USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT POST-LOCKDOWN
Did you know that in an average year, users of public transport across the UK make 8.36 billion journeys? This works out to just over 229 million journeys per day.
Of course, recently these figures have dropped dramatically and it’s unlikely that after lockdown restrictions are reduced they will go back up to the figures they were previously.[vc_single_image image=”94984″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”]Prior to the lockdown, over 13 million passenger journeys per day (that’s 56% of all journeys by public transport across the whole UK) were by bus.
A further 5 million spent their commute on the ever-popular and very over-crowded London Underground. Figures from the Department of Transport show that the average underground train is capable of carrying a total of 1,488 passengers (252 seated and 1,198 standing), though it often feels as though many more are squeezed into a train, especially during rush hour.
Despite running hundreds of trains during rush hour heading to a great number of stations across the country, just over 4.6 million passengers used the national overground railway.
Just this week, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that in order to provide reassurance to people who use public transport that they won’t be stepping into an environment that makes them feel unsafe, capacity on the underground will be reduced to just 15%, which works out as 750,000 passenger journeys per day.[vc_single_image image=”94985″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”]Khan was not alone in announcing plans for public transport post-lockdown. Earlier this week rail bosses were quick to announce that they have no plans to return to normal service. At present, they are running at 50% of their usual 24,000 trains-a-day capacity (there is discussion to increase this to 70% at some point in the future).
Local and national bus services are no different, across the country, most are operating a basic Sunday service – this means that a number of services aren’t running at all.
If you take one of the 229 million public transport journeys a day then it’s possible your return to work will be affected by reduced services and you will likely be unsurprised to hear that many organisations are predicting that we will experience an increase in the number of people who choose to drive to work once we are able to return to the office.[vc_single_image image=”94986″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”]We have previously mentioned that global factory closures will lead to a shortage of vehicles available across the UK (some manufacturers have already said that closures mean that their annual output will reduce by thousands over the rest of the year).
With more people looking to return to the roads rather than risk spending time in enclosed and crowded trains and buses, demand will outstrip supply. Experts are predicting that as soon as the supply of new vehicles available in the UK starts to dry up, so will the deals being offered. Dealerships, like most other businesses, have been closed for almost 2 months and they will be looking to recoup some of their losses when they reopen.[vc_single_image image=”94987″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”]If you’ve been looking for a new vehicle, information we are getting from other experts in the motor industry, and our own past experience, tells us that waiting until after the lockdown is over to secure your new car could lead to disappointment.
Here at OSV, we provide a bespoke service helping you to find your ideal vehicle that meets your specific needs. We have access to over 22 funders and can secure any vehicle available on the UK market, so we are in the perfect position to help you.
£360 including VAT is all we need to work our magic. We’ll order your new vehicle from our preferred dealer (once finance is approved) and waste no time in working with you to ensure a safe and timely delivery.**If your circumstances change due to COVID-19, we’ll issue you with a future deposit certificate to use on your next vehicle order (valid for 12 months).[vc_column width=”2/3″ el_class=”bg-shadow”]
