There has been a big jump in the number of people using public transport.

According to government figures, 4,005,199 journeys were made on public transport during 2016.

That’s an increase of 7 per cent from the 2015 figure.

Broken down by quarters, the figures are January to March 847,263; April to June 1,089,654; July to September 1,144,022; October to December 924,260.

The bus service saw a 5 per cent increase from the 2015 figure, carrying 3,485,164 passengers in 2016.

Jason Moorhouse MHK, the politician with responsibility for transport services, said: ’This is a very encouraging performance and reflects the objective within the Programme for Government to provide public transport, which best serves the social and economic needs of our communities. Bus Vannin customers have seen the streamlining of "smart" cards, the introduction of WiFi across the fleet and the availability of real time information through our Bus-Man app, which have all contributed to the increase in bus passenger numbers.’

Director of transport services Ian Longworth said: ’Reaching more than four million travellers in 2016 is a testament to the range, accessibility and affordability of our services and to the staff who provide those services.

’There can be challenges which impact scheduled timetables however transport services always has our customers’ best interest at heart when making any decision.

’We are delighted to see such a significant increase in travellers in 2016 and will continue to review and improve our services to ensure this trend continues for 2017.’