Call for ‘mass switch’ from cars to public transport post lockdown

It cmoes as the business marks Clean Air Day.

Stagecoach said the latest data from the UK Department for Transport shows a worrying rise in car use.

Over the last two weekends, car traffic has been above pre-pandemic levels and as high as 108% of the position before March 2020. In contrast, use of buses outside London is currently at around 60%-70% of pre-pandemic levels, with passenger volumes on the national rail network at just under 50%.

Stagecoach has called for a major shift in transport behaviour to address health and climate challenges facing the country.

Sharon Vye-Parminter, health, safety and environment director for Stagecoach, said: “We need a mass switch from cars to public transport, particularly buses, if we are to avoid a growing health and climate crisis.

“But there are already worrying signs in our towns and cities that car use is growing rather than falling.

“Technology alone will not solve the challenges we face.

“We need to make real changes to how we all live our lives and there has never been a better opportunity for government and public transport operators to work together to help people make that switch.”

Stage said it had invested over £1 billion in 7,000 new greener vehicles and technologies over the past decade.

It includes a fleet of 32 new electric double-decker buses introduced in Manchester last year, one of Europe’s single biggest investments in electric technology.

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