Transport User Voice – March 2026
01 April 2026
Introduction by Chief Executive Alex Robertson.
The big news this month is our latest Your Bus Journey results. The scores are up overall, but not on all issues and there is a lot of variation. Some authorities have seen significant improvements, and I hope will feel they are being rewarded for the customer focussed investments and decisions they have made.
Our focus now is on making sure the results are used to drive action and there will be lots of events and activity to support that in the coming months. A big thank you to the team and everyone involved in making this a success – it’s a significant and continuous effort all year round. We’re in the third year now and the value in seeing trends over time is huge. Long may it continue.
Do you ever wonder if life is getting simpler or more complicated because of technology? I get frustrated by anything that feels unnecessarily complicated. Remembering and then doing all the things you have to do to save money or claim what you’re entitled to is a headache we could all do without. It’s good to see the Government moving on automating Delay Repay compensation, particularly as our most recent research showed claim levels dropped for the first time.
And finally, I went to the Transport Select Committee to discuss lorry driver rest-stops. If you think MPs don’t care or are only interested in themselves have a listen, it might just make you feel more positively about our democracy. The Committee were thoughtful and committed to helping sort out an issue that isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Let’s hope it makes a difference and thanks to all the organisations that have been working with us on the issue.
Enjoy the read.
Bus passenger satisfaction rises
Your Bus Journey Survey results
Bus passengers across England and Scotland have had their say on more than 50,000 journeys in the third year of the Your Bus Journey survey. The results show a rise in overall satisfaction in both England, up to 85 per cent from 83 in 2024, and Scotland, up to 91 per cent from 86 per cent last year.
Despite the increase to overall journey satisfaction, results continue to vary across different local authority areas. In England, passengers in both Greater Nottingham and Warwickshire are the most satisfied with their journeys at 93 per cent. Passengers in Thurrock 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 national average.
In Scotland, passengers in Strathclyde are most satisfied with their journey at 93 per cent, while passengers in Aberdeen 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.
While satisfaction with bus journeys has increased overall, there is a broadening gap between satisfaction levels for disabled and non-disabled passengers.
In England, satisfaction with value for money has fallen ten percentage points to 63 per cent.
Greater Manchester saw 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 all other English areas saw this satisfaction level decline from last year. In Scotland, 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.
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.
Speaking on the results, Louise Collins, Director at Transport Focus, said:
“Buses play a vital role connecting communities 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 to support better services and help make bus the first choice for more people.”
You can read the full set of results from the third year of the Your Bus Journey survey here.
Lorry driver facilities in the spotlight
Transport Select Committee session
Alex Robertson (centre) joined by Declan Pang (Road Haulage Association), Adrian Jones (Unite the Union), Maddi Solloway-Price (Logistics UK) and Nikki Rogers (Moto Hospitality).
Earlier this month, Transport Focus’ Chief Executive Alex Robertson appeared in front of the Transport Select Committee for a one-off session to explore progress being made on improving facilities for HGV and coach drivers.
MPs sought to pin down the biggest issues that HGV drivers experience when trying to access parking or rest facilities and asked about the variation that exists between different types of stopping facilities. The panel also explored the impact that lack of proper rest facilities has on drivers’ health and wellbeing, and how this affects the number of drivers joining or leaving the industry.
You can watch the full session back here.
As we head towards the results of the third year of our Lorry Drivers’ Facilities Survey, Transport Focus will continue to work with partners to monitor progress, share best practice and help operators and decision makers focus efforts in the right areas.
In the coming weeks we will publish an update to our 12-month cross industry action plan. The action plan, initially published in June 2025, set out a targeted programme to drive improvements in the quality, availability and security of lorry driver facilities across England.
This update sets out the developments delivered to date, such as increased parking capacity, improved welfare facilities, enhanced security measures, and the deployment of spatial mapping tools that provide a clearer picture of existing rest‑stop provision.
Delays and compensation
Making things easier for passengers
Compensation claim systems are set to be easier than ever for passengers to navigate under Great British Railways. This month, the Department for Transport announced plans to simplify Delay Repay following following recommendations from the Office of Rail and Road’s review into revenue protection practices.
The announcement also follows our joint research with the DfT that revealed that just 45 per cent of eligible passengers are claiming Delay Repay.
This represented the first time that the claim rate has fallen since reporting of this data back in 2016.
Despite satisfaction with the claims process remaining high, with nearly all passengers receiving a decision on their claim within the agreed four-week deadline, some passengers still don’t think it’s worth their time to claim.
We’ve known for a while now that many passengers would prefer a more automated compensation process that takes the hassle out of the process.
While this is the case for some operators, there are still others that require you to manually input all your journey information which can be complicated and time-consuming for passengers – and a reason behind the declining number of passengers who are claiming compensation.
Speaking on the recently announced changes, Transport Focus’ Natasha Grice said: “Our latest research shows just over half of all eligible passengers are missing out on money that they are entitled to having experienced a disrupted journey.
“These new measures will help make it easier for passengers to claim. Once set up, Great British Railways must go further and make the process automated, with minimal steps for passengers to receive delay compensation.”
Read Natasha’s blog in full here.
Rail reform and the passenger experience – how do we get customers at the front of thinking?
Webinar – Thursday 23 April 2026 12.00 – 1.15pm
As we move along on the journey to rail reform, we are launching a new series of webinars exploring the future of rail and the opportunities and challenges it might bring.
As significant changes continue to shape rail policy and operations, this first session asks a central question: how do we ensure passengers are genuinely at the heart of rail reform?
Understanding what ‘good’ looks like from a customer perspective has never been more important. This webinar will examine what excellent customer experience means in practice, drawing on leading examples from the UK, Europe and beyond.
Further speakers to be announced, however we are delighted to confirm:
- Vernon Everitt, Commissioner, Transport for Greater Manchester
- Marie Daly, Chief Operating Officer, Transport for Wales
- Nick Haller, Head of Customer Centricity, SBB (Swiss Railways)
- Thomas Ableman, host of the Freewheeling podcast and previously Director of Strategy and Innovation at Transport for London
We look forward to having you attend the event!
Click here to register your attendance.
Latest news and publications
Publication of Road Investment Strategy 3
Strategic Roads User Survey quarterly report – Q3 2025 – 2026
