The problems associated with the provision of a bus service from an urban area to recreational sites in the countryside were explored in an experiment in Newport, Gwent. The likely demand for such services was measured in a household interview survey and four experimental services were introduced during the summer of 1978. The use of the services was less than anticipated and was insufficient for revenue from fares to meet the costs. The report concludes that simple surveys of the demand for a new recreational bus service grossly over-estimate the likely use. The evidence from the Newport service showed that the demand for special recreational bus services to the countryside among people without their own transport was so low that such services could not operate without a very high level of subsidy. (Author/publisher)
Abstract