Fresh demands have emerged for an official investigation into why residents across the West Midlands are persistently choosing cars over available bus services, despite regular routes operating throughout the region.
Councillor Sounds Alarm on Public Transport Habits
Solihull councillor Andrew Burrow has highlighted a significant reluctance among people to abandon their private vehicles in certain areas, even when dependable bus services are accessible. Councillor Burrow, who chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee, raised these concerns during a recent meeting, pointing to a pressing need to understand the root causes.
He directly connected this issue to the contentious construction of new housing developments on Green Belt land. Such developments typically trigger Section 106 agreements, which would funnel additional cash towards enhancing public transport infrastructure. However, Burrow cautioned that merely increasing the number of buses does not automatically translate to higher ridership.
Digging Deeper into the Reasons Behind Low Ridership
"We do need to get more people to use buses," stated Councillor Burrow, acknowledging the unpopular reality of building on the Green Belt. He emphasised that the core recommendation from the scrutiny meeting is for the Combined Authority to conduct "proper research" into the motivations behind the choice to drive.
Burrow posed critical questions that the investigation must answer: "Is this information systems, is it they don't connect properly? What are the real reasons so this is going to be quite difficult as we need to ask people who don't use buses why they don't?" He admitted the challenge of reaching this demographic but stressed the importance of the task, noting the impending influx of Section 106 funds. "We've got one chance to get this right," he warned.
Mayor Pledges Action on Bus Patronage
In response to these calls, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker has committed to addressing the problem. He confirmed he would direct his team at the Combined Authority to engage with Councillor Burrow on the recommendations and explore strategies to improve bus usage, particularly in the region's more rural locales.
The urgency of this issue is underscored by the scale of bus travel in the West Midlands. Bus services are the backbone of the region's public transport network, accounting for 80 per cent of all public transport journeys and facilitating a staggering 245 million passenger trips annually.
