23 March 2022
New research from London TravelWatch has identified the people in London that most rely on buses to get around the capital. It shows that people on lower incomes, people of colour, women and younger people, use the bus more than anyone else.
More people use the bus every day than the Tube or train. 59% of Londoners say they travel by bus at least once a week. But some people rely on the bus disproportionately:
- Women rely on the bus more than men – during the day 57% of people who use the bus are women compared to 43% of men
- 69% of Londoners in a household earning less than £20,000 per year use the bus at least once a week, compared with 59% of all Londoners
- People on lower incomes are also more likely to use the night bus, with 57% having an annual household income of less than £20,000 compared to half of day bus passengers, while 51% of people travelling on the night bus use it to travel to work.
London TravelWatch CEO, Emma Gibson commented: ‘We know that the bus matters to so many people in London, with millions of journeys in the capital made by bus every day. But our research confirms that you’re more likely to use the bus if you’re on a lower income, because you can’t afford the Tube or train. We also found that people of colour, particularly black people and women rely on the bus more. And this research also highlights the extent to which many people on low incomes rely on the bus to get to work late at night or early in the morning, including hospital staff and hospitality workers.’
Emma continued: ‘With bus services under threat from funding cuts and a 10p fares rise kicking in, our research shows that it’s these people who will be most affected by those changes’.
