Bus passenger satisfaction in England has risen since last year, according to a Transport Focus survey. And Derby passengers are most satisfied, according to the passenger transport watchdog’s figures.

The second Your Bus Journey survey reports 83% of respondents were satisfied with their journey. The results from the 2024 survey showed passenger satisfaction improved overall from its first-year level of 80%, but there were still some wide differences across local authorities.

Passengers in Derby City were the most satisfied with their journey at 92%. Passengers in West Yorkshire were for the second year the least satisfied with 77%. East Sussex and Warrington were two of the most improved areas in the survey, both up 8% points after some hard work following passenger feedback, and with East Sussex moving from 26th to 12th place in the survey.

The independent bus passenger satisfaction survey in England, Scotland and Wales gives detailed passenger feedback on 48,000 journeys. It is designed to provide a benchmark of passenger satisfaction including onboard the bus, punctuality of the service, value for money and journey times.

Key survey results

Passenger satisfaction with value for money has seen significant improvement up six percentage points to 73%. Passengers in Nottinghamshire were the most satisfied at 91%, while 60% of West of England and North Somerset passengers were satisfied with the value for money of their journey.

The top-ranked operator was High Peak in Derby City and Derbyshire, which had a passenger satisfaction score of 99%. Arriva in West Yorkshire was the lowest rated bus operator with 69% of passengers satisfied with their journeys.

Increased satisfaction with value for money reflects overall improvements to bus services and not just the impacts of the £2 bus fare cap that was in place throughout 2024.

Perception of punctuality is up five percentage points to 75%. Passengers in Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole were the most satisfied at 80% and least satisfied in Greater Manchester at 67%.

Journey time satisfaction overall is 83%. Derby City is the highest performing area for journey time, with 92% of passengers satisfied. Stoke on Trent is the lowest rated area by passengers at 79%.

Across England, passengers with disabilities were satisfied with 82% of bus journeys, up from 79% in 2023 reflecting the overall increase in bus satisfaction nationally. This remains lower than for non-disabled passengers at 85%.

Passengers in rural and semi-rural areas reported increased satisfaction with the value for money of their service. Improvements in performance, punctuality and onboard environment and facilities have contributed to passengers’ perceptions of better value for money.

Urban areas have seen improvements to punctuality in particular with journey experience upgrades to bus stops and vehicles also being noticed. Metropolitan areas have also seen improved levels of satisfaction, but at a slower pace.

Significant Government investment as part of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding in many areas and £2 bus fare cap, appears to be having an impact, according to the survey.

“…it’s great to see areas like Nottingham where councils operate their own services, scoring higher than average satisfaction rates” – Local Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, said: “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. Roll on the 2025 survey.”

Positive changes

Louise Collins, director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “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.

“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” – Louise Collins, director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus

“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.”

“The results of the survey show what we already know, which is that Derby has a thriving and expanding transport offer which is tailored to the needs of our residents” – Cllr Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability at Derby City Council

Cllr Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability at Derby City Council, said: “I’m delighted with the results of the 2024 Your Bus Journey survey, putting Derby on the map as an accessible place to live, work and visit. The results of the survey show what we already know, which is that Derby has a thriving and expanding transport offer which is tailored to the needs of our residents.

“We’re more passionate than ever about transforming Derby into a sustainable city, championing public transport as a way to contribute to decarbonisation, air quality, and health improvements. Recently we have been investing significantly into our public transport and I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve by working in collaboration with partners by putting passenger’s needs at the heart of what we do.”

“It’s fantastic to see bus passenger satisfaction on the rise” – Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of Confederation of Passenger Transport

Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: “It’s fantastic to see bus passenger satisfaction on the rise – a testament to the excellent partnerships between bus operators and local authorities in many parts of the country and the dedication of everyone working in the industry.

“We want every passenger to be satisfied with their journey and with significant changes ahead for the bus industry, including the Bus Services (No.2) Bill and the impact of government spending decisions, we urge policymakers to prioritise passengers, ensuring even greater satisfaction and better services in the year ahead.”

Overall satisfaction by area
Rank	Area	Satisfaction 2024	Satisfaction 2023	Percentage change
1	Derby City*	92%
2	Lincolnshire*	91%
3	Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole	91%	90%	up 2%
4	East Riding of Yorkshire	91%	90%	up 1%
5	Derbyshire	91%	83%	up 7%
6	Nottinghamshire	90%	85%	up 6%
7	Greater Nottingham	90%	87%	up 3%
8	Reading Buses	89%	86%	up 3%
9	Cheshire East	88%	83%	up 5%
10	Portsmouth	88%	83%	up 5%
11	City of York	88%	84%	up 4%
12	Surrey	88%	83%	up 5%
13	East Sussex	87%	79%	up 8%
14	North East Lincolnshire	87%	83%	up 4%
15	Cheshire West and Chester	87%	81%	up 5%
16	Leicester City	87%	82%	up 5%
17	Brighton & Hove	86%	82%	up 5%
18	Norfolk	86%	81%	up 5%
19	Hampshire*	86%
20	Suffolk	86%	85%	up 2%
21	North Yorkshire*	86%
22	Cornwall	86%	85%	up 1%
23	Blackpool*	86%
24	West Sussex	86%	81%	up 4%
25	Tyne & Wear	85%	83%	up 2%
26	Warrington	85%	76%	up 8%
27	Oxfordshire	84%	78%	up 6%
28	Liverpool City Region	84%	83%	up 1%
29	Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen	83%	80%	up 4%
30	Stoke-on-Trent	82%	85%	down 2%
31	County Durham	82%	75%	up 7%
32	West of England and North Somerset	81%	77%	up 4%
33	Tees Valley	80%	76%	up 4%
34	Northumberland	80%	83%	down 3%
35	Luton	80%	80%	0%
36	Greater Manchester	79%	79%	0%
37	South Yorkshire	79%	81%	down 2%
38	West Midlands	79%	76%	up 3%
39	West Yorkshire	77%	73%	up 4%
*Area did not take part in the survey in 2023.