Young people in Gloucestershire say public transport 'too costly'

Duncan Cook

BBC News, Gloucestershire

BBC A photo of a blue and white Stagecoach bus parked on a road next to a lamp post. Another bus is parking behind and people are sat in a shelter by the side of the road — Research was gathered from hundreds of young people in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

Annabelle Martin

BBC News, Gloucestershire

Young people are being put off using public transport because of concerns about the cost, accessibility and safety.

The issues have been highlighted in a report by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership.

Research was gathered from hundreds of young people in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

Youth Engagement and Insight Lead, Luke Goddard, said he hoped transport companies and local authorities would look at the barriers young people are facing and “start implementing some of their ideas”.

Luke Goddard said safety was “high up the agenda”

Gloucestershire Community rail Partnership A photo of a white man with blond hair and wearing a white shirt. He is stood in front of a grey wall — Luke Goddard said safety was “high up the agenda”

The Youth Transport Report captured insights from more than 900 young people aged between 13-25, who took part in youth forums and a survey.

The results revealed that 44% of young people view cost as the biggest barrier to public transport, while 18% point to accessibility.

Martin Kinac from Gloucester, 19, said: “Its been so difficult in recent years, a lot of the time it gets delayed, a lot of times it gets straight up cancelled.”

He often gets the train to Birmingham which has increased in cost by 40% in the past few years. “The price keeps going up and up,” he said.

Martin Kinac says “getting the train is too unreliable”

The image shows a young man in the centre of the picture standing on the pavement of Gloucester highstreet, shops can be seen in the background and there is a man carrying a bag in the back of the picture. — Martin Kinac says “getting the train is too unreliable”

Luke Goddard said it highlights key issues they face.

Chris Hanson, Managing Director of Stagecoach West said: “These reports are invaluable helping us to make decisions on how best we can make our services more attractive to younger people.

“We are pleased that a number of the recommendations already sit within the Bus Service Improvement Plan committed to by the Enhanced Partnership between Stagecoach, Gloucestershire County Council and other bus operators in the county.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson has said they are “allocating £8m to Gloucestershire County Council this year along to support and improve bus services and infrastructure”.

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