Opinion: Buses can ignite local economic growth
By Gary Hitchmough, Managing Director of Government and Business Development at First Bus
Buses have always been about one thing: opening doors to opportunity. And with each ticket we sell, we’re providing access to opportunity, helping people reach work, education, or everyday activities that connect them to their communities.
Whenever I travel by bus, I find myself observing the people around me. Who are our customers? Why are they travelling? What might this journey unlock for them, and what happens if we let them down?
At First Bus, our 14,000 colleagues deliver over 1.5 million journeys every day across almost 6,000 vehicles. But behind those numbers is a simple truth: every journey belongs to an individual who depends on us.
Buses play a vital role in local economies. Every service helps someone access a job, education, or leisure activity, and when people travel, they spend money locally. Bus users contribute £40bn a year to high streets and communities across the UK.
Yet challenges remain. Improving the operating environment for buses, speeding up journey times and supporting reliable services is critical, particularly in urban areas. Buses operate in largely uncontrolled environments where progress is often not given priority, and customers will not pay to sit on buses moving slower than people who walk.
Technology is helping transform the experience. Electric buses combined with accurate journey-planning apps are game changers for our customers, providing comfort, reliability, and a level of service previously unattainable. But even as our products improve, systemic issues, funding, infrastructure, and priority on roads continue to hold buses back.
As regions across the North reshape how bus services are managed, collaboration between operators and local authorities will be key. Stable, long-term funding is needed to support growth and innovation, rather than the short-termism created by complex funding layers. The £2 fare cap showed that even modest investment can get millions moving; now we must build on that success and attract the bus users of the future.
We also need to ensure buses are embedded in major infrastructure projects from the start. At Hinkley Point C, for example, First Bus moves 12,000 workers each day - around 90% of the workforce - reducing congestion, improving air quality, and connecting local communities to opportunity.
Economies across the North need people to participate to help improve productivity and build on the growth already being reported in our major cities. One of our bus drivers recently captured how bus can aid that when they said, “cars move people, buses move society”.