. . . but passengers not impressed
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• Bus passengers are deserting their local bus services, according to statistics in the Government's white paper on Public Expenditure.
Passenger numbers on local bus journeys in 1987 were down 6% on the previous three years: the total fell by almost 300 million, from 4,800 million in 1985-86 to 4,510 million in 1986-87.
The biggest reduction was in the major cities, where buses carried 12.5% fewer travellers. London bucked this trend, however, with an increase of almost 1%. London's bus services are not expected to be deregulated until the early 1990s.
Increased fares are blamed for the decline in passenger numbers: city fares rose by an average of 25%, compared with a 4% rise in rural areas. British Rail's metropolitan services have enjoyed a remarkable 14% increase in passengers since bus services were deregulated in October 1986; the number of bus operators has grown by only 6% in the same period.