Best bus services in Scotland named, as passenger satisfaction rises

25 March 2026

Bus passengers in Scotland have reported significant improvements in satisfaction with their journey with overall satisfaction rising to 91 per cent in the independent watchdog’s Your Bus Journey survey. 

As the definitive, independent bus passenger satisfaction survey in England and Scotland, Transport Focus’s annual Your Bus Journey gives detailed feedback from 50,000 journeys. It provides a benchmark of passenger satisfaction on key aspects including the on-board environment, punctuality, value for money and journey times. 

The results of the survey show an improvement on last year’s score of 86 per cent. Passengers in Strathclyde are most satisfied with their journey at 93 per cent, while passengers inAberdeen and Aberdeenshire are least satisfied, at 82 per cent. Passengers in the South East saw the biggest improvement, with satisfaction up seven percentage points to 92 per cent. 

McGills is the top ranked operator, with a satisfaction score of 97 per cent. Stagecoach in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is the lowest rated operator, with 80 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey. 

Overall, 75 per cent of fare payers say they are satisfied with value for money, staying at the same level as the last survey. However, significant variation remains across Scotland, with regional value for money satisfaction ranging from 44 per cent to 87 per cent. 

While satisfaction with bus journeys has increased overall, there is a broadening gap between satisfaction levels for disabled and non-disabled passengers. 88 per cent of disabled passengers are satisfied with their journey compared to 94 per cent of non-disabled passengers. 

Louise Collins, director at Transport Focus, said: 

“It’s encouraging to see that bus passenger satisfaction across Scotland is on the rise, with notable increases in passenger satisfaction with the time the journey took, punctuality and bus stops. 

“Buses play a vital role connecting communities across Scotland to jobs, education and essential public services. But as our results show, experiences still vary considerably across the nation. We will use the insights from Your Bus Journey with transport authorities and operators across Scotland to support better services and help make bus the first choice for more people.” 

Key survey results: 

  • Overall, in Scotland, satisfaction with punctuality increased from 80 per cent to 86 per cent. Passenger satisfaction with the length of time waiting for the bus increased from 78 per cent to 84 per cent.  
  • Satisfaction with punctuality ranged from 91 per cent in the Strathclyde region to 77 per cent in the North East. 
  • Passenger satisfaction with journey time ranged from 92 per cent in Strathclyde to 81 per cent in the North East. 
  • Measures of personal safety have declined, with 77 per cent of passengers rating safety whilst at the bus stop as fairly/very good and personal security on board the bus at 88 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. The survey will also include bus services in Scotland and Wales. 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.