Chapter 2 Bus and Coach Travel
Chapter 2 Bus and Coach Travel
Figure 2.1 Vehicle stock by type of vehicle
Figure 2.2 Passenger journeys (boardings) and vehicle-kilometres
Figure 2.3 Local bus fare indices
1. Introduction
1.1 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.
1.2 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 Section 4.1.
Key points
- 423 million journeys are made by bus each year. A third of these are made under the National Concessionary Travel Scheme.
- There are 1.2 million people with National Concessionary Travel cards in Scotland.
- The bus industry receives around £300 million in funding from Local or Central Government each year. Passenger revenue totals around £340 million.
2. Main Points
Vehicles & Passengers
2.1 Around 423 million passenger journeys were made by bus in Scotland in 2012-13. This is a fall of 4 per cent on 2011-12 and 13 per cent from a peak in 2007-08. Journeys under the National Concessionary Travel Scheme make up just over a third of this figure (35%). (Table 2.2a)
2.2 Similarly, vehicle kilometres have fallen by 18 per cent over the past five years, with the distance covered falling in each of the last five years. The fall has been higher in subsidised services, though these saw a small increase in 2012-13. (Table 2.3a)
2.3 There is further evidence of contraction in the industry with the number of buses in operators' fleets falling by 15 per cent over the past five years, with a 10 per cent fall in the number of staff employed in the industry. (Table 2.1a and 2.4)
2.4 There is a slightly contrasting picture for Great Britain as a whole, which has seen passenger journeys remain relatively stable over the past five years and where, although vehicle kilometres have fallen, they have done so at a slower rate than in Scotland. (A 6% fall compared to an 18% fall). (Table 2.3a)
2.5 The picture of bus use in Scotland also contrasts with train travel in Scotland, which accounts for only a fifth of the passenger journeys made by bus, but has seen steady increases in passenger numbers over the past few years. (Table SGB1)
2.6 There are regional variations in bus travel with the Southwest and Strathclyde and South East (corresponding to the Regional Transport Partnership areas of SPT, Swestrans (Dumfries and Galloway) and SESTRANS) accounting for 82 per cent of bus journeys in Scotland. (Table 2.2b)
2.7 Bus use is higher in urban areas and lower in rural areas. The Scottish Household Survey travel diary shows 61 per cent of those who used the bus the previous day lived in large urban areas compared to less than three per cent of users living in remote rural areas. (This compares to population estimates of 39% 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 55 per cent of respondents in large urban areas had used the bus in the last month compared to 20 per cent of those in remote rural areas. (Table 2.10)
Operator revenue
2.8 Bus operators in Scotland received around £650 million in revenue in 2012-13, an increase of 2 per cent on the previous year and a 9 per cent increase over the last 5 years. Adjusting for the effects of inflation total passenger revenue decreased 1 per cent over the last 5 years. (Table 2.8)
2.9 Almost half (£299 million, 46%) of operator revenue came from Local or Central Government: whether through concessionary travel reimbursement, Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) or supported services. Passenger revenue (ie ticket sales to non-concessionary passengers) accounted for around 54 per cent of operators' revenue (£351 million). Additional non-revenue support is excluded from these figures, specifically the Scottish Green Bus Fund and the Bus Investment Fund. (Table 2.8)
2.10 In real terms (Adjusting for the effects ofinflation), funding from Local and National Government is now 2 per cent higher than five years ago, passenger revenue is 3 per cent lower than 5 years ago. However, revenue has been higher at points in the intervening five years. 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. The fall in passenger revenue over the last five years is the result of a 13 per cent decrease in passengers as fares have increased by 6 per cent above general inflation over the same period. (Table 2.8, 2.2a and 2.5)
2.11 Data for Government support for England for 2012-13 is being corrected and will be republished later in the year, so comparisons with Great Britain are not made here.
Fares
2.12 Bus fares in Scotland have risen by 6 per cent in real terms (Adjusting for the effects of inflation) over the past five years. In current prices, i.e. viewing fare increases in the way that a consumer would, fares have risen by a quarter over the past five years. These increases are lower than in Great Britain as a whole which has seen an increase of 13 per cent over the last five years in current prices. (Table 2.5)
Operator costs
2.13 Operating costs for bus operators have risen consistently over time. Over the past five years operating costs per vehicle km have increased by over 27 per cent in real terms. Operating costs per journey have risen by 21 per cent from £1.15 per passenger journey to £1.39. Although these increases are much higher than those seen in the rest of GB (excluding London), operating costs per vehicle km remain higher in GB (£1.81 in Scotland, compared to £1.84 for GB excluding London). See also 'Other sources of data' below as more detailed costs data is available from the Confederation of Passenger Transport. (Table 2.6 and 2.7)
Passenger Satisfaction
2.14 People were satisfied with most aspects of bus services that the Scottish Household Survey asked them about. (Table 2.11)
2.15 At least 75 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the extent to which buses ran to timetable, the cleanliness of buses; the ease of changing to other forms of transport; the ease of finding out route and timetable information; and the simplicity of deciding which ticket they need.
2.16 Respondents gave lower satisfaction scores for the extent to which buses were environmentally friendly (56%) and whether the fares were good value (55%).
2.17 Additionally there was a noticeable difference in those who felt safe on the bus during the day and in the evening. Ninety-three per cent of respondents agreed that they felt safe using the bus during the day compared to 62 per cent in the evening.
Concessionary Travel
2.18 The National Concessionary Travel Scheme for older and disabled people was rolled out across Scotland in April 2006. The scheme enables individuals aged 60+ or those with a disability (who meet certain criteria) to travel free on buses across Scotland. In some local authorities the card can be used on trains and ferries. There is also a scheme for young people, The Young Scot Card. Those aged 16 - 18, or full-time volunteers aged under 26 can use the card to get a third of adult single fares on bus services in Scotland, a third off rail travel and two free journeys to the mainland for islanders. Just over 130,000 young people were eligible to access the travel concessions available through their Young Scot card in 2013. The young persons scheme is excluded from the analysis in paragraph 2.19 and 2.20 but is included in table 11.29. (Table 9.13)
2.19 Twenty-seven per cent of all adults (16+) had a concessionary fare pass under the Scheme in 2012, and 88 per cent of those aged 60 or over had a pass. These proportions have changed little over the period since the introduction of the national scheme, though there has been a steady increase in pass holder numbers over the period. (Table 2.12 and 2.13)
2.20 The majority of pass holders (89%) in the older and disabled persons scheme hold a pass on the basis of age. Of those who have a pass for the disabled or visually impaired, two thirds (67%) have a companion card which allows someone to travel with them on the bus. Card holder numbers by Local Authority are shown in Table 2.14. (Table 2.13)
2.21 Details of trips made on buses under the National Concessionary Travel Scheme 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. Bus journeys account for almost all (96%) of journeys made under the concessionary travel scheme. See the notes in chapter 11 for more detail around what is included in this table.
Other sources of data (not National Statistics)
2.22 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.
2.23 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 and that these costs have been rising above inflation over the last few years.
2.24 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' Annual Reports. There was a fall of less than one per cent in the number of local bus routes registered between 2011-12 and 2012-13. Over the last five years the proportion has fallen by 13 per cent. The report also shows details of enforcement. There were 34 cases of action taken at public inquiry for non-compliance (under the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981) in Scotland in 2012-13, one more than in 2011-12.
3. Notes and Definitions
3.1 Local bus service: one which is available to the general public, where passengers pay separate fares and travel a radial distance no greater than 15 miles (24 kms) from the point of boarding.
3.2 Other services: include contract, private hire, express journeys, excursions and tours which are not registered as local services.
3.3 Passenger journeys (boardings): the statistics are compiled on the basis that each boarding of a vehicle counts as one passenger journey. Therefore, each trip made by a passenger on one vehicle on one route counts as a separate journey. Return tickets therefore count as two passenger journeys. The numbers of passenger journeys using season tickets or travel passes are largely based on button presses by the driver or scaling factors applied to ticket machine data by the operator. Figures from 2004-05 include any adjustments applied by operators to allow for driver under-counting, but where this is not done no adjustment is made by DfT.
3.4 Vehicle kilometres: estimates are for 'live' (in service) mileage and exclude empty running of buses (e.g. between garage and terminus), driver instruction and vehicle testing.
3.5 Local bus fare indices: Information about the size of each fares change is supplied by a representative sample of around 100 operators. Indices are obtained by averaging the reported changes using weights based on receipts from passengers (excluding concessionary fare reimbursement from local authorities). In theory, therefore, the index measures the change in the average charge to the fare-paying passenger. The implementation of free concessionary fares is, though, included once, in the quarter within which it was introduced.
3.6 Commercial services: are those run without direct financial support from a local transport authority. They are still eligible for central Government subsidy in the form of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) (formerly known as the fuel duty rebate) and (where applicable) for concessionary fare reimbursement.
3.7 Subsidised services: are those considered socially necessary and run under contract to local transport authorities with some direct subsidy. They include a few services subsidised without competitive tendering, under Section 91 of the Transport Act 1985 ('de minimis' arrangements) in England and Wales or in accordance with the duty of best value in Scotland.
3.8 Concessionary fare reimbursement: A National Concessionary Travel schemes for groups such as elderly people and disabled people was rolled out in early 2006. Prior to that local authorities ran their own schemes. Bus operators are reimbursed for revenue lost as a result of their participation in the schemes, after taking into account a portion of the income from the extra travel generated, i.e. it is supposed to be profit-neutral. Journeys made under these schemes can be found in Table 11.29. These schemes should not be confused with the reductions offered to children, for example, by many operators on commercial grounds.
3.9 Staff employed: Platform staff comprise drivers, conductors and any other on-vehicle staff; maintenance staff include all employees engaged on cleaning, repair, service or maintenance of vehicles, while other staff include administrative staff. There may be some duplication of functions, particularly amongst the smaller operators.
3.10 Walking time to nearest bus stop: the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) interviewer asks how long it would take him/her to walk to the nearest bus stop (or place where one could get a bus).
3.11 Frequency of bus service: the SHS interviewer asks about the frequency of service at the nearest bus stop (or place one could get on a bus). If the householder says that the frequency of service varies, the interviewer asks for the week-day off-peak frequency.
3.12 SHS urban/rural classification: notes on this appear in Chapter 12.
4. Sources
4.1 The DfT survey of Public Service Vehicle Operators
4.1.1 The basis for most of the statistics in this chapter is the annual returns which a sample of Public Service Vehicle operators makes to the Department for Transport (DfT).
1. 4.1.2 The sample includes all operators who are licensed with 21 or more licence discs (which normally, but not always, equate to the number of vehicles), plus a random sample of smaller operators. Until 2010-11, the sample included both local and other operators, but from 2011-12 only local operators have been surveyed. Local operators are identified from the list of operators who receive BSOG and other sources. Sampling is stratified and based upon the size of the operator's fleet (in terms of the number of licence discs), though some operators are selected with certainty where this is necessary to ensure sufficient coverage in each geographical area.
4.1.3 Proxy data are generated for all local operators, and imputation is used for data which are missing either because the operator was not sampled or did not respond. Imputation is based either on previous returns from the operator or using other methods such as using other data the operator has supplied.
4.1.4 The figures for Scotland are primarily based on returns for operators with an address in Scotland, even though some operators may do work in England and vice versa. However, important information relating to local operators (mainly passenger boardings, vehicle kilometres and passenger receipts) is obtained at local authority level and so these estimates will exclude data relating to England, even though other variables such as staff numbers are all allocated to just one of an operator's local authorities - the one with the highest number of passenger boardings. (NB: a large group, such as Stagecoach, is not treated as a single operator: there will be a separate statistical return for each of its subsidiary companies.)
4.1.5 In September 2006, DfT revised the passenger numbers for each year from 1985/86 onwards in order to adjust for driver under-recording of the numbers of passengers who did not pay cash (e.g. those using season tickets, concessionary fare passes, return halves of tickets etc). A further survey showed that the allowance was not affected by the introduction of free concessionary fares.
4.1.6 In October 2012, the DfT revised passenger numbers, vehicle kms and passenger revenue relating to 2004-05 onwards. Although previous figures are presented these are not strictly comparable with the later years. The methodology used by DfT means that figures back to 2004-05 are subject to minor revisions each year (for example as new data is used to improve imputation of previous year's figures) though the broad trends shown are rarely affected.
4.2 Scottish Government and Transport Scotland finance data
4.2.1 This data is taken from Local Authority Finance returns and Transport Scotland finance records relating to grant payments and the administration of the National Concessionary Travel scheme.
4.2.2 In Summer 2011, Transport Scotland reviewed the Government Support for bus figures published in Bus and Coach Statistics 2011. This led to a revision of the figures to exclude support for non bus transport. Figures have been revised back to 2006-07 when the National Concessionary Travel Scheme was introduced.
4.3 Transport Scotland National Concessionary Travel scheme data
4.3.1 Transport Scotland is responsible for reimbursing bus operators for carrying passengers under the National Concessionary Travel scheme. The application process for an NCT pass is managed by a third party contractor but summary numbers are provided to Transport Scotland which have been used to populated the card holder numbers used in this chapter.
4.4 Scottish Household Survey
4.4.1 The Scottish Household Survey is a large household level survey run in Scotland. Data is collected on a range of topics including transport and travel. The survey also includes a Travel Diary component. This data is used to analyse travel patterns and choices. More details can be found in Chapter 11 of this publication (personal and cross modal travel).
5. Further Information
5.1 DfT's Annual Bus Statistics include some more detailed analyses of GB bus statistics. http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/buses/
5.2 Enquiries regarding the statistics in Tables 2.1 to 2.8 should be made to Matthew Tranter, Department for Transport, Tel: 0207 944 3076 bus.statistics@dft.gsi.gov.uk
5.3 Enquiries relating to the Government Support table (2.9) and concessionary travel pass number (2.13 and 2.14) should be made to Andrew Knight of the Transport Scotland Statistics branch (tel: 0131 244 7256).
5.4 Further information on the Scottish Household Survey figures can be found in Chapter 11. Enquires on the SHS- based Tables 2.10 and 2.12 should be made to Andrew Knight of the Transport Scotland Statistics branch (tel: 0131 244 7256).
6. Other data sources
Within Scottish Transport Statistics:
Chapter 1 - Road vehicles,
Chapter 5 - Road Traffic (including congestion)
Chapter 6 - Road casualties
Chapter 11 - Personal Travel chapter (including travel to work)
Other Transport Scotland Publications:
Transport and Travel in Scotland - includes more detailed analysis of SHS data, in particular:
Table 4 - satisfaction with public transport
Table 5 - concessionary pass possession
Table 21 - Park and ride
Table 28 - Frequency of bus and train use
Tables 29 and 30 - Views on local buses and trains
Tables 31 and 32 - Concessionary pass use
Scottish Household Survey Travel Diary - includes detailed tables using the Travel Diary dataset, in particular:
Table 2 - journeys by mode of transport
Table 2a - journey distance by mode of transport
Table 2b - stages by mode of transport
Table 4a - mode of transport by journey distance
Table 5a - distance summary statistics by mode of transport
SHS Local Authority Results - provides breakdowns of SHS data by Local Authority, Regional Transport Partnership and Urban Rural Classification. In particular:
Table 1 - Travel to work by mode of transport
Table 2 - Travel to school by mode of transport
Table 11 - Frequency of bus and train use
Table 12 - Convenience of public transport
Table 13 - Satisfaction with public transport
Table 14a - Views on bus services
Table 15 - Concessionary pass use
Table 16 - journeys by mode of transport
Department for Transport produce a number of related publications, including:
Traffic estimates
Vehicle registrations
Bus and Coach statistics
Non Official Statistics sources
Office of the Traffic Commissioner - Traffic Commissioners' Annual report.
Confederation of Passenger Transport - Cost Index
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.
2 London buses (on local services) are equipped with non-ITSO (Oyster) smartcard readers.
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.
2 Buses which have an Accessibility certificate issued under the Disability Discrimination Act PSV Accessibility Regulations 2000 (DDA PSVAR 2000 Certificate)
3 Buses which do not have a DDA PSVAR 2000 Certificate but which have low floor designs, suitable for wheelchair access
1 There is a break in the series in 2004/05 due to changes in the estimation methodology.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 Estimated from DfT survey data; this will not be directly comparable with administrative data for Scotland.
1 Regional groupings have been dictated by commercial sensitivities around the disclosure of bus operators' financial information.
2 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.
1 There is a break in the series in 2004/05 due to changes in the estimation methodology.
2 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.
3 Commercial and subsidised totals may not match Scotland totals due to rounding.
1 There is a break in the series in 2004/05 due to changes in the estimation methodology.
2 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.
1 Regional groupings have been dictated by commercial sensitivities around the disclosure of bus operators' financial information.
2 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.
1. Figures relate to the financial year end.
2. Figures for local operators only (including those doing some non-local work)
3. Staff are classified according to their main occupation as some may have more than one function.
4. Break in the series due to changes in the estimation methodology from 2004/05
1. Fares at March of each year
2. Adjusted for general inflation, using the Retail Prices Index.
| Obtain indices from Dft publication | 2005 = 100 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| At current prices | |||||||||||
| Scotland | 96.1 | 97.1 | 100.0 | 105.1 | 111.4 | 116.7 | 126.5 | 129.5 | 132.2 | 139.1 | 145.1 |
| Great Britain | 89.2 | 93.4 | 100.0 | 107.9 | 110.4 | 113.4 | 123.1 | 129.0 | 135.2 | 143.4 | 150.1 |
| At constant prices2 | |||||||||||
| Scotland | 101.7 | 100.2 | 100.0 | 102.7 | 103.8 | 104.8 | 114.0 | 111.8 | 108.3 | 110.1 | 111.2 |
| Great Britain | 94.4 | 96.4 | 100.0 | 105.4 | 102.9 | 101.8 | 111.0 | 111.3 | 110.8 | 113.4 | 115.0 |
1 Adjusted for general inflation using the GDP market price deflator.
2 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.
3 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.
1 Adjusted for general inflation using the GDP market price deflator.
2 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.
3 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. DfT have yet to publish this figure for 2012-13 due to delays in Department for Communities and Local Government publishing Government Support figures for 2012-13. This will be updated in the online version of these tables.
1 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.
2 Total of all local authorities' gross costs incurred in support of bus services, either directly or by subsidies to operators or individuals.
3 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.
4 Includes Local Authority spending.
5 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.
6 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.
7 Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) is a subsidy provided by Central Government to operatros of local bus services.
8 Statistics for Concessionary Fare spend and Local Authority support for bus for England are published by Department for Communities and Local Government. Data for 2012-13 was published but is being revised in February so correct figures are not avaialble for the printed version of this publication. Figures will be updated in the web tables. Figures for Great Britain are calculated by combining the England, Wales and Scotland figures.
9 Totals exclude 'non-revenue' funding, specifically the Scottish Green Bus Fund and the Bus Investment Fund.
1 These results use an improved weighting system which better accounts for non-response bias and figures may differ to those previously published.
2 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.
3 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.
4 Sample size in 2003 was 2,004 as this data was not collected in quarter 1; sample size in 2006 was 2,181 as a new concessionary scheme was introduced in April 2006.
1 SHS data. Question asked of adults (16+), who have used the bus in the previous month
2 prior to 2012, question asked 'buses are on time'
3 Changes to the questionnaire have been made between years so some response options are removed and new ones added
4 The question about feeling safe and secure on the bus was split in 2009 to ask about during the day and in the evening.
1 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"
* Figures for 2003 relate to the period from April to December, as the "concessionary pass" question was asked with effect from April 2003
** Figures for 2006 relate to the period from April to December, as new concessionary fare arrangements were introduced in April 2006
1 As at October in each year, with the exception of 2009 where the figure is as at February
2 Figures for 2007 and 2008 should be interpreted with caution, due to possible double-counting in one Local Authority
3 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
4 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.
1 This table provides the most up to date figure for the number of concessionary passes on issue at Local Authority and national level. Table 24 displays changes over time at a national level.