Passenger survey reveals Lothian Buses is best value for money in Scotland

Bus users feel Lothian buses offer the most value for money service in the whole of Scotland, new research has found.

A new survey revealed Lothian Buses is the best value for money in Scotland

A total of 95 per cent of Lothian passengers said they were satisfied with the overall service, while 85 per cent were happy with the firm’s punctuality.

More than three quarters (79 per cent) believe Lothian services are good value for money – the largest majority in Scotland – and 88 per cent of customers said they were satisfied with the journey time on board.

The findings were part of a survey of almost 8,000 bus users across Scotland, which found that overall 91 per cent of Scots were happy with their last bus trip – compared to 88 per cent in England. The research was done by the independent watchdog Transport Focus, and included services run by several operators, including First Aberdeen, First Glasgow, First Scotland East, Lothian Buses, Stagecoach and Xplore Dundee.

Its findings was released after official figures showed a fall in the number of bus journeys made in Scotland in 2017-18.

Feedback from First Scotland customers in the south east showed 89 per cent were happy with the overall service, but only 66 per cent felt it was value for money. A total of 77 per cent of passengers were pleased with the operator’s punctuality, while 85 per cent said they were satisfied with their journey time.

Robert Samson, senior stakeholder manager at Transport Focus, said: “Over 40 per cent of passengers in Scotland surveyed say the bus is the only real means of transport available to them, so it’s vital that their service is on time, reliable and offers good value for money.”