New data has revealed that the number of kilometres travelled by buses in the Croxley and wider Three Rivers area has dropped by more than 3,400km since February of last year.
Statistics from a recent Freedom of Information request revealed that the total distance travelled by all buses in Three Rivers between January 30, 2022, and February 26, 2022, was 55,663km.
However, between January 29 and February 25 this year, the distance travelled was 52,225km, a drop of 3,438km.
Since February of last year, some bus services have ceased operating, including the 320 and 520 services between the Berry Lane Estate in Rickmansworth and Watford, which stopped off in Croxley.
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “We know that bus mileage in Hertfordshire has been steadily declining for a decade, as it has across the country. However, bus mileage in Hertfordshire was actually fairly steady between 2017 and 2020, before falling by about a third at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.
“This is a turbulent time for the bus industry, with a sharp decline in passengers during the pandemic, and a wider driver and skills shortage. We are working with local bus operators through the Intalink Enhanced Partnership – the first such partnership in the country – to maintain as much of the bus network as possible in the face of these challenges.
“The county council last year secured £29.7million from the government for our Bus Service Improvement Plan to improve the bus network in Hertfordshire. We are currently working on a range of projects to improve bus service frequencies, expand the HertsLynx demand responsive transport service, introduce reduced fare initiatives, improve highways infrastructure for bus travel and deliver better information for passengers.”
0 Comments