Capes – COUNTY DURHAM TRANSPORT INFORMATION SURVEYS 1985 AND 1987 1991

Description

County Durham conducted comparable transport information surveys in 1985 and 1987 to test whether good public information boosts bus use. The 1985 survey found 385 roadside timetable cases referenced about 900 times monthly, four in ten adults could identify their local case, over half used buses regularly (with women twice as likely as men), and timetable cases generated roughly 400,000 extra journeys annually (~£160,000 fares). The 1987 repeat used identical methods to provide before-and-after data around deregulation. Results confirmed 1985 findings but showed a clear downward trend: a 10.5% fall in bus use, a 46% rise in people who never use buses, larger declines among men than women, while pensioner use remained stable. Recognition and use of timetable cases fell slightly but remained significant; telephones and friends remained primary information sources while timetable books gained importance. Perceptions of information quality worsened slightly, especially among pensioners and bus users. The author warns that deregulation has encouraged local information monopolies and argues councils should have a duty, not just a power, to provide impartial, up-to-date passenger information.