End of night out looms as faith in public transport hits new low

NIGHTS out on the town appear to be in decline as revellers increasingly opt for boozy brunches and daytime drinking at the weekend.

New figures show rising numbers of people are venturing out to pubs and bars earlier in the day before returning home, with the trend partly driven by a shift in attitude towards public transport after the long-running rail strikes.

In the past year, there has been an almost 50 per cent increase in the number of people choosing to go for “hightempo” drink-led occasions – such as bottomless brunches – in the morning and at lunchtime, according to data from the research company CGA.

It suggests the classic night out is fast falling out of fashion with the number of people heading out after 8pm down by 7 per cent in the past year. The number of drinkers visiting pubs in the early evening, between 5pm and 8pm, also dropped by 5 per cent. “There are some huge economic challenges in the latenight industry... with the cost of going out increasing because of inflation,” said Michael Gill, chief executive of the Night Time Industry Association.

“Travelling is also being made more difficult for people – the cost of accessing travel infrastructure has increased thanks to things like Ulez, and then you also have industrial action.”

Transport for London increased fares across its network at the start of this year by an average of 5.9 per cent, with the average single journey bus fare rising by 10p and the average pay-asyou-go Tube fare going up by 30p. “Confidence in public transport is at an all-time low,” Mr Gill added. “Post-11pm is a very difficult environment to get home.” People are therefore choosing to go out late less frequently, he said, and are more likely to stay local.

Some bars and restaurants have introduced promotions such as latenight happy hours to try to entice customers to stay out later, while other venues offer daytime events.

Annie Mac, a former BBC Radio 1 DJ, launched a club series last year called Before Midnight, for people who want to enjoy rave music but who wish to be in bed at a reasonable hour.

Kate Nicholls, of UK Hospitality, said: “Operators are having to work hard to attract customers – particularly when it comes to the late-night market.”