West Midlands rail use rises but bus growth stalls

Bus patronage in the West Midlands fell by seven million over the last year as a result of the recession

Bus patronage in the West Midlands fell by seven million over the last year as a result of the recession

New figures released by Centro, the West Midlands PTE, have revealed that public transport is continuing to gain ground against the private car.

Public transport's modal share now accounts for more than half of morning peak trips - 57.8% - into Birmingham city centre, the highest public transport share recorded in the West Midlands and a 1% rise on the previous year. In 1995 the figure was 42%.

Rail use is now 51% than it was a decade ago, while bus travel remains the favourite public transport...