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Motorists are switching from car to bus because of high petrol prices and environmental concerns.

About 30 per cent of people say rising fuel prices are causing them to look at ways of reducing car usage, a survey from transport infrastructure company Trueform found.

Also, 23 per cent are looking to use their cars less because they are worried about motoring's impact on the environment.

Bus services seem to be benefiting from this fresh approach, with 46 per cent of the 2,507 people surveyed saying they were using buses the same amount or more frequently than they did two years ago.

Of those using buses more, 35 per cent cited the relatively low cost of fares as the main reason for favouring buses over other modes of transport, with 30 per cent citing better, more frequent services as the reason for using buses and 26 per cent saying they liked bus travel's environmental credentials.

Trueform technical director Jonathan Morley said: "While Government attempts to encourage people to leave their cars at home have generally not had a large impact, this study suggest that when car use starts to hit people in their pockets or taps their social consciousness, then change can and will be initiated.

"It is encouraging to see that so many people are looking at bus travel as a viable and greener alternative to the private car.''

AOL news !

However, outside London, bus use continues to decline year upon year.

Let's face it, if you have a car, using a bus is always going to be, to some extent, a distress purchase.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Low fares? Here a single into the city centre (3 miles) is only 45p cheaper than a single on the train to Southampton (15 miles).

In terms of petrol the bus is 4 times more expensive than driving, 3 hours of parking in the city centre would roughly balance out the costs.

Looking at, then deciding against.

If I can only get into a town by bus, I don't go. Simple. Since I stopped using public transport I haven't had flu, and the amount of colds has gone down as well.
But. With the council making it unpleasant to drive in town (Bedford has traffic lights that give 30 seconds in one direction of flow and a minute and a half in the other....the longer period is the one with least traffic.....it may well be that many will chose to use the buses.
Not surprisingly, the council says that in several areas air pullution is in exess of recommended guidelines. 50 years ago a town bypass was recommended, it still is being recommended !
The A6 and A428 pass through the town centre, and traffic from the A421 passes through town to get to both these roads, and from them to the A421.
There is still no link from the A6, A428 and the A421. Most of the buses that ply their trade in the town are double decked and over 15 years old, They are the single major source of pollution !