Transport User Voice April 2025 – Your Bus Journey results

01 April 2025

Bus passengers have their say 

With more than 4 billion journeys made by bus across Great Britain last year, bus passengers across England, Scotland and Wales have had their say as part of the most recent Your Bus Journey survey.

Satisfaction is up to 83 per cent in England, has remained steady at 86 per cent in Scotland and, in its first year as part of the survey, Wales passenger satisfaction in Wales is at 84 per cent.

This is the second year of the Your Bus Journey survey from Transport Focus. It is the definitive, independent bus passenger satisfaction survey in Great Britain, and 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. 

• England highlights: 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. 

• Scotland highlights: 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.  

• Wales highlights: Overall passenger satisfaction is at 84 per cent, with passengers in Mid and North Wales reporting more positive results at 88 per cent and 86 per cent respectively. Passengers in South East Wales were the least satisfied with 83 per cent. The best rated aspect of the bus journey by passengers in Wales is the bus driver, with 88 per cent satisfaction overall. Higher scores are reflected across the country with passengers in Mid Wales most impressed at 91 per cent, and those in South West Wales at 90 per cent. 

The survey shows that there have been positive changes seen across bus services in all three nations and they 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.  

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. 

Transport Focus will continue to use 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. 

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