TRRL backs der
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• Since bus deregulation last October, the number of bus and minibus operators has increased by 4% to 2,100. A total of 83% of the nation's services are being run without subsidy; the proportion of services controlled by the private sector has risen from 8% to 12% and the total of minibus networks has increased to 200, according to new figures from the Transport and Road Research Laboratory.
The TRRL has been monitoring the bus scene since deregulation at the behest of Transport Secretary John Moore, who said, at last week's annual Chartered Institute of Transport luncheon, that he was pleased with the initial results despite "teething problems, particularly in the major urban areas."
The full results of the TRRL research have not yet been collated. According to Moore, "it is too early to give a detailed picture: however, there are some positive signs emerging. In the Medway towns, vehicle miles are up. In Nottingham, there is strong competition between the three main operators — Nottingham City Transport, Trent and Barton — and the independent operators, not only on routes but also on fares. Again, vehicle miles are up. In Wiltshire, new commercial services have been registered to serve schoolchildren and the county has saved a quarter of the annual subsidy payment."