Have you ever thought about buses on major roads?

19 December 2019

You may be surprised to learn how many local buses run on or cross the motorways and major ‘A’ roads that Highways England manages. We have recently been helping Highways England better understand the customers that run or use these particular services through our research Buses on Highway England’s roads: meeting the needs of passengers and bus companies.

Mainly bus passengers noted that the section of bus route on Highways England’s road was often the fastest, smoothest part of the journey. On the flip side they mentioned buses got delayed on the approach or when crossing these roads. They wanted improvement on reliability, suggesting providing bus lanes would help achieve this.

Getting the infrastructure right was also highlighted by bus drivers. Safely pulling in and out of bus stops when traffic is going at 60 or 70 mph is no mean feat. So, the design of laybys could be improved with better lighting for seeing passengers waiting at bus stops in the dark.

As well as longer-term things, there are some potential quick wins here for Highways England to take on board. Given the rising interest in bus, I hope this will be sooner rather than later. Watch this space.

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