Satisfaction is steady for Scotland’s bus passengers

25 March 2025

Bus passengers across Scotland have spoken – with satisfaction levels at a steady 86 per cent in the second year of the Your Bus Journey survey published by independent watchdog, Transport Focus. 

The results from the 2024 survey showed passenger satisfaction remaining at the same level as the first-year level of 86 per cent – but there were some regional differences across Scotland. 

 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. 

Passengers in Strathclyde Region were the most satisfied with their journey at 88 per cent. Passengers in the North East were for the second year the least satisfied with 81 per cent. Dumfries and Galloway saw significant change and was down five per cent to 82 per cent. 

 The top-ranked operator was First in the Strathclyde Region which had a passenger satisfaction score of 89 per cent. Stagecoach in Dumfries and Galloway was the lowest rated bus operator with 79 per cent of passengers satisfied with their bus journey. 

 Overall, 75 per cent of fare payers say they are satisfied with value for money, including 28 per cent who are very satisfied. This is a seven percentage point improvement compared to 2023. But this is not the whole picture. The results differ considerably across the regions, ranging from 48 per cent to 81 per cent satisfaction with value for money 

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

“It’s encouraging to see the bus passenger satisfaction across Scotland still riding high, and it’s encouraging to see increases in scores for value for money. 

“Buses play a vital role connecting communities across the country to job opportunities and public services. The differences in scores at a local level in the survey show that there is inconsistency across Scotland. The best – and improving – experiences tend to be concentrated in the central belt, where facilities, information and the environment at stops and on board are all typically rated better. 

“In particular, the quality of bus travel in the South West appears to have declined; this is felt across all areas of service, but bus stops appear to be a key issue here, with poor ratings for their condition, and reported lack of seating, lighting and information. 

“Government, bus operators and authorities must continue to work together to deliver the promised improvements to bus service reliability and frequency. 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.” 

Key survey results: 

• Passenger satisfaction with punctuality ranges across Scotland from 86 per cent in the Strathclyde region to 72 per cent in the Tayside and Central Scotland region.  

• Passenger satisfaction with their journey time ranges from 88 per cent in Strathclyde to 80 per cent in Tayside and Central Scotland. 

• Passenger satisfaction with value for money overall in Scotland stands at 75 per cent but regionally saw Strathclyde at 81 per cent and the North East at 48 per cent. 

ENDS 

Notes to editors 

DOWNLOAD REPORT: Your Bus Journey summary report

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. 

Overall satisfaction by area 

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