We’ve updated one of our key graphs, to reflect patronage in 2024
Napier University student study; Edinburgh bus users’ views
A summary of ‘Edinburgh Bus Users Group: Engaging with the Wider Community’
Project for Business Management, Napier University April 2025, by Abhishek Tiwari, Rishabh Sharma, Harshdeep Singh, Sanamdeep Singh, Rayyan Shariff
Edinburgh Bus Users Group (EBUG) launched in 2019 to represent bus passengers in Edinburgh and nearby. This report looks at how EBUG can connect more with bus users in Edinburgh and make a bigger impact on policies. It focuses primarily on Lothian Buses users.
Data Collection
The main data collection method was a structured questionnaire. We also reviewed key documents and reports for background context and to support analysis.
Sampling Strategy
Stratified random sampling; dividing the population into key sub-groups (“strata”) before selecting our sample. We focused on age, area of residence, and usage frequency as the main variables for stratification.
81 responses were collected; relatively small in statistical terms, but reflecting time constraints and resources. Participants were over 16 and had used Lothian Buses/other Edinburgh-based services at least once in the last three months.
Data collection during March 2025; online surveys and In-person surveys at hubs.
What users want to see improved
Respondents identified practical priorities like more frequent buses, expanded route coverage, better real-time information, and improved services outside standard hours.
Sustainability and integration with other transport services were mentioned, but less frequently.
Satisfaction with bus services
When asked to rate different features of the bus service, most people said they were generally satisfied. The highest scores went to cleanliness and comfort, both averaging just over four on a five-point scale. Buses are seen as physically comfortable, safe, and well-maintained .
Other areas were rated slightly less positively. Value for money and safety were well-regarded but didn’t stand out so much. Reliability, specifically on-time performance, had more mixed responses. The average was still reasonable, but some passengers clearly had negative experiences, especially in peak times or when making connections.
The lowest scores went to real-time information and route coverage. The spread of responses suggests these experiences vary widely. Some people seem to rely on real-time tools without issue; others found them confusing or unreliable.
Age-based differences in satisfaction
18-24 year olds were generally the most satisfied across almost every service category, scoring higher on frequency, affordability, and real-time information.
65-74 year olds also expressed high satisfaction, especially in relation to cleanliness and safety.
35-54 year olds were less satisfied overall; giving consistently lower scores for e.g. route coverage, frequency, and real-time tracking.
These contrasts suggest Edinburgh buses work reasonably well, but not equally well for all.
Being represented in transport decisions
Only around 14% felt their needs were taken into account in decisions about Edinburgh’s buses system; half did not feel represented at all/to a limited extent. The rest were unsure.
Conclusions
The survey had 81 valid responses, showing that while bus services perform well in some areas, particularly cleanliness, comfort, and safety, there are common frustrations with e.g. route coverage, real-time information, and overall reliability.
Respondents consistently feel their views are unheard. Groups feeling left out of the conversation include disabled users, night workers, people in outlying areas, students, and families with young children.
No. 20 – Edinburgh Bus Users Group: Members’ Bulletin April 2025
Welcome to the latest EBUG Bulletin.
- The EBUG Annual General Meeting will be on Thursday 19 June, from 6pm to 8pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh.
Our Constitution requires members to be notified at least 21 days before the meeting, including venue, date and time. So this is the formal notice of the AGM. As usual, we will:
– Elect a Committee of up to 11 members (nominations may be made to the Secretary beforehand or at the meeting).
– Present a report of our work over the year.
– Present EBUG’s accounts for the previous year.
– Discuss any proposals given to the Secretary at least 14 days before the meeting. Continue reading “No. 20 – Edinburgh Bus Users Group: Members’ Bulletin April 2025”
Making EBUG (even) more effective in representing bus user views
Napier University students are looking at how to increase EBUG’s ‘reach’ with bus users & influence on local and national policy.
They’re surveying local bus users for evidence on how to enhance community engagement & reflect user needs.
To take part, click https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=WNzgmUucIEiGFwTDhsJUxnNGbbi4RMZNoTH_4m-vPYNUNVQ0OFhLS1ZWWTNESU9aN1lLOVIyTjFWMy4u
The decline in bus routes in Scotland
This piece was initially written for another transport campaign. We are publishing it in full here, with a few minor changes to update it for 2025.
It is axiomatic that bus use, and bus services, are continually declining. There are many ways in which this is illustrated, often reflecting the viewpoint that is being argued.
Here, we look at short to long term trends, possible explanations and remedies. As far as it’s possible, we examine trends over the last 50 years, and shorter periods within that half century.
We generally draw a line in 2019, as data since then is heavily affected by the Covid pandemic. Nevertheless, there is reason to believe that a ‘post-Covid’ pattern of bus travel is emerging, with, very broadly, bus use in much of Scotland back to around 85% of pre-Covid levels. The patterns of travel are different, and evolving. But the headline figures pre- and post-Covid show a family resemblance.
No. 18 – Edinburgh Bus Users Group: Members’ Bulletin December 2024
Welcome to the latest EBUG Bulletin.
A further consultation on CEC’s ‘Active Travel’ project Leith Connections (Hawthornvale to Seafield) closed in November, with the objectives of ‘delivering a more liveable neighbourhood, active travel and public realm improvements, and bringing Lindsay Road Bridge back into use for walking, wheeling and cycling’.
However, it looks like an exemplar of issues raised by many such projects which, while branded as ‘Active Travel’, are actually cycling-led with little or no attention to walking. EBUG’s robust response criticised the removal of bus priority measures, the removal or relocation of bus stops, and the deployment of floating bus stops as a default measure.
After submitting a Freedom of Information request, we obtained an update on the total length of bus lanes in Edinburgh. The Council now estimates them at 66.7km. This is broadly the same as in the mid 2010s, after a 4km drop in recent years. However, the Council is not sure of the exact length, having not carried out an audit in recent years.
Continue reading “No. 18 – Edinburgh Bus Users Group: Members’ Bulletin December 2024”
An open letter to Edinburgh’s next Transport Convener
Dear Councillor Jenkinson,
Congratulations on your new appointment as Transport Convener. We are sure you will be aware that this can be a challenging role, and we thought that some of our observations may prove helpful.
At Full Council in September 2022, our deputation acknowledged how Edinburgh’s bus network is successful, but often taken for granted. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a successful partnership between the Council and bus operators. At that time, Lothian Buses operated a successful service, grew passenger numbers and returned a dividend to its share-owning Councils.
In parallel, the City of Edinburgh Council used its extensive powers as highway authority to assist and where appropriate prioritise bus operations.
Latterly, Edinburgh Council lost sight of this but while Scott Arthur was Transport Convener, a lot of ground was regained. We hope you will progress with his legacy.
Continue reading “An open letter to Edinburgh’s next Transport Convener”
Developer Contributions to infrastructure under the City Plan 2030
The City of Edinburgh Council is consulting on guidance for Developer Contributions to infrastructure under the ‘City Plan 2030’. (Here, until 17 September: https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/developer-contributions-sup-guidance/ )
Developer Contributions are funds secured from developers to pay for facilities needed because of the development; such as improved transport, school buildings etc. They can cover the cost of new services needed to serve the development.
EBUG also sent written comments to the Council. The main points are:
EBUG has commented previously on Developer Contributions:
https://edinburghbususers.group/missed-opportunity-to-improve-city-buses
https://edinburghbususers.group/cammo-meadows-planning-for-public-transport
In summary, we believe that in recent years, the City of Edinburgh Council has missed opportunities to use the planning process to improve bus services, via Section 75 and direct developer action.
Continue reading “Developer Contributions to infrastructure under the City Plan 2030”
No. 15 – Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group: Members’ Bulletin July 2024
Dear EBUG member,
Welcome to the latest EBUG Bulletin.
- Our AGM took place on 6 June. After the business, the main event was a discussion with Professor David Begg; a full report is here. There are now 8 members on our Committee leaving three vacancies. We are particularly keen to attract younger people to join, but members who don’t consider themselves young are of course also welcome. Let us know if you are interested.
- The General Election then took over the headlines. As almost all bus-related matters are devolved, the direct consequences in Scotland are limited, but of course the UK-wide context is important.
- Meanwhile, having been elected MP for Edinburgh South West, Scott Arthur will stand down – probably after the summer – as a Councillor and Convenor of Transport and Environment at the City of Edinburgh Council. Technically, Edinburgh’s Transport Convenor just chairs meetings of the Committee, but of course much more happens behind the scenes. Who has the role is therefore important, and we will write an open letter to the new Convenor in due course.
Scott Arthur was a very active Convenor. Apart from addressing the 2023 EBUG AGM, he steered the city away from the worst of the threats to its buses, restored a degree of balance to the activities of the relevant departments, and put buses back at the centre of transport planning. Under his Convenorship, the Council rounded off a multitude of policies and plans, leaving the rest of this Council term to focus on delivery.
While Scott helped to root out some of the more fanciful ideas within the Council, we must remain vigilant. We hope the next Convenor will progress with his legacy.
Continue reading “No. 15 – Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group: Members’ Bulletin July 2024”
Begg – Edinburgh must future-proof its buses
This article first appeared in ‘Passenger Transport’ issue 315, and is reproduced here with the editor’s kind permission.
Professor David Begg has warned his home city to respond to an increase in bus journey times by extending bus lane hours and vociferous campaigning
David Begg (right) with Edinburgh Bus Users Group chair Harald Tobermann and his dog Buster
It’s a warning that could be applied to cities across the United Kingdom, but on this occasion Professor David Begg was talking about his home city of Edinburgh: future-proof your bus network against further increases in journey times or risk decline.
Begg, former chair of the Commission for Integrated Transport, spoke at a meeting of the Edinburgh Bus Users Group in the Scottish capital last week.
While hailing Edinburgh’s transport system as “one of the best in the UK”, the former Edinburgh councillor urged the group to mobilise bus users and hold politicians to account on bus speeds. He also called on the city’s council-owned bus operator, Lothian Buses, to be more forceful in speaking up for bus users.
Continue reading “Begg – Edinburgh must future-proof its buses”