Nottingham's tram system is the most well used per head than any other in the country, according to new statistics which show an extra million journeys were made last year.

Figures released by the Department for Transport reveal a total of 18.8 million journeys in the year to March 2019, up from 17.8 million in the previous financial year.

That increase in passengers has also led to a rise in revenue, up from £19.1 million in 2017/18 to £20.6 million this year.

The Nottingham Express Transit system has been criticised in recent years by commuters frustrated at times by delays, but many in the city say there have been improvements and they like the convenience factor.

Customer Becky Brooks, 29, a mum from The Meadows, said: "I'm not sure what I'd do without it really. It's just so easy to get into the centre, and I can bring the pram as well.

"Although it can get busy and it's a bit of a challenge to squeeze on sometimes, people generally move and help me out so it's still not much of a problem."

Christian Perez, a 23-year-old shop assistant from Hyson Green, added: "Yes I like it, I don't think there's anything negative I can say really. I come nearly every day no problem. It's easy to buy a ticket and it stops everywhere I need it to."

Meanwhile, Helen Chapman, 51, a consultant from Bulwell, said: "Living quite far away from where I work, I am very grateful for the tram service we have.

"It's busy most of the time I get on but that's fine, I am normally able to find a seat and if worse comes to worse I stand or just wait for the next one, there's always one a couple of minutes away."


The service got the thumbs up from 21-year-old student Sophie Cook, who commutes in from Hyson Green, but she did have some criticism.

She said: "When it’s darker in winter I feel safer getting the tram home instead of walking.

"Even though it is convenient it’s not necessarily the most reliable as they seem to be always late or extremely full so you can’t get on it and have to wait for the next one.

"I also think it’s quite expensive for what it is, as my four-minute journey to uni is £1 as I’m a student but would be more if you're not."

The DfT statistics suggest the average person in the Nottingham transport area took 57.1 tram journeys during the year, up from 54.8. It comes as, nationally, there have been a third more tram or light rail journeys now than at the start of the decade.

In response to the figures, a NET spokesman said: "These figures clearly reflect the growing popularity of the tram and the success of our efforts to encourage even more people to leave their car at home, or at our free park and ride facilities, when travelling into the city centre.

“Recent investment across the network to improve reliability and improve the customer experience, combined with innovative ticketing offers, have certainly played a part in the increase.

“Building on our partnerships with many local businesses and other organisations - including local sports and entertainment venues - has also helped more people to enjoy convenient, value-for-money travel to matches, concerts and other events across the city.

“We’ll continue to work hard to ensure the network goes from strength to strength and customer numbers continue to grow.”

