Increasing bus patronage through an audience strategy

The Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned an audience segmentation of England in relation to what would encourage greater bus usage.

The overall objective of the research was to increase bus usage by being able to develop strategies and policies that would drive behaviour change.

Key findings include:

80% of English adults were found to use the car at least once a fortnight
Though bus is the next most frequently used mode of transport, only 23% of adults were shown to use the bus at least once per fortnight
Research has outlined reliability, ease, safety, journey time and flexibility as universal transport needs
Currently, buses aren’t performing against key transport needs: Namely, reliability, journey time and flexibility
Existing bus users are most likely to use the bus in the next 6 months. The reverse is true for those who never use the bus
Bus users have a known profile – typically: aged under 34, Londoners, ethnic minorities, and found inner city areas
After universal needs, it is crucial to widen the audience buses currently appeal to. This can be achieved via a segmentation.

Concessionary Analysis