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Report suggests better bus services could help tackle social deprivation

Posted: 14 December 2016 | Katie Sadler, Intelligent Transport | No comments yet

A new report published by Greener Journeys suggests improving local bus services in the UK would boost employment and improve income helping to reduce social deprivation.

Report suggests better buses could help tackle social deprivation

A new report published by Greener Journeys suggests improving local bus services in the UK would boost employment and improve income helping to reduce social deprivation.

Report suggests better buses could help tackle social deprivation

Sustainable transport group Greener Journeys has published a report, entitled The Value of the Bus to Society, which quantifies for the first time how bus services tackle social deprivation. Research was carried out by KPMG and the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.

10 percent bus service improvement linked to a 3.6 percent reduction in social deprivation

According to the study, a 10 percent improvement in local bus services is linked to a 3.6 percent reduction in social deprivation, taking into account employment, income, life expectancy and skills.

The report focuses on the West Midlands where government statistics suggest 40 percent of Birmingham’s areas are in the 10 percent most deprived in England. Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Walsall also appear in the top 20 most deprived towns and cities.

Greener Journeys’ report shows that a 10 percent improvement in local bus services in the 10 percent most deprived neighbourhoods across England would result in:

  • 9,909 more jobs, the result of a 2.7 percent fall in employment deprivation
  • 22,647 people with increased income, the result of a 2.8 percent drop in income deprivation
  • 2,596 fewer years of life lost
  • 7,313 more people with adult skills
  • 7 percent increase in post-16 education

The report highlights the role that buses have in helping to reduce social deprivation in the UK, where 1 in 4 people are at risk of social exclusion, and 1 in 4 people do not have access to a car.

Commenting on the report findings, Peter Coates, Managing Director of National Express West Midlands, said: “Our buses take a million people to work, to college, to the shops and to see their friends and family every day. A frequent and reliable bus service is not just good for passengers, it’s good for the West Midlands economy too.”

“Investment in buses can deliver truly inclusive and sustainable economic growth”

Claire Haigh, Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, said: “This vital new research demonstrates that bus travel doesn’t just benefit the economy, it can also help alleviate deprivation and improve people’s life chances. It shows that investment in buses can deliver truly inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

“This new evidence shows that bus investment is not just a transport policy – it is a health policy, an education policy, a skills policy, a wellbeing policy, and a social cohesion policy. We urge government to consider these findings when contemplating future investment in bus services.”

Katie Schmuecker, Head of Policy, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, commented: “If the Government is to meet its promise of making the UK a country that works for everyone, we must solve the problem of poverty in this country. As this report shows, buses play a central part in fighting poverty, keeping those on lower incomes or the unemployed, connected to economic opportunities.”

The Value of the Bus to Society report can be downloaded here.

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