Best bus services in England named, as passenger satisfaction rises again

25 March 2026

Bus passengers across England have reported further improvements in satisfaction with their journey with overall satisfaction rising to 85 per cent in the third year of the independent watchdog’s Your Bus Journey survey. 

The results of the annual Transport Focus survey show an improvement on last year’s score of 83 per cent, although results continue to vary significantly between local authority areas. Passengers in both Greater Nottingham and Warwickshire are the most satisfied with their journeys at 93 per cent. Passengers in Thurrock (Essex) are the least satisfied in England, scoring 73 per cent.   

Greater Manchester shows the biggest improvement, rising seven percentage points from 79 per cent to 86 per cent, putting it above the England average. Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen have also improved, up six points to 89 per cent, while Northumberland has increased by five points. Other areas seeing notable four‑point increases include the Liverpool City Region, Portsmouth, North East Lincolnshire, Hampshire and West Yorkshire.  

After a sharp rise in 2024 due to the £2 single fare, satisfaction with value for money has fallen back to pre-2023 levels. Among fare paying passengers there has been a noticeable drop of ten percentage points to 63 per cent. All but one English area saw a drop in value for money, Greater Manchester bucked the trend with an increase of six per cent to 79 per cent of passengers saying they were satisfied with the value for money for their journey.  

While satisfaction with bus journeys has increased overall, there is a broadening gap between satisfaction levels for disabled and non-disabled passengers. Disabled passengers, who make up around a quarter of the journeys in England, are satisfied with 83 per cent of their journeys compared to 87 per cent of non-disabled. This gap appears to be widening with 82 per cent of disabled passengers and 85 per cent of non-disabled passengers satisfied last year.  

Louise Collins, Director at Transport Focus, said: 

“It’s great to see the basics getting better for passengers, with more reliable services and better bus stops. This year’s rise in satisfaction shows what can be achieved when governments, local authorities and operators work together and listen to what passengers tell us.   

“But there’s still work to do. Value for money has slipped, some areas are racing ahead while others lag behind, and disabled passengers continue to have a worse time than others. We’ll be using the insights from our Your Bus Journey survey to keep pushing so improvements are felt everywhere, by everyone.”  

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said:  

“It’s fantastic to see Greater Nottingham leading the way, with one of the highest passenger satisfaction levels in the country. That shows what’s possible when you have a strong local focus, good services and a real commitment to putting passengers first – and it’s exactly the standard we want to see right across the East Midlands.  

“But these results also highlight the gap between the best and the rest. Through my Big Transport Conversation, people told me clearly, they want buses that are reliable, affordable and easy to use. 

“My ambition across the East Midlands is simple: a public transport system that works for everyone – connecting people to jobs, education and opportunity, and supporting the wider growth of our region. By listening to passengers and acting on what they tell us, we will build a network people can rely on every day.” 

Cllr Jennifer Warren, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said:  

“Considering this is the first year that the bus passenger survey has been conducted in Warwickshire, we are delighted with these results, which confirm that our commitment towards providing a high-quality bus network for Warwickshire is delivering for our residents.   

“Buses are the backbone of our communities, connecting people to work, education, and essential services while reducing congestion and supporting our environmental goals. We will use this detailed insight to ensure we continue to provide an accessible, reliable, and affordable service for everyone in Warwickshire.   

“It’s great to see that responses came from across Warwickshire, which will help steer the ongoing investment towards improving the bus network, and is testament to the hard work of our officers and our partners at the Warwickshire Bus Enhanced Partnership.”  

Fran Wilkinson, Customer and Growth Director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: 

“These results show the Bee Network is making a real difference to passengers. We’ve worked hard to keep the cost of travel down, capping fares and making multi-modal travel by bus and tram cheaper and more convenient and it’s great that passengers are already feeling the benefit of this. 

“This report, which shows a significant improvement in passenger satisfaction, explains why more and more people are using public transport in Greater Manchester. Bringing buses under public control has allowed us to freeze fares at £2 for another year, make improvements to services, introduce new routes and increase reliability. 

“It’s also meant that we were recently able to lift the 9.30am rule on concessionary passes, giving older and disabled people free round-the-clock travel every day. We are now looking at providing free travel for some children in temporary accommodation too.” 

 Key survey findings: 

• The top-ranked operator is Nottingham City Transport, with 94 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey.  

• Arriva in Tees Valley is the lowest-rated operator with 75 per cent satisfaction. 

• Satisfaction with punctuality of the bus at the stop increased to 77 per cent, up from 75 per cent last year. Passengers in Warwickshire were most satisfied (90 per cent) and least satisfied in Thurrock (65 per cent). 

• Value for money satisfaction fell to 63 per cent, down from 73 per cent in 2024. Passengers in Warrington were most satisfied at 84 per cent, while those in Plymouth were least satisfied at 46 per cent. Most improved for value for money satisfaction was Greater Manchester at 79 per cent up from 73 per cent. 

• Satisfaction with journey time is 83 per cent. Warwickshire performed highest at 94 per cent; Thurrock ranked lowest with 70 per cent. 

• Passengers with disabilities were satisfied with 83 per cent of journeys, up from 82 per cent in 2024. 

• Satisfaction with personal security at the bus stop has decreased from 75 per cent last year to 67 per cent. 

From 2026 all local authorities in England (outside London) will be required by the Department for Transport to participate in the survey in order to receive Local Authority Bus Grant funding. This will help provide a comprehensive view of bus service quality that reflects what matters most to passengers.   

Transport Focus will continue to use the survey to drive improvements and innovation across the bus sector.