund with a focus on Euro VI buses but with the idea of the DfT covering the cost of 50% of a new vehicle and even a loan for the other 50%.

Summary

I have full confidence that bus operators will do all they can to try and get passengers back on the bus, even those that aren’t perhaps known for their marketing prowess at the moment. However, without the backing of figures in the public eye, it will be very hard to convince a public that has been told not to use public transport that it is safe to do so again.