London bus passengers 'on the up'

Passengers increased despite a fares' hike

The number of bus passengers in London has gone up, bucking to the trend in the rest of England, government figures have revealed.

People travelling by bus and train have increased by 1.9% in 2005-2006 compared with the previous year.

Bus passenger journeys also rose in Yorkshire and the Humber and in the East Midlands. Figures fell by 1.2% across the rest of England.

This hike was despite a 5% rise in the fares in local buses across England.

Concession fares

In south-east England passenger numbers remained the same as in 2004-2005.

The report by the Department for Transport said that 77% of senior citizens were aware of local concession fares.

Statistics also showed that 85% of people living in households without cars were aware of concession schemes compared with 75% of households with cars.

Private sector investment in the rail industry fell to £3.7bn from £5.5bn in 2004-2005, the report revealed.

The government has given £4.59bn to the industry, which is up from £3.79bn in the previous year.