Bus passenger satisfaction has risen across England to 83%, according to the second edition of Transport Focus’s Your Bus Journey survey.
The survey, which analysed feedback on 48,000 bus journeys in 2024 in England, Scotland and Wales, shows generally positive trends across the board but some variation geographically.
The independent watchdog spoke to 41,000 passengers across 39 areas in England (outside of London), 3,500 in Scotland and 3,600 in Wales to compile the report.
Overall satisfaction in England was up from the 80% recorded in last year’s survey.
Further, figures in England were higher than 12 months ago for each of the other six themes on which passengers were surveyed: journey time (83% from 81%), bus driver (87% from 85%, punctuality at the bus stop (75% from 70%), value for money for fare payers (73% from 67%), bus stop waiting time (72% from 68%) and bus stop (79% from 76%).
In Scotland, overall satisfaction remained steady ay 86% and passenger feedback showed upward trends in most other categories there: journey time (85% from 83%), bus driver (90% from 89%, punctuality at the bus stop (80% from 81%), value for money for fare payers (75% from 68%), bus stop waiting time (78% from 77%) and bus stop (82% from 80%).
For the first time, the survey included Wales, where overall satisfaction was 84%. Passengers there reported satisfaction levels of 84% for journey time, 88% for bus driver, 77% for punctuality at the bus stop, 62% for value for money for fare payers, 72% for bus stop waiting time and 77% for bus stop.
Bus passenger satisfaction survey shows geographic variation
Passengers in Derby were most satisfied with their journey at 92%, while those in West Yorkshire were, for the second year, least satisfied at 77%.
East Sussex and Warrington were best improvers, both up eight percentage points.
The top-ranked operator was High Peak in Derbyshire, which had a passenger satisfaction score of 99%. At the other end of the scale was Arriva in West Yorkshire at 69%.
Transport Focus says the best results in Scotland were seen in the central belt, especially in Glasgow. However, satisfaction levels north of the border were variable, with the south west singled out to have suffered decline.
The authors of the survey noted that Welsh passengers, despite a high overall satisfaction level, were less happy across the board than their English and Welsh counterparts. Here, frequency, information, connections with other modes, and ticket cost were highlighted as areas for which satisfaction was lower.
The more rural areas have tended to improve the most since last year’s survey – up six percentage points, says Transport Focus. The largest metropolitan areas also improved (up two percentage points).
The biggest influence on overall satisfaction, according to responses, was whether or not buses ran on time. On punctuality, in England, satisfaction was up five percentage points with 31 out of 34 authority areas seeing an improvement. For 63% of journeys, people said they waited less than 10 minutes at the bus stop.
In England, passengers with disabilities were satisfied with 82% of bus journeys, increasing from 79% in 2023. However, this was lower than for non-disabled passengers (85%).
Louise Collins, Director at Transport Focus, says: “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.”
Government welcomes results
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood adds: “I’d like to extend a big congratulations to Derby City Council for ranking highest for passenger satisfaction in this survey, which shows that councils are putting bus service funding to good use.
“Our Bus Services Bill will hand control back for local leaders to operate services, and it’s great to see areas like Nottingham where councils operate their own services, scoring higher than average satisfaction rates.
“Alongside nearly £1 billion to enhance service frequencies, improve bus stop infrastructure and boost the comfort and accessibility of services, we’re backing our buses like never before, and I’m excited to see how this will continue to grow customer satisfaction and make our bus services even more attractive.”
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