Birmingham is bus capital of Europe

Birmingham has been revealed as the bus capital of Europe - with 13 bus stops per kilometre (just over half a mile).

This is a huge number in comparison to other major cities and tourist hotspots like Paris (two and a half per kilometre), Barcelona (three-and-a-half) and less than one per kilometre in Berlin.

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In fact, the top three on the list are all in the UK with London following at over 12 per kilometre and Manchester (9.9). Budapest is the closest continental city with just over eight.

The Birmingham Mail reports that the figures have been revealed by Transport for West Midlands looking to justify their decision to axe 60 bus stops in Birmingham to boost bus times.

The body is looking to encourage people to use buses more as figures show usage numbers declining.

It says that some bus stops in Birmingham are as little as 130 metres apart, meaning bus drivers can barely get into second gear before having to stop again.

The six-month 'bus stop rationalisation trial' will be reviewed at the end to see if journey times have improved.

Recent figures revealed that bus times are 20 per cent slower now in the morning rush hour than they were two years ago.

Some suggest that the removal of bus stops will adversely affect the lives of older people, poorer people and people with disabilities.

One councillor suggested a good idea might be to cut fares in the rush hour in a bid to get more people using buses rather than cars.