A national survey has raised concern that car commuters considering a switch to the bus or train to avoid Birmingham’s summer of motorway road works wouldn’t know where to start.
One in ten said they would struggle with the alternatives – and regular drivers in the West Midlands knew least about public transport routes between their home and work, according to the opinion poll conducted for the TravelWise campaign.
To help make the switch, public transport promoter Centro has produced a guide explaining everything from route planning to how to catch a bus.
“If you make the same journey to work, the same way, every day then changing that routine can be a big step,” says Centro services director Robert Smith. “People who haven’t used the bus or train for a long time, if at all, may well be surprised at how extensive the public transport network in the West Midlands really is.”
Already one in six Birmingham commuters choose the train to travel to and from work and there are almost 70 million work trips a year on bus, rail and Metro.
To help newcomers to public transport, the beginner’s guide on Centro’s website includes a journey planner which will plot the best route for any commuter just by typing in their home and destination address or postcode.
The web guide, called A Beginners Guide to Public Transport, also covers how to pay for a ticket and the range of travel cards available. It can be found at www.centro.org.uk/beginner
“Some people might be confused about such things as small change for their bus fare, unaware that they can get a Centrocard and other season tickets for example,” says Robert Smith.
“Lack of information is one of the key barriers in persuading motorists to switch to public transport and Centro is working on many fronts to plug this gap,” he adds.
The beginner’s guide is expected to be particularly useful to commuters considering a switch to public transport as a way of avoiding road works on the M6 and Aston Expressway this summer. New initiatives, such as a park and ride alternative to the Expressway are also included in the guide – the Star City scheme will provide free parking and buses direct to Birmingham city centre every ten minutes.
