100,000 Christmas Day bus journeys expected when operators boost services

Expanded Christmas Day bus services mean passenger numbers across Britain are expected to reach 100,000.

Industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), which made the prediction, said more operators are running buses on December 25 this year to meet increased demand fuelled by a decrease in the proportion of young people able to drive.

Among the areas which will have fairly extensive bus services are Brighton, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

That is in stark contrast with the rail network, which completely shuts down for passenger trains on December 25.

The CPT said Christmas Day passenger numbers on local buses have grown from 60,000 in 2019 to 87,000 last year.

It expects the number of journeys to hit six figures this year because of the additional services.

Long-distance coaches will also run between towns, cities and airports across the UK.

National Express expects to run 340 services connecting 95 destinations on Christmas Day, while a majority of FlixBus’s services, linking 70 destinations, will also be operating.

CPT director of policy and external relations Alison Edwards said: “Buses and coaches are Britain’s most popular form of public transport.

“Where they see demand on Christmas Day, commercial operators are stepping up and running services.

“Although many of us may be putting our feet up for the day, there are plenty of people who want to get around – to visit extended family, to get to work, to visit friends in hospital or simply to get a breath of fresh air.”

Department for Transport figures show 22% of households in England in 2023 had no access to a car or van.

Separate statistics reveal just 29% of people aged 17-20 held a full driving licence last year.

That is down from 37% five years earlier.

A survey of people in that age range suggested the most common reasons for not learning to drive are the cost of lessons (38%), insurance (29%) and purchasing a car (28%).