More people turning to public transport as Reading receives £9.4m boost from Government

Public transport use continues to grow in Reading according to recently published official figures.

Passenger journeys on local buses are heading back to pre-Covid levels and Reading continues to have the third highest bus use outside of London per head of population.

Local train stations have also seen continued growth with Reading West station enjoying a 43% increase in passenger numbers following a major £5m redevelopment last year.

The positive figures were released just prior to the Government announcing funding of £9,397,376 for Reading over four years from the Local Authority Bus Grant.

Statistics from the Department for Transport showed an increase in bus usage in Reading for the fourth consecutive year.

There were 20 million passenger journeys on local bus services in the borough in the year ending March 2025 compared with 19.5 million the previous year,  

Passenger journeys rose to 109.6 per head of population in the same period, compared with a national average of 62.4. This put Reading behind only Nottingham and Brighton and Hove in the top three places outside of London.

The Council has continued to encourage greater use of buses through its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which has included the introduction of new bus lanes, additional community bus routes, discounted park and ride services and the fifth phase of the South Reading Bus Rapid Transit scheme, which opened in November.

The new pot of funding announced on Friday 5 December will be used by the Council, in partnership with local bus operators, to make bus travel even more attractive in Reading.

Work with rail partners also continues to see results with a large increase in passenger numbers at Reading West station, according to the Estimates of Station Usage report released by the Office of Rail and Road last week.

The station in Oxford Road was used by 481,548 passengers between April 2024 – March 2025, compared with 336,050 the previous year. The station had seen a 16% growth in passenger numbers the previous year.

The Council worked with Network Rail and Great Western Railways on a redevelopment of the station which was completed in March 2024 and included a new station building, ticket gates, improved lighting and CCTV cameras.

Tilehurst station has seen passenger numbers up by eight percent to 385,312 while Reading’s newest rail station at Green Park saw numbers up from 140, 948 in 2023/24 to 221,482, though the station opened part way through 2023, in May.

Reading’s central station saw 14.3m passengers pass through its gates, compared with 13.5m the previous year making it one of the UK’s busiest train stations outside of London.

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.”