The number of people using Newport Bus has reached a record four year high.

More than 7.6 million people used the city’s bus services in the last financial year, this figure representing an increase of nearly 200,000 compared to three years earlier.

Chris Blyth, Managing Director, said that the rise was due to the efforts of the company, improving the quality of services it provides.

New investments have been made in staff and new vehicles despite the financial climate and alongside this the company have not increased fares.

"By improving our buses and services despite the difficult financial climate our customers have shown their satisfaction with the positive increase in bus user numbers," he said.

Newport Bus recently launched a celebrity fronted campaign “You’ll be surprised who you might see,” with local famous faces, to encourage people to use the buses instead of their car.

Encouraging partnership with businesses in the city, they have also introduced a new service to Langstone Business Park.

Amongst the projects for 2010 include the launch of a new website, where customers can plan journeys online and a range of leaflets dedicated to each of Newport Bus’ 47 services.