Bus usage now exeeds pre-pandemic levels across Royal Borough and Slough, figures reveal

Bus usage in the Royal Borough is now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, figures have shown.

Annual bus statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) show passenger numbers have bounced back following sharp drops from 2020 onwards after the COVID-19 pandemic.

But bus usage still remains well below neighbouring authorities – a long-standing issue in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Following the announcement of widespread changes to the Royal Borough bus network earlier this year, the council’s transport policy manager Dug Tremellen told a meeting the ‘borough in recent years has seen the lowest bus ridership per head in the whole country’.

This, he said, has been ‘really pronounced over the last 10 to 15 years or so’.

But the latest DfT figures suggest green shoots of improvement, based on survey data collected from local bus operators.

The latest figures, ending March each year, show that the Royal Borough has exceeded pre-COVID passenger numbers for the first time.

The Royal Borough’s cabinet member for transport Cllr Geoff Hill (Lib Dem, Oldfield) believes the authority is ‘one of the first council areas in the country to do so’ and attributed it to an ‘upgraded travelling experience’.

Across the borough, there were 1.4million journeys made in the year ending March 2019.

While this figure was maintained in the year ending March 2020, it dropped to 400,000 in 2021 amid lockdown measures and other restrictions.

Passenger numbers have been on an upward trajectory since then, with 800,000 recorded journeys in 2022, one million in 2023 and 1.3 million in 2024.

RBWM exceeded its 2019 figures with 1.5million journeys in the year ending March 2025.

Meanwhile in Slough, there were 4.8million local bus journeys in year ending March 2019 – dropping to 1.8million by 2021.

Numbers bounced back to a high of 5.7million by 2024, dropping slightly to 5.2million journeys in the year ending March 2025.

In Wokingham, 2025 figures are slightly lower than 2019 (2.6million compared to 2.8million).

In the county-wide Buckinghamshire authority (excluding Milton Keynes), there were 9.1million local bus journeys made in the year ending March 2019, but 2025 numbers are 1.8million lower at 7.3million.

Cllr Hill said: “I am so pleased to see that bus use in the Royal Borough has now exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with 1.5million bus journeys made last year – one of the first council areas in the country to do so.

“With major bus improvements implemented earlier this year, and a number of promotional initiatives, residents have been able to enjoy an upgraded travelling experience that is easier and more sustainable.

“This will have long-term benefits for all of our residents and visitors, in line with our commitment to create a cleaner, greener and safer borough.”

A spokesperson for Slough Borough Council said: “We are pleased to see the number of bus journeys increase. In Slough, we have a variety of operators offering different routes to suit residents, and we have dedicated bus lanes which make bus travel more convenient and with less congestion.

“Improving air quality is one of our priorities, and if we can encourage more people out of their cars and onto buses, that will help to reduce emissions, congestion and reduce journey times for everyone.”

For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-march-2025/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-march-2025