Each year, Transport Focus’s Your Bus Journey survey gives us a clear picture of what it’s really like to travel by bus. In 2025, more than 50,000 passengers across England and Scotland shared their experiences, journey by journey. The headline is encouraging with bus satisfaction is rising again. For the third year running in England, and with a sharp jump in Scotland, passengers say the basics of a good service are improving.
Steady progress in England, big gains in Scotland
In England, overall satisfaction rose from 83 per cent to 85 per cent continuing a steady climb since 2023. This shows how targeted investment, stronger partnerships and better local decision-making are starting to pay off for passengers.
Scotland’s improvement is even more striking. Satisfaction jumped from 86 per cent to 91per cent, one of the biggest year-on-year increases since the survey began. Better infrastructure, journey planning and a strong focus on reliability and accessibility are clearly making a difference.
Across both nations, passengers noticed improvements in punctuality, waiting times, bus stop quality and the on‑board experience. Scotland saw particularly strong gains on waiting times and punctuality, underlining a simple truth that reliability is the foundation of a good bus service.
Local improvements that passengers feel
One of the most encouraging findings is how quickly satisfaction has risen in some places. Greater Manchester saw the biggest leap, from 79 per cent to 86 per cent, with early signs that the Bee Network is delivering a more joined up system. Lancashire & Blackburn with Darwen also made strong gains, rising six points to 89 per cent, while Northumberland, Liverpool and North East Lincolnshire all recorded solid improvements.
Even areas that already performed well continue to move forward. Hampshire reached 90 per cent satisfaction and Portsmouth 92 per cent – both four-point increases, showing that well‑managed BSIP funding can still deliver visible benefits. The pattern is clear - satisfaction rises fastest where stops are well maintained, information is clear, services run as expected and operators and authorities work closely together.
The gaps we still need to close
Despite overall progress, the survey highlights some important challenges. The gap between disabled and non‑disabled passengers is widening. Disabled passengers consistently report lower satisfaction, particularly with boarding, bus stop conditions and value for money. Support for disabled passengers’ needs are evident across the whole journey experience. Disabled passengers make up around a quarter of all bus journeys, and accessibility needs to be built in from the start and not added later.
Value for money remains the toughest issue. In England, satisfaction dropped back to 63 per cent following the end of the £2 fare cap. In Scotland, ratings held up overall, but most areas still saw declines. Younger and disabled passengers are feeling the pressure most. There are a number of factors impacting passengers’ perceptions which may not be easy to unpick. Safety perceptions have also slipped, especially at bus stops. This points to the need for better lighting, cleaner environments and a more visible staff presence, particularly for younger and disabled passengers. Transport Focus will continue to explore these issues in the 2026 Your Bus Journey Survey.
Looking ahead
From 2026, Your Bus Journey will cover all local authorities in England outside London, as well as Scotland and Wales. For the first time, we’ll have a complete national picture of bus passenger experience. The 2025 results show real momentum and passengers notice when buses are reliable, stops are cleaner and information is clearer. But they also set clear priorities for the year ahead including value for money fares, safer environments and a renewed focus on accessibility.
Through the Bus Centre of Excellence, Transport Focus will continue to share insight and help areas learn from what’s working – making sure the passenger voice shapes the future of bus services across the country.