Responding to new Government statistics which show that the decline in bus use outside London has accelerated, Kieran Preston, Director General of Metro and Chair of pteg, said:

‘We are deeply concerned about this alarming decline in bus use outside London. This is despite a major programme of investment by the PTEs and local authorities in new bus stations and bus priority measures - as well as a major push to improve information about bus services. We will continue to invest, and we will continue to work in partnership with the private sector to deliver improvements for passengers wherever we can. However, the biggest problem we face is that PTEs and local authorities outside London have few controls over fares, networks, or service quality. We can’t offer the public the single, integrated, high quality public transport networks that would stem the decline in bus use, because bus services are, in effect, a free-for-all. With the bus network in the capital going from strength to strength – the contrast between regulated London and the deregulated regions, has never been more stark.’