§ 16. Mr. HansonTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the change in the number of bus passenger journeys made outside London since 1985–86. [4017]
§ Mr. WattsThere were 4,489 million passenger journeys on local bus services outside London in 1985–86, and 3,178 million in 1995–96.
§ Mr. HansonIs not it a disgrace that there has been a massive fall in the number of bus journeys outside London since the Government introduced deregulation? Do not those figures clearly show that privatisation has failed, that deregulation has resulted in fewer journeys, poorer services, higher costs and poorer vehicles, and that re-regulation is urgently required?
§ Mr. WattsNo; if the hon. Gentleman studied the trends over a longer period, he would find that the decline in bus usage has been running at about 4 per cent. per annum since the 1970s. In recent years, the rate of decline in bus usage has been arrested. He mentioned inferior vehicles. Reference was made to the significant orders placed by Stagecoach. I have now recalled the figures: the order is for 1,000 new buses in the first tranche, followed by a further 650.