Trends in bus journeys per person by region
About 2 mins
Key points
- All regions of Great Britain, except London, saw declines in bus journeys per person over the 30 years up to 2024/25, ranging from a decrease of 63% in the North East to a decrease of 3% in the South East between 1991/92 and 2024/25.
- In 2024/25, bus journeys per person in London were 19% higher than in 1991/92.
Bus services can support a wide range of policy objectives that are important for health, by increasing economic and social participation. In some regions, especially in rural areas and isolated communities, buses are the only means of public transport that enable people to connect with other areas.
This chart shows the percentage change in bus passenger journeys per person in each region of Great Britain, since 1991/92.
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, bus journeys per person in all regions drastically decreased. Although levels have been growing again in recent years, they still hadn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2024/25.
In 2024/25, bus passenger journeys per person decreased by 25% in England, 46% in Scotland and 51% in Wales compared with 1991/92.
- The aggregate figure for England hides large variations across different regions. Before the onset of COVID-19, bus journeys per person were decreasing in all regions of England except London and the South East.
- In London, bus passenger journeys increased by 70% between 1991/92 and 2008/09. Since then, the number of journeys has generally been falling.
The difference in bus travel is partly due to how different schemes operate. Bus services in London operate through Transport for London (TfL), which has introduced policies supporting greater bus use, such as the congestion charge, additional priority bus lanes, an advanced smart ticketing system, better passenger information, regulated fares and a 24-hour bus service.
Outside London, bus services were deregulated with the aim of improving services and reducing public spending through greater private sector competition. Bus routes operate for a profit, so reduced funding and use can lead to a cycle of higher prices, further falls in use and eventual closure of routes. The Bus Services Act (2017) gave metro mayors new powers to use franchising agreements in the same way as TfL has in London. Greater Manchester has implemented a new franchise agreement but changes made under these arrangements are reflected from 2023/24 data onwards.
- There was a break in the local bus data series (outside London) due to changes in the estimation methodology from 2004/05.
- The Department for Transport, Annual Bus Statistics are based on multiple sources, including the annual Public Service Vehicle survey, and data provided by Transport for London and Transport for Greater Manchester.
Source: Department for Transport, Annual Bus Statistics, GB, 1991/92 to 2024/25
