Statistical data set

Bus statistics data tables

Data and statistics about the local bus sector in Great Britain.

A full list of tables can be found in the table index.

Revision

Finalised data on government support for buses was not available when these statistics were originally published (30 November 2023). The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), formerly known as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, have since published that data so the following tables have been revised to include this newly available data:

  • BUS04i and BUS04ii, covering costs, fares and revenue
  • BUS05i and BUS05ii, covering government support
  • BUS08, covering concessionary travel

Quarterly bus fares statistics

BUS0415: Local bus fares index by metropolitan area status and country, quarterly: Great Britain (ODS, 34.1 KB)

Local bus passenger journeys (BUS01)

This spreadsheet includes breakdowns by country, region, metropolitan area status, urban-rural classification and Local Authority. It also includes data per head of population, and concessionary journeys.

BUS01: Local bus passenger journeys (ODS, 145 KB)

Limited historic data is available

Local bus vehicle distance travelled (BUS02)

These spreadsheets include breakdowns by country, region, metropolitan area status, urban-rural classification and Local Authority, as well as by service type. Vehicle distance travelled is a measure of levels of service provision.

BUS02_mi: Vehicle distance travelled (miles) (ODS, 116 KB)

BUS02_km: Vehicle distance travelled (kilometres) (ODS, 114 KB)

Limited historic data is available

Passenger distance travelled (BUS03)

This spreadsheet includes breakdowns by country and metropolitan area status, as well as average occupancy data.

BUS03: Passenger distance travelled (miles and kilometres) (ODS, 41.6 KB)

Limited historic data is available

Costs, fares and revenue (BUS04)

These spreadsheets include breakdowns by country and metropolitan area status, as well as revenue and costs per passenger journey and vehicle mile/kilometre.

BUS04i: Costs, fares and revenue in current prices (ODS, 39.4 KB)

BUS04ii: Costs, fares and revenue in constant prices (ODS, 38.3 KB)

Government support for the bus industry and concessionary travel (England) (BUS05)

These spreadsheets contain data on funding support provided by central and local government to the bus sector, including for concessionary travel and subsidised (tendered) services.

BUS05i: Government support and concessionary travel in current prices (ODS, 65.1 KB)

BUS05ii: Government support and concessionary travel in constant prices (ODS, 85.2 KB)

Vehicles operated by local bus operators (BUS06)

This spreadsheet includes number of buses operated, percentage of buses fitted with various accessibility features and type of equipment, as well as the fuel type, emissions standards, and age of the bus fleet in operation.

BUS06: Vehicles operated by local bus operators (ODS, 44.7 KB)

Limited historic data is available

Staff employed by local bus operators (BUS07)

This spreadsheet includes weekly earnings, hours worked, and the number of staff employed across the bus industry.

BUS07: Staff employed by local bus operators (ODS, 24.4 KB)

Limited historic data is available

Concessionary travel (BUS08)

These spreadsheets include breakdowns by metropolitan area status and travel concession authority in England. They include metrics on concessionary passes and journeys, expenditure and reimbursement, as well as details on policies for the upcoming year.

BUS08: Measures of concessionary bus travel by Travel Concession Authority (TCA) and metropolitan area status (ODS, 325 KB)

BUS08_policy: Policies on concessionary bus travel by Travel Concession Authority (TCA) (ODS, 24.6 KB)

Bus reliability and punctuality (BUS09)

These spreadsheets contain data about the reliability and punctuality of buses.

BUS09: Bus reliability and punctuality (ODS, 27.5 KB)

Historical data downloads

These files include historic data omitted from current data tables due to changes in data collection methods. The figures for 2004 to 2005 will not match those in the current tables.

BUS01_hist: Local bus passenger journeys, 1950 to financial year ending 2005 (ODS, 17.7 KB)

BUS02_km_hist: Vehicle distance travelled (kilometres), 1960 to financial year ending 2005 (ODS, 21 KB)

BUS02_mi_hist: Vehicle distance travelled (miles), 1960 to financial year ending 2005 (ODS, 20.4 KB)

BUS03_hist: Passenger distance travelled (miles and kilometres), 1970 to financial year ending 2005 (ODS, 7.66 KB)

BUS06_hist: Vehicles operated by local bus operators, financial years ending 1998 to 2011 (ODS, 7.42 KB)

BUS07_hist: Staff employed by local bus operators, 1965 to financial year ending 2011 (ODS, 9 KB)

Discontinued bus statistics data tables

These data tables are no longer updated.

BUS0106: Passenger journeys on local bus services by metropolitan area status and country: Great Britain, quarterly (ODS, 57.8 KB)

BUS0112: Passenger journeys on local bus services by service type and metropolitan area status and country: Great Britain, annual (ODS, 94.4 KB)

BUS0504: Local bus contracts for subsidised services: Price increases and competition for tenders: Great Britain (ODS, 6.87 KB)

BUS0605: Average age of the bus fleet by metropolitan area status and country: Great Britain (ODS, 9.03 KB)

BUS0611: Age distribution of the bus fleet used as Public Service Vehicles by metropolitan area status and country, local bus operators only (ODS, 6.62 KB)

BUS0901: Lost scheduled bus mileage by metropolitan area status: England (ODS, 8.98 KB)

BUS1001: Weekly bus vehicle trips by metropolitan area status and country: Great Britain, annual from 2006 (October) (ODS, 37.8 KB)

BUS1002: Bus Operator market share by local authority: Great Britain, latest available year (ODS, 65.1 KB)

BUS1003: Real Time Information Systems (RTI) by metropolitan area status and country: Great Britain (ODS, 42 KB)

BUS1004: Proportion of population within 1 kilometre walking distance of a bus stop with 1 bus service per hour between 7am and 7pm, by local authority, England (ODS, 10.9 KB)

BUS1101: Percentage of local bus operators who are part of bus partnership schemes: England (ODS, 95.5 KB)

BUS1102: Percentage of local bus operators who are part of bus partnership schemes by metropolitan area status and country: Great Britain (ODS, 10.1 KB)

BUS9901: Summary bus statistics - economic, safety and environment (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 66 KB)

BUS9902: Summary bus statistics - National Travel Survey data (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 124 KB)

Contact us

Bus statistics

Email bus.statistics@dft.gov.uk

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

Updates to this page

Published 31 January 2023
Last updated 12 September 2024 + show all updates
  1. Local bus fares index by metropolitan area status and country, quarterly table for Great Britain updated for April to June 2024.

  2. Local bus fares index by metropolitan area status and country, quarterly table for Great Britain updated for January to March 2024.

  3. Data table for local bus fares index by metropolitan area status and country in Great Britain has been updated for October to December 2023. Tables BUS04, BUS05, and BUS08 have been revised.

  4. Data tables updated for the annual bus and concessionary travel statistics reports.

  5. Data table for local bus fares index by metropolitan area status and country in Great Britain has been updated for April to June 2023.

  6. Data table on local bus fares index by metropolitan area status and country, quarterly in Great Britain, updated for January to March 2023.

  7. Concessionary travel data tables for the latest financial year updated and added.

  8. Data tables on vehicle distance travelled in miles and kilometres and vehicles operated by local bus operators have been revised. Local bus fares index by metropolitan area status and country, quarterly data table updated for October to December 2022.

  9. First published.