Chapter 2 - Bus and coach travel

Introduction

This chapter provides information on bus and coach travel, such as the numbers of passenger journeys and vehicle-kilometres, passenger receipts and local bus fare indices, the numbers of vehicles of various types and the numbers of staff employed.

Estimates of passenger numbers, receipts and fares are based on a survey by the DfT and are therefore subject to sampling error. Figures from 2004-05 onwards are based on an improved methodology and may not be directly comparable with previous years. See the bus and coach section of the user guide.

Bus travel in Scotland was profoundly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with restrictions on travel and daily activity in place for large parts of 2020. Comparisons with 2020 and 2021 should therefore be treated with caution.

Key points

301 million journeys were made by bus in 2022-23. This is an increase of 29 per cent on 2021-22. Almost a half of these were made under the National Concessionary Travel Scheme.
There were 2.3 million people with National Concessionary Travel cards in Scotland in 2023.
The bus industry received £266 million in funding for concessionary fare support and £204 million from local or central government in 2022-23. Passenger revenue in 2022-23 stood at £275 million in Scotland.

Main Points

Vehicles and Passengers

Around 301 million passenger journeys were made by bus in Scotland in 2022-23. This is an increase of 29 per cent on 2021-22 and a 38 per cent fall from a peak in 2007-08. Journeys under the National Concessionary Travel Scheme make up almost a half of this figure (49%). (Table 2.2a)

The distance covered by local bus services (expressed in terms of ‘vehicle kilometres’) can be seen as a measure of bus service provision. Although this has fallen in 2022 compared to 2021 by 5%, the number of passengers carried still rose by 29%. (Table 2.3a)

The number of buses in operators’ fleets decreased by 24 per cent since 2017-18 and there was a 1 per cent increase in the number of staff employed in the industry over the same period. (Table 2.1a and 2.4)

Passenger journeys fell by 22% for both Great Britain and Scotland over the past five years. Vehicle kilometres in Scotland fell by 16% and Great Britain 15% over the same period. (Table 2.2a and 2.3a)

The declining trend in bus use contrasts with train travel in Scotland. Train accounts for only a fifth of the passenger journeys made by bus, but saw steady increases in passenger numbers over the years leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Table SGB1)

Bus travel in the South West and Strathclyde and South East (corresponding to the Regional Transport Partnership areas of SPT, SWestrans (Dumfries and Galloway) and SEStran) accounts for 84 per cent of bus journeys in Scotland. (Table 2.2b)

Bus use is higher in urban areas and lower in rural areas. The Scottish Household Survey travel diary shows 53 per cent of those who used the bus the previous day lived in large urban areas compared to three per cent of users living in remote rural areas. (This compares to population estimates of 35% living in large urban areas and 6% living in remote rural areas.) These figures are supported by the results of the more general question on bus use included in the Transport and Travel in Scotland publication which shows 54 per cent of respondents in large urban areas had used the bus in the last month compared to 17 per cent of those in remote rural areas. (Table 2.10)

Operator revenue

Bus operators in Scotland received £745 million in revenue in 2022-23, an increase of 29 per cent on the previous year. Adjusting for the effects of inflation, total passenger revenue was 7 per cent less than 5 years ago. (Table 2.8)

In 2022-23, £266 million, 36% of operator revenue came from concessionary passenger support, and £204 million, 27% came from local or central government: through Network Support Grant or supported services. In the year previous, government support accounted for 72% of operator revenue. Passenger revenue (i.e. ticket sales to non-concessionary passengers) accounted for around 37 per cent of operators’ revenue (£275 million). Additional non-revenue support is excluded from these figures, specifically the Scottish Green Bus Fund and the Bus Investment Fund. (Table 2.8)

In real terms (adjusting for the effects of inflation), funding from local and national government is now 33 per cent higher than five years ago and overall passenger revenue is 39 percent less than it was 5 years ago. When looking at these figures it is necessary to consider the passenger number figures in Table 2.2a and the fares data in Table 2.5. Passenger revenue over the last five years has not increased due to a 22 per cent decrease in passengers, although when adjusting for inflation, fares have decreased by 12 per cent below general inflation over the same period. (Table 2.8, 2.2a and 2.5)

Fares

Bus fares in Scotland have decreased by 12 per cent in real terms (adjusting for the effects of inflation) over the past five years, while the fall for Great Britain was 11 per cent. In current prices, i.e. viewing fare increases in the way that a consumer would, fares have risen by almost 8 per cent over the past five years. The increase in current prices is less than in Great Britain as a whole which has seen a 9 per cent increase over the last five years. (Table 2.5)

Operator costs

As would be expected with the recovery in passenger numbers and increase in service provision (as reflected in vehicle kilometres), operator costs per passenger journey decreased significantly in 2022-23. In 2022-23 operating costs per passenger journey fell by 26 per cent from £3.04 per passenger journey to £2.24. Although the operating costs per vehicle km is lower than for the rest of GB (excluding London), operating costs per passenger journey remain higher than GB (£2.24 in Scotland, compared to £2.12 for GB excluding London). See also ‘Other sources of data’, as more detailed costs data is available from the Confederation of Passenger Transport. (Table 2.6 and 2.7)

Passenger Satisfaction

In 2021, the majority of people were satisfied with most aspects of bus services that the Scottish Household Survey asked them about (the relevant questions are currently included in the survey every second year). At least 80 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the extent to which buses ran to timetable; the cleanliness of buses; bus service is stable and not regularly changing; the ease of finding out route and timetable information; feel safe/secure on bus during day; and the simplicity of deciding which ticket they need. (Table 2.11)

2.15 Respondents gave lower satisfaction scores for the extent to which buses were environmentally friendly (53%) and whether the fares were good value (60%).

2.16 Additionally there was a noticeable difference in those who felt safe on the bus during the day and in the evening. Ninety-five per cent of respondents agreed that they felt safe using the bus during the day compared to 73 per cent in the evening.

Concessionary Travel

The National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons was rolled out across Scotland in April 2006. The scheme enables individuals aged 60 and over or those with an eligible disability to travel for free on buses across Scotland with a valid National Entitlement Card (NEC).

The Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme launched in January 2022. The scheme provides free bus travel across the country for everyone living in Scotland between the ages of 5 and 21 with a valid NEC (Table 2.13). Before the Young Persons’ scheme was introduced, those aged 16 to 18 and young volunteers aged 19 to 25 were also entitled to discounted bus and rail travel. The Young Persons’ scheme is excluded from the analysis in paragraph 2.19 and 2.20 but is included in table 11.29.

Although everyone under 22 can now travel for free by bus, young volunteers aged 22 to 25, who live in Scotland and volunteer more than 30 hours a week, can still access a third off the adult single fare on almost all local and long-distance buses in Scotland with a valid Young Scot NEC. Additionally, young people aged 16 to 18 (or 19 to 25 for full time volunteers) with a Young Scot NEC can access rail discounts, including a third off rail travel and season tickets at a 50% discount (some restrictions apply).

Residents on the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland who qualify for free bus travel under the Older and Disabled Persons’ scheme can also get two free return ferry journeys to the mainland each year. Residents on the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, plus North Ayrshire, Argyle and Bute and Highland Council who are aged 16 to 18, or 19 to 25 and a full time volunteer, also receive two free return ferry journeys to the mainland each year.

In addition to the Scottish Government’s concessionary travel schemes, some local authorities offer other non-bus concessions which are also delivered on the NEC. These non-bus concessions are available to cardholders who live in that area and are available on a local basis.

The Scottish National Blind Persons’ Scheme is also delivered on the NEC, but is not operated by the Scottish Government. This is a voluntary arrangement between local authorities, COSLA and participating transport operators and provides free rail and ferry travel throughout Scotland for cardholders who have the eye symbol on their NEC indicating they have a card due to a visual impairment.

148,527 young people (aged 16 to 18) had access to concessionary travel with a Young Scot NEC as of the end of October 2021. As of end October 2023, over 2.3m people in Scotland have an NEC which provides access to concessionary travel, consisting of over 700k young people and over 1.6m older and disabled people. The number of young cardholders has increased 31% since October 2022, growing rapidly since the introduction of the scheme in 2022. The number of older and disabled cardholders has continued to increase steadily each year, with a 21% increase since 2017. (2.13)

The majority of cardholders (90%) in the Older and Disabled Persons’ scheme are eligible on the basis of age. Of those who have a pass for disabilities or visual impairments, 76% have a companion card which allows someone to travel with them for free. A breakdown of cardholder numbers by local authority is shown in Table 2.14. Please note that local authority refers to where the card was issued. (2.13)

Details of bus journeys made under the National Concessionary Travel Schemes are included in Table 2.2a. Further details of journeys made on all modes of transport under the National Schemes and current and previous local schemes are shown in Table 11.29. See the personal and cross modal travel section of the user guide for more detail around what is included in this table.

Please note that cardholder data is provided by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO) as at close of business 31 October 2023. NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data. NECPO are working with stakeholders and partners to carry out a data cleansing exercise of the customer database which may impact cardholder numbers when records are updated.

Other sources of data (not National Statistics)

Some industry data are available, though as they are not produced by Government they are not National Statistics and do not comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They are included here as an alternative information source which may be of interest to readers.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) publish a Cost Index on their website. This shows that wages, staffing and labour accounted for around 60% of operating costs, with fuel accounting for 16%. Total costs have been above inflation for the last few years.

The Office of the Traffic Commissioner are responsible for the licensing of the operators of buses and coaches and the registration of local bus services (routes). Statistics are published in the Traffic Commissioners of Great Britain Annual Reports. There were 14 cases of action taken at public inquiry for non-compliance (under the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981) in Scotland in 2022-23, 6 more than in 2021-22.

Tables in Excel format

Notes

Note 1

This table covers all operators who run local bus services, including those who also do non-local work (e.g. private hire, school contracts). In previous years this table has also included operators who do solely non-local work. However, the Department for Transport no longer collects figures for these ‘non-local’ operators. In previous years non-local operators have accounted for around 8% of the Public Service Vehicles in use. Figures presented here will be lower than those previously published by a corresponding margin.

Note 2

London buses (on local services) are equipped with non-ITSO (Oyster) smartcard readers.

Note 3

Previous figures have been revised.

Note 4

EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa. Many credit and debit cards can now be used for contactless payments where card holders can pay for their bus fare by touching their card on a reader rather than typing in their pin number. Passengers may also use such as Android Pay or Apple Pay. Excludes figures provided by a small number of operators whose vehicles were equipped but the readers were not live as at 31 March.mobile phone apps

Note 5

Buses which have an Accessibility certificate issued under the Disability Discrimination Act PSV Accessibility Regulations 2000 (DDA PSVAR 2000 Certificate)

Note 6

Buses which do not have a DDA PSVAR 2000 Certificate but which have low floor designs, suitable for wheelchair access

Note 7

There is a break in the series in 2004/05 due to changes in the estimation methodology.

Note 8

This table uses figures gathered through the Department for Transport’s survey of PSV operators. Figures obtained from this source are revised as a matter of course and this table is likely to differ from previously published figures. Links to further information can be found on the Sources sheet.

Note 9

Figures include a degree of estimation (e.g. allowances for claims not yet been processed) and may incur some small revisions to previously published data.

Note 10

Administrative data collected by Transport Scotland in relation to the older and disabled persons scheme and the young persons scheme bus journeys. This is around 2-5% different from Scotland level estimates calculated from DfT survey data.

Note 11

Estimated from DfT survey data; this will not be directly comparable with administrative data for Scotland.

Note 12

Regional groupings have been dictated by commercial sensitivities around the disclosure of bus operators' financial information.

Note 13

Note 14

Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City

Note 15

Eilean Siar, Highland, Moray, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, Argyll & Bute

Note 16

Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, Edinburgh City, West Lothian

Note 17

Dumfries & Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City, North Lanarkshire

Note 18

There is a break in the series in 2004/05 due to changes in the estimation methodology.

Note 19

Note 20

Commercial and subsidised totals may not match Scotland totals due to rounding.

Note 21

Figures relate to the financial year end.

Note 22

Figures for local operators only (including those doing some non-local work)

Note 23

Staff are classified according to their main occupation as some may have more than one function.

Note 24

Break in the series due to changes in the estimation methodology from 2004/05

Note 25

Fares at March of each year

Note 26

Adjusted for general inflation, using the Retail Prices Index.

Note 27

Adjusted for general inflation using the GDP market price deflator.

Note 28

Note 29

Buses in London operate under a different regulatory model to the rest of the country, and comparisons on an operating costs basis between London and the rest of the country would have little meaning. London figures are therefore excluded from this table.

Note 30

Passenger fare receipts only include fare receipts retained by bus operators. On some tendered or supported services, fare receipts are passed to the local authority.

Note 31

Note 32

Until 2003-04, receipts for local bus services include concessionary fare reimbursement from local authorities. From 2004-05 this only includes fare reciepts retained by bus operators. On some tendered or supported services, fare receipts are passed to the local authority.

Note 33

Government support includes Bus Service Operators Grant, Concessionary Bus Travel and Local Authority gross costs incurred in support of bus services. The National Concessionary Travel scheme was introduced in April 2006. Figures for Government support prior to this include all modes of concessionary travel so are not comparable with later years.

Note 34

The figures for 2012/13 Include an additional transitional assistance of £10 million for concessionary fares and £3 million for bus service operators grant towards the costs of bus operators by way of grant made under section 38 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001. Concessionary fares for 2013/14 also included transitional assistance of £1.7 million.

Note 35

Figures for previous years have been revised.

Note 36

This table includes some figures gathered through the Department for Transport’s survey of PSV operators. Figures obtained from this source are revised as a matter of course and this table is likely to differ from previously published figures. Links to further information can be found on the Sources sheet.

Note 37

Total of all local authorities' gross costs incurred in support of bus services, either directly or by subsidies to operators or individuals.

Note 38

Figures refer to Transport Scotland spending on elderly, disabled and youth schemes. Prior to the centralisation of funding in 2006/07 it is not possible split out spending on bus schemes alone. Small revisions have been made to the years 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15

Note 39

Includes Local Authority spending.

Note 40

GB figures cover the total of all local authorities' net costs of concessionary bus travel and include funding for taxi tokens as well as administation costs.

Note 41

There is no information on concessionary spending for 'other' modes in England and Wales. Therefore, the only difference between the GB (bus) and GB (all modes) figures will be a result of the differences in the Scotland concessionary fares figures only.

Note 42

Network Suport Grant(previously Bus Service Operators Grant) is a subsidy provided by Central Government to operators of local bus services.

Note 43

Statistics for Concessionary Fare spend and Local Authority support for bus for England are published by Department for Communities and Local Government. Figures for Great Britain are calculated by combining the England, Wales and Scotland figures.

Note 44

Totals exclude 'non-revenue' funding, specifically the Scottish Green Bus Fund and the Bus Investment Fund.

Note 45

Note 46

Local Authority Transport Undertakings - Buses was added to the LFR 05 return in 2008/09. Data is not available for previous years and the total expenditure for 2007/08 is not comparable with later years.

Note 47

BSOG in London now forms part of their public support grant (from October 2013).

Note 48

The figure for 2018/19 Includes £3.25m additional assistance towards overall industry operating costs, via grant made under section 38 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001.

Note 49

The 2019/20 and 2020/21 values for BSOG include covid-19 section 70 support grant. The figure for 2022/23 includes the NSG plus recovery funding to operators.

Note 50

The 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 values for concessionary fares include covid-19 section 70 support grant in respect of the Free Bus Scheme.

Note 51

This table has been amended from previous publications to ensure the method of calculation is consistent with other transport tables using Scottish Household Survey data. Percentages are slightly modified.

Note 52

The concessionary travel pass question was not asked in 2018, but wil be asked again in 2019 and alternate years.

Note 53

For concessionary travel pass, sample size in 2003 was 1,983 as this data was not collected in quarter 1; sample size in 2006 was 2,120 as a new concessionary scheme was introduced in April 2006.

Note 54

Prior to 2007 only journeys over 1/4 mile were recorded. Since 2007 all journeys are recorded. This creates a discontinuity in the time series between 2006 and 2007.

Note 55

From 2007 onwards, two new categories, 'Go home' and 'Just go for a walk', were added. 'Go home' has been separated out in this table but 'Just go for a walk' has not as these are largely going to be walking (only) journeys.

Note 56

SHS data. Question asked of adults (16+), who have used the bus in the previous month.

Note 57

Prior to 2012, question asked 'buses are on time'.

Note 58

Changes to the questionnaire have been made between years so some response options are removed and new ones added.

Note 59

The question about feeling safe and secure on the bus was split in 2009 to ask about during the day and in the evening.

Note 60

This question will be asked in alternate years from 2019.

Note 61

The question started thus: "do you have a concessionary travel pass which allows you to travel free of charge …" ' The remainer of the question depended upon the national minimum concessionary fare arrangements that applied at the time. - From April 2003 to March 2006, the question concluded: "…. on off-peak local bus services" - From April 2006, the question concluded: "… on scheduled bus services"

Note 62

Figures for 2003 and 2006 relate to the period from April to December, as new concessionary fare arrangements were introduced in April 2006.

Note 63

This question is being asked in alternate years.

Note 64

As at October in each year, with the exception of 2009 where the figure is as at February.

Note 65

Figures for 2007 and 2008 should be interpreted with caution, due to possible double-counting in one local authority

Note 66

This table displays changes over time at a national level. For the most up to date figures at national and local authority level consult table 23.

Note 67

The new supplier of the National Entitlement Card programme is able to provide a more detailed split of card holder eligibility than Transport Scotland received previously. As well as being able to better identify eligibility, the new reports also identify duplicate cards ie where a customer has a card due to expire at the end of the month and a replacement has been issued, so these can now be excluded from the totals. These changes mean that data for 2013 onwards is not directly comparable with earlier years. Figures for Young Scot disability cards were mistakenly excluded from the figures for 2013. The figures have now been corrected.

Note 68

This table provides the most up to date figure for the number of concessionary passes on issue at local authority and national level. Table 2.13 displays changes over time at a national level. Figures of less than 20 are not published.

Note 69

Break in the local bus series (outside London) due to changes in the estimation methodology from 2004/05.

Note 70

Due to changes in the survey in response to covid-19, 2020 data is not directly comparable with previous years, so there is a break in the time series between 2019 and 2020

Note 71

The Young Persons’ Free Bus Concession (Free bus travel for 5-21 year olds) replaced the former Young Persons' Scheme on 31st January 22 and now covers discounted travel for 16-18 year olds.

Note 72

Figures for passenger journeys and vehicle kilometres have been revised.

Note 73

Mid year population estimates for Scotland not available for 2022, estimates for 2021 used instead

Note 74

The Scottish Household Survey questions on sex and gender have changed over time. Please see the glossary at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-household-survey-2022-key-findings/documents/

Note 75

Numbers within each characteristic add to 100.

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