PUBLIC transport bosses have criticised traffic congestion levels in the area and have called on those who can to ditch their car for short journeys – even electric vehicle drivers.

Directors from Bournemouth’s two leading bus providers have outlined a need for change after a report from location technology developer TomTom placed Bournemouth in the top 100 most congested places in the world.

Andrew Wickham, managing director of Morebus, says he “won’t stop” seeking to encourage local people to use public transport for short journeys.

He told the Echo: “We know that bus journey times have increased between Poole and Bournemouth over recent years – and this is a direct consequence of the number of cars and small delivery vans circulating in the area.

“A large number of visitors to the region already use the bus, but journey times would decrease greatly if even more people chose to leave their cars at home.

“We are doing everything possible to make travelling by bus a more attractive proposition – helping to reduce the impact current congestion levels have on the local community.

Bournemouth Echo:

“Over recent years we have invested £7.2 million in 41 newer, more efficient, buses and a further £1.23 million in five new double decker buses. It’s important to remember that just one of these larger buses has the potential to take 75 cars off the road.

“We won’t stop seeking new ways to encourage people to switch from car to bus. This is now more crucial than ever, as we all look to reduce our carbon footprint for the good of the region, and for the wider environment.”

Of similar mind, Yellow Buses’ commercial director Simon Newport said: “Generally we know that the Bournemouth conurbation is one of the most congested areas in the UK. We also know that the speed of our buses in the journeys that they operate are some of the lowest outside London, and this has got worse since the pandemic.

“We know that the punctuality of our service has worsened. Bus patronage has decreased since the pandemic, some of these people no longer travel due to different working arrangements but some have also decided to drive following the government asking people not to use public transport. We now need to get these people back on to the bus.

“Moving car users to electric vehicles is all very well. If every car became an electric vehicle, they would still be stuck in the same traffic as they are now. The impact on the environment may be better but it will still have an impact on the economy in this area.

“What we really need is less cars on the road, and the only real way is to move people to public transport. We need to enable buses to get around the urban area quicker than the car, and we need the help from the council to achieve this.”

On Wednesday, February 9, BCP Council’s cabinet approved a bid to try and receive funding from the government’s £3bn Bus Back Better scheme.