Two areas of Sussex named among Great Britain’s best for public transport

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Two areas of Sussex have been named among the best in Great Britain for public transport, according to a new study.

Bus travel expert GetByBus analysed government data on over 300 local authorities across Great Britain for several metrics relating to public transport.

Each area was ranked based on bus and train stops per square mile, train station usage per capita, the percentage of bus and train journeys to work, and the number of taxis, airports, and private hire vehicles (PHVs) per 100,000 people.

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All London boroughs were aggregated to create a score for the city. The areas secured a score out of 100 and were ranked from highest to lowest.

Two areas of Sussex have been named among the best in Great Britain for public transport, according to a new study. Picture courtesy of Govia Thameslink RailwayTwo areas of Sussex have been named among the best in Great Britain for public transport, according to a new study. Picture courtesy of Govia Thameslink Railway
Two areas of Sussex have been named among the best in Great Britain for public transport, according to a new study. Picture courtesy of Govia Thameslink Railway

Crawley claims sixth place in the study. With a score of 64.70 out of 100, the West Sussex borough has the highest rate of train station usage per capita (174.50), almost double that of places like Liverpool and Glasgow.

The location is among the top 5% of places for people taking the bus to work, with bus journeys representing 11.05% of all commutes for locals.

Residents of Brighton and Hove council area have access to the seventh-best public transport in Great Britain, scoring 63.63 in the study.

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The rail network is popular among locals, with 19,381,366 station entries and exits recorded at a rate of 70.14 per capita, the ninth-highest figure nationwide.

The area also ranks in the top 7% of locations for taxis per 100,000 people (217.13).

Glasgow tops the study as Great Britain's best area for public transport, scoring 71.83 out of 100.

Despite not topping for any of the eight metrics, the Scottish city scores top of the ranking thanks to being among the top five areas in four different categories.

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Approximately 17% of employees use the bus to travel to work in the city, the third-highest rate in GB, while the average person uses a train station 80.90 times per year, the fifth-highest figure.

Glasgow also places fourth for rail stops per square mile (1.20) and the percentage of people travelling to work via train (11%).

Liverpool takes the second spot with a score of 69.22 and is the best place in England for public transport.

The North West city averages more train stops per square mile than almost any other location, with 1.24, second only to Watford.

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People in Liverpool also use the train more than most places in the country, with the average person using a local train station 86.32 times per year, the fourth-highest in the study.

Approximately 14.73% of commuters also cite the bus as their mode of transport to work, ranking Liverpool sixth overall for this metric.

Watford places third overall with a score of 67.34. The area has more rail stops per square mile than any other location in the study (1.93), while the average person uses a train station 76.09 times, the sixth-highest number in Great Britain.

Approximately 7,795,040 entries and exits have been registered at train stations in the area.

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Richmondshire, Dumfries and Galloway, and Staffordshire Moorlands ranked bottom of the study as the worst spots in Great Britain for public transport, with each spot scoring less than 15 out of 100. Powys also ranked bottom for Wales with a score of 16.79.

Ante Dagelić, CEO of GetByBus, said: “With workers, students, and others relying on public transport daily, it is vital for links across Great Britain to be strong and reliable.

“England tends to be the strongest nation in Great Britain for public transport, with eight of the top 10 locations found here, while Wales and Scotland each have one area in the top ranking.

“Similarly, two Scottish spots are among the worst in the nation, Dumfries and Galloway, and Moray.

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"While bus journeys in Great Britain have fallen from just over 5 billion in 2013 to a little over 3.7 billion in 2023, some areas are still heavily reliant on these services, with one in four workers in areas like Edinburgh taking the bus on their regular commute."

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