Public Transport Draft Strategy Consultation

Overall

• Levels of agreement are high for the vision and all the proposed policies, ranging from 68% to 86% at a total sample level
• Agreement is generally higher amongst females, students and younger people
• Disagreement levels are 13% or lower for all actions at a total sample level

Vision

• 73% of the total sample agree with the vision for public transport
• Those who agree are generally positive about public transport, feel it will be beneficial to the environment, and reduce car usage and congestion
• 11% disagree with the vision and are sceptical about its implementation, don’t believe that the current public transport system is fit for purpose, and feel that it discriminates against those who choose or need to use private motorised vehicles

ECONOMIC OUTCOMES

Policy A: Improve the city centre, local and district centres and key visitor destinations such as major healthcare and leisure sites by improving public transport services and access to them

• 78% of the total sample agree with Policy A
• Those who agree talk about the need for high quality public transport and an associated reduction in car usage and congestion
• 10% disagree with the vision and focus on the City Centre not being a desirable destination or other areas deserving more focus

Policy B: Develop a mostly bus-based rapid transit network that connects key locations in the city with South-East Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, reducing travel times

• 75% of the total sample agree with Policy B
• Those who agree are generally positive and think it will encourage use of public transport and reduce car reliance and congestion
• 10% disagree with the policy and are sceptical that the plans will work, feel that buses are not the ideal solution and that cars will always be needed

Policy C: Quicker and more reliable bus journeys through prioritisation of local bus services over general traffic

• 73% of the total sample agree with Policy C
• Those who agree think it will encourage use of public transport and reduce car usage and congestion through the provision of faster bus journeys
• 13% disagree with the policy and think that bus prioritisation will increase congestion on the roads by slowing down other transport modes, that buses are not fit for purpose as an alternative to cars and that buses already have enough priority on the roads

Policy D: Deliver high quality transport interchanges, stations and stops and improvements to “first and last mile” connections. This includes passenger information provision

• 76% of the total sample agree with Policy D
• Those who agree are generally positive and think that an integrated public transport system is essential for a modern city. Note that even those who agree with the policy comment on other locations or different locations where they would like these interchanges or stations to be developed
• 11% disagree with the policy and the dominant negative comments are about e-bike and e-scooters which many do not wish to be included in the plans. Beyond that, those who disagree also take issue with the location of the proposed hubs or think other transport improvements are more important

Policy W: Work with the ferry operators to maintain and develop attractive services, fares and improved routes

• 76% of the total sample agree with Policy W
• Those who agree with this policy focus on the need to bring ferry fares down in price, particularly the Isle of Wight ferry, and believe that such a policy would be beneficial for all, particularly tourism/leisure-related travel
• 5% disagree with the policy and expensive ticket prices are the main point raised. Those who disagree are also sceptical of PCC being able to drive change because of the private ownership structure of the ferry companies and some comment on ferry travel being irrelevant for large parts of the local population

Policy R: Work with the rail industry to develop quicker services and new connections to important destinations in other areas

• 80% of the total sample agree with Policy R
• Those who agree with this policy focus on the benefits that faster or more direct journeys would bring, particularly to London but do also comment on the high price of train fares as an additional barrier to use
• 6% disagree with the policy and are sceptical about implementation, viewing the issue as a national problem requiring centralised solutions. They also comment on the high cost of rail travel and the private ownership structure being an additional barrier to change. Current unreliability of trains and the general poor service are also cited

Policy I: Integrated journey planning and fare payment to provide easy to use seamless multi-operator and multi-modal travel

• 83% of the total sample agree with Policy I
• Those who agree with this policy comment on the importance of ease of use and convenience, and are generally positive about the suggestions
• 4% disagree with the policy because they think it will be impossible to implement and won’t solve the underlying issue of a lack of affordability

SOCIAL OUTCOMES

Policy E: Continue to work closely with public transport operators to deliver integrated, efficient, affordable, attractive services, providing good connections within the city and to other areas

• 84% of the total sample agree with Policy E
• Those who agree are generally supportive of the policy and believe that everyone, including those with additional needs, should be able to travel easily and efficiently around the city. However, some do raise the question of affordability and also mention specific route limitations or gaps
• 4% disagree and again question how successfully the policy can be implemented, or express negative sentiments more generally towards PCC. Note that this policy is criticised more than others for being vague and woolly in its wording

Policy F: Make all public transport interchanges, stations and stops fully accessible pleasant locations with good pedestrian and, where appropriate, cycle routes to improve the journey experience

• 86% of the total sample agree with Policy F
• Those who agree reiterate the belief that everyone, including those with additional needs, should be able to travel easily and safely. They would like to see a myriad of physical improvements to interchanges, stations and stops, particularly toilets, seating and shelters
• 5% disagree and comment that such a policy is a waste of money and core services and various other improvements are more important

Policy G: Work with operators to help ensure that all buses, trains, ferries and taxis serving Portsmouth are fully accessible and provide appropriate standards of passenger comfort

• 86% of the total sample agree with Policy G
• Those who agree reiterate the belief that everyone, including those with additional needs, should be able to travel easily and safely, and that this policy is much needed. They would like to see many improvements to infrastructure, capacity and services and provide many specific examples
• The 4% who disagree feel that such a policy would be hard to implement, cost too much and is not really needed as accessibility requirements are, in their view, already being met

Policy H: Work with the police, community safety and public transport operators to improve passengers’ safety, security and comfort while travelling and using the interchanges, stations and stops

• 86% of the total sample agree with Policy H
• Those who agree think being, and feeling, safe is essential and would encourage usage of public transport
• The 5% who disagree mainly make negative comments about the police describing them as uninterested, incompetent and under-resourced

ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES

Policy J: Complete the de-carbonisation of Portsmouth’s bus and taxi fleet

• 76% of the total sample agree with Policy J
• Those who agree are generally supportive of the policy and the environmental benefits it will bring
• 9% disagree and mainly express concern about the costs of such a transformation. Concern about EVs are also mentioned

Policy K: Expand the Park and Ride site and its services

• 68% of the total sample agree with Policy K, the policy with the lowest levels of agreement (but 25% have a neutral opinion)
• Those who agree think the policy will reduce traffic and congestion in the city and its associated pollution; they also support the route expansion suggestions and mention Fratton Park home games, Southsea and Eastney as potential destinations or extra usage occasions
• 6% disagree and comment that Park & Ride doesn’t meet their needs because of limitations with its timetables (no evenings, not early enough), routes (limited stops and destinations) and the location of the Tipner site relative to where they live or are travelling in from

OTHER OUTCOMES

Policy L: Implement promotion and marketing campaigns and behaviour change measures to raise awareness and change mindsets regarding public transport, particularly amongst frequent car users

• 72% of the total sample agree with Policy L
• Those who agree think marketing and promotion strategies are an important part of the solution and an effective way to get people to sample public transport and potentially start to use it more often. However, they believe service improvements are also an important driver of behaviour change
• 11% disagree because they would prefer money and focus to be on improving services, think that cars will always be preferable or essential for some and don’t believe behaviour change can be achieved in that way

Further comments

• Further comments tend to echo or repeat opinions left elsewhere in the survey
• The most frequent comments relate to all aspects of bus travel including route and coverage gaps, reliability issues, slow journey times, timetabling and capacity issues. However, the single most common theme voiced about buses is lack of affordability (and alongside that, the need for better ticketing options and additional discounts or subsidies)

Use of public transport

• 85% of respondents use public transport. Usage is slightly higher amongst students, visitors, females, those from White ethnic groups and those without a disability
• Buses are the dominant form of public transport used in Portsmouth (93%), followed by trains (66%). Only 2% of this sample are Voi users
• Buses are used more by females, young and old demographics; less by visitors and those from ethnic minorities
• Trains are used more by workers and visitors, males and younger and middle-aged demographics (considerably less by those with a disability)
• Ferries are used more by visitors, workers and middle-aged and older demographics (less by those from ethnic minorities or with a disability)
• Taxis are used more by residents and workers, females, and those from ethnic minority groups
• Voi and buses are used on a more frequent basis than other transport modes (buses 58% use at least 2-3 times a week, Voi 45%)
• Ferries are used least frequently with over half of users doing so less often than once a month
• Trains and taxis have a broadly similar usage pattern in terms of frequency (11% to 15% using at least 2-3 times a week)

Sample profile

• Respondents come from a wide range of Portsmouth postcodes with 85% living in PO1 to PO6
• Visitors, and those who work in Portsmouth (who are not residents) mainly live in the immediate surrounding areas of the city, such as Fareham, Gosport, Waterlooville, Havant and areas up to Southampton, as well as areas slightly further afield like Bournemouth and Brighton. A few responses came in from greater distances, such as Uxbridge, Northampton, and Gloucestershire
• Respondents were split evenly by sex and came from all age groups. However, as with most Council consultations a large proportion of respondents are in the older demographics (66% > 55+)
• 96% of respondents are White or White British; 27% report having a disability or limiting condition

The main aims of the research were to:

• Measure levels of agreement with the vision statement and each of the 14 proposed policies within the draft strategy
• Understand the reasons for respondents’ agreement or disagreement with each of the above
• Establish whether Portsmouth City Council has popular support to publish and implement its Public Transport Strategy
• As a secondary objective, record the usage of public transport by the sample in terms of mode and frequency, including use by different groups and demographics

An online survey was launched on 6 October 2025 and closed on 16 November 2025. The online survey was promoted through:

• PCC social media, paid and organic
• PCC resident e-bulletins
• PCC internal comms
• PCC external website
• Transport partners and other stakeholders
• Posters, flyers and banners in various locations across the city, RTI screens at bus stops
• In person engagement events in community centres and libraries in various locations across the city

The online survey was supplemented with alternative completion methods on paper and by telephone.

In total the online survey received 1,506 responses.

Assuming a total population of 170,818 (the latest 2021 census data from the Office for National Statistics for people aged 16+ in Portsmouth), this volume of responses ensures a 95% confidence level with a margin of error of 3%, well within acceptable parameters.

Around 40 people also left comments on social media. The themes from these comments have been included in the results.