Most bus routes are already subsidised, as demand is often low in a rural area. Maybe there’s enough demand for a couple of services per day, but that’s inconvenient. Subsidies mandate minumum service levels, but don’t cover the full operating costs, so fares are necessary.
£2 per journey is not usually enough to cover costs, so the remainder is paid as another subsidy.
There’s also a vicious cycle where, especially on rural routes, buses are infrequent, which creates a deterrent to using them at all, which in turn depresses ridership. You’re not likely to make a bus trip into town to do some shopping if you can’t get back home for eight hours, and you’re not going to commute to work by bus if the only bus arrives at the needed destination three hours before you start work.
Most bus routes are already subsidised, as demand is often low in a rural area. Maybe there’s enough demand for a couple of services per day, but that’s inconvenient. Subsidies mandate minumum service levels, but don’t cover the full operating costs, so fares are necessary.
£2 per journey is not usually enough to cover costs, so the remainder is paid as another subsidy.
There’s also a vicious cycle where, especially on rural routes, buses are infrequent, which creates a deterrent to using them at all, which in turn depresses ridership. You’re not likely to make a bus trip into town to do some shopping if you can’t get back home for eight hours, and you’re not going to commute to work by bus if the only bus arrives at the needed destination three hours before you start work.
Hopefully the increase in popularity will reduce per-person costs and at that point the government can do collective bargaining.
Thanks for the replies