Public transport use grows in Reading

Reading gets £9.4 million from the government to make buses better

More people in Reading are using buses and trains, new numbers show.

More train passengers

All four train stations in Reading have more people using them. Reading West station has grown the most, with 43% more passengers are using it than last year.

The station got a £5 million upgrade last year with a new building, ticket gates, better lights and security cameras.

Reading's main station had 14.3 million passengers, up from 13.5 million the year before. This makes it one of the busiest stations outside London.

Green Park station, which is Reading's newest, saw passenger numbers go up from 140,948 to 221,482.

Tilehurst station also grew by 8%, with 385,312 passengers.

More bus passengers

Bus use in Reading is almost back to what it was before Covid. Reading has the third highest bus use in England outside London.

Last year, people made 20 million bus journeys in Reading. The year before it was 19.5 million.

Passenger journeys rose to 109.6 per head of population in the same period, compared with a national average of 62.4. Only Nottingham, and Brighton and Hove have more bus users per person.

What the money will pay for

The government has given Reading £9,397,376 to spend on buses over the next four years.

The council will work with bus companies to make buses even better. They have already added new bus lanes, more community bus routes, cheaper park and ride services, and a new fast bus route in South Reading that opened in November.

Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:

“I am pleased to see continued growth in the number of people using public transport in Reading.

“We have an excellent bus service and we are extremely well connected to the rail network with four stations in the borough.

“The increase in passengers at Reading West station is particularly significant following its major refurbishment, where the council worked with its rail partners to create new customer facilities and a far better environment for passengers.

“In a similar way, putting in measures to make bus journeys even quicker, reliable and more convenient continues to attract more people to take the bus for travelling in and around Reading.

“I very much welcome the new government funding of more than £9m which will allow the council to plan further investment in bus service improvements up to 2030.

“This, along with encouraging more active travel in the borough, will greatly support the council’s aims of reducing traffic, improving air quality and protecting the health of Reading residents.”