England’s best bus services named, as national passenger satisfaction rises 

25 March 2025

Bus passengers across England have said they are more satisfied with their journeys – with satisfaction up to 83 per cent in the second year of the Your Bus Journey survey, independent watchdog Transport Focus confirms.

The results from the 2024 survey showed passenger satisfaction improving overall from its first-year level of 80 per cent – but there were still some wide differences across local authorities.

Passengers in Derby City were the most satisfied with their journey at 92 per cent. Passengers in West Yorkshire were for the second year the least satisfied with 77 per cent. East Sussex and Warrington were two of the most improved areas in the survey, both up eight percentage points after some hard work following passenger feedback, and with East Sussex moving from 26th to 12th place in the survey.

As the definitive, independent bus passenger satisfaction survey in England, Scotland and Wales, Your Bus Journey gives detailed passenger feedback on 48,000 journeys. It provides a benchmark of passenger satisfaction including on board the bus, punctuality of the service, value for money and journey times.

Louise Collins, director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“The positive changes seen across bus services in England have boosted overall passenger satisfaction. The changes show how government funding, hard work from local authorities and operators, and listening to what passengers want can improve journeys.

“Buses play a vital role connecting communities across the country to work, education, leisure activities and vital appointments. The wide variation in scores at a local level in the survey shows that some passengers still aren’t getting the bus service they should. Government, bus operators and local authorities must continue to work together to deliver the promised improvement to bus service reliability and frequency.

“The results from areas like Derby City, Derbyshire, East Sussex and Warrington show what can be done when everyone is focussed on delivering for passengers. We’ll be using the results from the survey with local transport authorities and bus operators up and down the country to drive improvements and help make bus the first choice for more people.”

Councillor Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability at Derby City Council said:

“I’m delighted with the results of the 2024 Your Bus Journey survey, putting Derby on the map as an accessible place to live, work and visit. The results of the survey show what we already know, which is that Derby has a thriving and expanding transport offer which is tailored to the needs of our residents.

“We’re more passionate than ever about transforming Derby into a sustainable city, championing public transport as a way to contribute to decarbonisation, air quality, and health improvements. Recently we have been investing significantly into our public transport and I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve by working in collaboration with partners by putting passenger’s needs at the heart of what we do.”

Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of Confederation of Passenger Transport, said:

“It’s fantastic to see bus passenger satisfaction on the rise – a testament to the excellent partnerships between bus operators and local authorities in many parts of the country and the dedication of everyone working in the industry.

“We want every passenger to be satisfied with their journey and with significant changes ahead for the bus industry, including the Bus Services (No.2) Bill and the impact of government spending decisions, we urge policymakers to prioritise passengers, ensuring even greater satisfaction and better services in the year ahead.”

Key survey results:

  • Passenger satisfaction with value for money has seen significant improvement up six percentage points to 73 per cent. Passengers in Nottinghamshire were the most satisfied at 91 per cent, while 60 per cent of West of England and North Somerset passengers were satisfied with the value for money of their journey.
  • The top-ranked operator was High Peak in Derby City and Derbyshire, which had a passenger satisfaction score of 99 per cent. Arriva in West Yorkshire was the lowest rated bus operator with 69 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journeys.
  • Increased satisfaction with value for money reflects overall improvements to bus services and not just the impacts of the £2 bus fare cap that was in place throughout 2024.
  • Perception of punctuality is up five percentage points to 75 per cent. Passengers in Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole were the most satisfied at 80 per cent and least satisfied in Greater Manchester at 67 per cent.
  • Journey time satisfaction overall is 83 per cent. Derby City is the highest performing area for journey time, with 92 per cent of passengers satisfied. Stoke on Trent is the lowest rated area by passengers at 79 per cent.
  • Across England, passengers with disabilities were satisfied with 82 per cent of bus journeys, up from 79 per cent in 2023 reflecting the overall increase in bus satisfaction nationally. This remains lower than for non-disabled passengers at 85 per cent.
  • Passengers in rural and semi-rural areas reported increased satisfaction with the value for money of their service. Improvements in performance, punctuality and on-board environment and facilities have contributed to passengers’ perceptions of better value for money.
  • Urban areas have seen improvements to punctuality in particular with journey experience upgrades to bus stops and vehicles also being noticed. Metropolitan areas have also seen improved levels of satisfaction, but at a slower pace.

Significant Government investment as part of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding in many areas and £2 bus fare cap, appears to be having an impact.

With changes expected through the introduction of the Better Buses Bill, Transport Focus will use the Your Bus Journey survey to drive improvement and innovation. Transport Focus will continue to hold local authorities, operators and the wider industry to account and help them deliver in their commitment to make buses more reliable, frequent and better value for money.

ENDS

Notes to editors

DOWNLOAD REPORT: Your Bus Journey summary report 240325

Transport Focus spoke to 41,000 passengers across 39 areas in England (outside of London), 3500 in Scotland and 3600 in Wales about their overall satisfaction with their journey.

Press office contact

Members of the media can contact the Transport Focus press office for further information or to arrange an interview on 0300 123 2170 Email contact: colette.gill@transportfocus.org.uk
Overall satisfaction by area

Rank Area Satisfaction 2024 Satisfaction 2023 Percentage change
1 Derby City* 92%
2 Lincolnshire* 91%
3 Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole 91% 90% up 2%
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 91% 90% up 1%
5 Derbyshire 91% 83% up 7%
6 Nottinghamshire 90% 85% up 6%
7 Greater Nottingham 90% 87% up 3%
8 Reading Buses 89% 86% up 3%
9 Cheshire East 88% 83% up 5%
10 Portsmouth 88% 83% up 5%
11 City of York 88% 84% up 4%
12 Surrey 88% 83% up 5%
13 East Sussex 87% 79% up 8%
14 North East Lincolnshire 87% 83% up 4%
15 Cheshire West and Chester 87% 81% up 5%
16 Leicester City 87% 82% up 5%
17 Brighton & Hove 86% 82% up 5%
18 Norfolk 86% 81% up 5%
19 Hampshire* 86%
20 Suffolk 86% 85% up 2%
21 North Yorkshire* 86%
22 Cornwall 86% 85% up 1%
23 Blackpool* 86%
24 West Sussex 86% 81% up 4%
25 Tyne & Wear 85% 83% up 2%
26 Warrington 85% 76% up 8%
27 Oxfordshire 84% 78% up 6%
28 Liverpool City Region 84% 83% up 1%
29 Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen 83% 80% up 4%
30 Stoke-on-Trent 82% 85% down 2%
31 County Durham 82% 75% up 7%
32 West of England and North Somerset 81% 77% up 4%
33 Tees Valley 80% 76% up 4%
34 Northumberland 80% 83% down 3%
35 Luton 80% 80% 0%
36 Greater Manchester 79% 79% 0%
37 South Yorkshire 79% 81% down 2%
38 West Midlands 79% 76% up 3%
39 West Yorkshire 77% 73% up 4%

*Area did not take part in the survey in 2023.

Please note that both the satisfaction figures for each year, and percentage changes, are rounded up to the nearest whole number.

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