A survey has revealed bus passengers are generally pleased with services – but not fares
An overwhelming 85% of bus passengers in England have given their service a thumbs up.
Satisfaction has risen for the third year in a row, and up from 83% in 2024, according to research by independent watchdog Transport Focus.
Passengers are happiest with bus drivers, with 87% in the survey giving them top marks. There are also improvements in people’s views on waiting times and bus stops.
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But the research also revealed a growing number fear they’re being taken for a ride, with the value for money score falling 73% to 63% in the past year. It comes as the national single bus fare cap in England – outside London – was raised from £2 to £3 in January last year. The government says the £3 cap will remain until March 2027. Some regions, such as the North East, have a lower, locally subsidised cap of £2.50.
About 3.4 million people in England use buses.
While overall satisfaction has improved, there are large variations across the country by area and operator. According to the survey, passengers in both Greater Nottingham and Warwickshire are the most satisfied in England with their journeys, at 93%. Those Thurrock, Essex, are the least, scoring 73%.
Greater Manchester saw the biggest improvement, with satisfaction jumping from 79% to 86%. It remains 26th out of 43 areas across England, however. Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, brought the region’s buses back under public control in 2023. He now has the power to manage bus routes and fares, which has resulted in a number of changes including the introduction of the “hopper fare”, where a single fare is valid on most buses for an hour.
Other areas showing a big improvement include Lancashire and Blackburn, Northumberland, the Liverpool City region, Portsmouth, North East Lincolnshire, Hampshire and West Yorkshire.
When it came to operators, Nottingham City Transport was ranked highest, with a passenger satisfaction score of 94%. Next was Stagecoach in Warwickshire, at 93%. At the other end of the scale was bottom places Arriva in Tees Valley, at 75%. Second lowest was Arriva in West Yorkshire, at 76%.
Elsewhere, the survey revealed a widening gap between satisfaction levels for disabled and non-disabled passengers. Disabled passengers, who make up around a quarter of the journeys in England, are pleased with 83% of journeys, compared to 87% for other passenger. This gap has widened in the past year.
Results for Scotland suggest bus passengers north of the border are even more satisfied, with the overall score rising from 86% to 91%. The value for money score remained at 75%.
Louise Collins, director at Transport Focus, said: “It’s great to see the basics getting better for passengers, with more reliable services and better bus stops. This year’s rise in satisfaction shows what can be achieved when governments, local authorities and operators work together and listen to what passengers tell us.
“But there’s still work to do. Value for money has slipped, some areas are racing ahead while others lag behind, and disabled passengers continue to have a worse time than others. We’ll be using the insights from our Your Bus Journey survey to keep pushing so improvements are felt everywhere, by everyone.”
Overall satisfaction by area:
1. Warwickshire 93%
2. Greater Nottingham 93%
3. Reading buses 92%
4. Portsmouth 92%
5. North East Lincolnshire 91%
6. Derbyshire 91%
7. Nottinghamshire 90%
8. Cheshire East 90%
9. Hampshire 90%
10. Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole 90%
11. Worcestershire 89%
12. Cheshire West and Chester 89%
13. Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen 89%
14. Liverpool City Region 88%
15. East Riding of Yorkshire 88%
16. Leicester City 88%
17. Norfolk 88%
18. Blackpool 87%
19. East Sussex 87%
20. City of York 87%
21. Derby City 87%
22. Suffolk 87%
23. North Yorkshire 87%
24. Surrey 86%
25. Plymouth 86%
26. Greater Manchester 86%
27. Oxfordshire 86%
28. Staffordshire 86%
29. West Sussex 85%
30. Stoke-on-Trent 85%
31. Tyne & Wear 85%
32. County Durham 85%
33. Northumberland 85%
34. Warrington 84%
35. Cornwall 84%
36. Cambridgeshire & Peterborough 84%
37. Luton 82%
38. West of England and North Somerset 82%
39. West Yorkshire 81%
40. South Yorkshire 81%
41. West Midlands 81%
42. Tees Valley 79%
43. Thurrock 73%
