Rising bus passenger numbers near pre-Covid levels

Passenger numbers on buses across Essex have almost returned to pre-pandemic levels.

There were 51.7 million journeys taken across the county in the year to March 2025 - a million shy of those made in 2020.

Peter Nathaniel, who runs Central Connect routes, said services took a hit during Covid-19 due to concerns about virus transmission.

"It's fantastic that we're now seeing passenger numbers increase because, ultimately, that's what it's all about," he added.

More than £68m in funding to support the county's bus network was secured by Essex County Council in January.

The new passenger figures were published by the Office for National Statistics earlier in June.

Services such as Airlink, which connects holidaymakers with London Stansted Airport, and a 24-hour route between Basildon and Southend-on-Sea have boosted footfall.

Nathaniel said: "Coming out of Covid, bus use was really low.

"There was consistent messaging to not use public transport whereas now, actually, it's been proven that public transport is safe, it's clean, it's reliable."

There were 39.5 million, 6.9 million and 5.3 million journeys in the local authority areas of Essex, Southend and Thurrock respectively in 2024.

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