Lothian Buses saw patronage on its services rise to 119 million journeys in 2025, an uplift of 2.6% over the previous year. That sat alongside growth in usage of the Edinburgh Trams network of 3.3% to 12.5 million trips.
A busy summer period that included several high-profile concerts and events at Murrayfield Stadium and the Royal Highland Centre along with a strong Edinburgh Festival are cited as contributors to the buoyant figures, as is the introduction of contactless tap on, tap off payments to trams during the year.
Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams Chief Executive Sarah Boyd describes the results as representing strong commercial performance and a reflection of the work put in behind the scenes to deliver services. They capture the core Lothian Buses city operation along with East Coast Buses and Lothian Country services.
“As we look ahead to 2026, we remain committed to managing cost pressures to ensure that we can continue to invest in the delivery of an integrated, dynamic and fit for purpose transport network that meets the demands of our growing capital city,” adds Ms Boyd.
In 2023, 110 million passengers were carried by Lothian Buses, while 2022 saw 94 million. The operator previously said that its final pre-pandemic full-year total in 2019 was 124 million. The 2025 result leaves it at 96% recovery of that position.
City of Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Convener Cllr Stephen Jenkinson adds: “Edinburgh’s outstanding public transport network is the backbone of our great city, keeping the capital moving every day.
“These new figures clearly show how popular our buses and trams are with our residents and visitors, and my thanks go to our valued colleagues at Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams for their great work over the last year. I have no doubt that this will continue in the year ahead as these excellent companies work ever closer together.
“As we continue to deliver on our ambitious City Mobility Plan, and face into the many challenges of managing a growing, successful city, our tram and bus services will remain at the heart of our response.”
