Buses are "an essential means of travel for millions"

A JOURNALIST and author raised in Chelmsley Wood has highlighted the difficulties facing those who have to rely on the bus or train to get about.
Lifelong public transport user Lynsey Hanley recently presented a two-part Radio 4 series.
It lifted the lid on the problems that passengers encounter on a daily basis, using services which are “irregular” and often “shockingly expensive.”
In particular the programmes sought to highlight the massive gulf between the quality of connections available in London and other parts of the UK.
Ms Hanley, who now lives in Merseyside, but still relies almost entirely on public transport, spoke to fellow commuters about how they thought the network could become a viable alternative to the car.
“Buses are the mainstay of everyday travel,” said the 42-year-old.
“Not for fancy or far-flung trips, but the essential means by which millions of people travel to work, the shops, to doctors and dentists’ appointments and to visit loved ones.
“Bus networks are the complex cogs which keep cities moving and prevent people in smaller places becoming isolated, or at least that’s what they do in London and what they should do elsewhere.”
Figures quoted during the programme revealed that a third of England’s 35,000 buses operate within the capital.
And in the last decade, 138million miles were lost from bus routes outside London, even as the network within the capital was extended. Because such a large section of the population make journeys via car, Ms Hanley said that many people are baffled that she uses alternative forms of transport.
“I’ve had the nagging feeling of being at best an outlier and at worst a crank.
“When I tell people I get round mainly by bus, it’s as though I’ve told them that I hike into work from space using a pair of Nordic skis...”
Only this month, Other Side of Solihull reported on the discussions that have been taking place to try and improve the often criticised bus services in North Solihull.
Residents have expressed concern that routes don't serve the Chelmund's Cross village centre and there is still anger over the changes made to the local network last year.
Mind The Gap: Britain’s Transport Divide is still available to listen to on BBC’s iPlayer.