Glasgow travel survey to shape future of bus travel in the city

The GlasGo Bus Alliance is led by Glasgow city region bus operators and has a commitment of transforming bus travel.

In its five-year manifesto, the alliance is set to deliver ambitious goals which will enhance the bus travel experience, improve connectivity and on bus technology whilst helping to reduce harmful emissions throughout the city and surrounding areas.

What did the travel survey find?

The travel survey, which was completed by more than 2000 people, explored key areas of bus travel including bus information, ticketing, reliability, journeys and customer service.

Some of the key findings include:

Over 50 per cent of respondents rely on bus for travelling to work

60 per cent state that congestion and roadworks slow down bus journeys

30 per cent are using the bus less frequently since the start of Covid 19 restrictions

Feedback on driver appearance and driving is very positive

Customer service channels on and offline needs improved

What happens next?

Using the survey results, the GlasGo team will now arrange focus groups to gather further feedback and understanding about bus travel across the Glasgow City region.

If you wish to take part in any of the upcoming focus groups, you can contact the GlasGo Bus Alliance team at www.glasgobus.com/contact.

How has the Alliance helped so far?

Since forming in April 2021, the alliance’s work to improve the overall bus experience is well underway.

This includes Alliance members introducing electric vehicles across the city region as well as upgrading on bus technology in preparation for tap and cap ticketing systems.

Fiona Doherty, chair of GlasGo Bus Alliance, said: “We thank everyone who took the time to complete our survey, their thoughts and views truly matter. Bus is the backbone of public transport across the Glasgow city region and as an alliance we are focused on engaging with current and future bus users to improve the overall bus experience across the city.

“Whilst the survey highlights a satisfaction for bus travel in general there is much work to be done, especially around encouraging more journeys to be made by bus, improved ticketing and providing customer service channels which meets the needs of a wide range of customers.

“On areas such as on street bus times, congestion and roadworks, we shall work with SPT and our local authorities through the Glasgow Bus Partnership to improve this. Through our collaboration, we are in a much better position to address these issues, which have a massive impact on the journey times of buses.”

‘Important part of daily life’

Councillor Anna Richardson, convener for sustainability and carbon reduction, said: "As well as contributing to a successful and just transition to a net-zero carbon, clean and sustainable city, bus is an integral and important part of daily life for many people across the city.

“By striving to create a smarter, affordable, and better-connected bus network that is easier for everyone to use - inequalities are reduced, work and leisure opportunities open up, and transport modal shift becomes more viable.

“Through partnership working we have recently secured funding for bus priority measures from the Bus Partnership Fund, £1.655m of which will deliver projects within Glasgow, including the progression of detailed business cases for five bus corridors. Bus operators within the partnership have also embraced the introduction of Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone, a key public health intervention designed to tackle harmful levels of air pollution and as a result we are now seeing a much greater proportion of cleaner, zero and low emission buses travelling through our city centre and beyond.

"Reducing journeys by car is essential if we are to reduce the carbon emissions that contribute toward climate change. By supporting sustainable, viable transport choices such as bus through our strategies and initiatives as well as through collaborative working, we can make city streets safer and more attractive, which in turn increases the quality of life for communities across the city and beyond.”