​The country needs a better bus service, says Citizens Advice

Two thirds of Scots are dissatisfied with the frequency of their local bus services, with over half saying that those which do exist are often late.

The figures are published by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) following a major national survey.

While frequency and punctuality are among the most common complaints, 58% of respondents also feel their bus service offers poor value for money, and there were concerns too about safety, cleanliness, and the quality of fare information.

The survey took the views of over 4,600 people across Scotland and the results are broken down by local authority area as well as providing a national picture.

Scotland-wide figures show that 64% are either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied by the frequency of scheduled services and 56% feel the same about the punctuality of their buses.

More than 60% think fare information is not good enough and nearly one third (32%) say the buses are not clean enough or are in poor condition.

Meanwhile, 46% say they are not given enough time to sit down and 16% say there is no bus service to their local hospital or GP.

CAS chief executive Derek Mitchell said: “Public transport is a social justice issue. People deserve a bus service that is reliable, affordable and pleasant to use, yet it is clear from this research that Scotland’s buses often fail to meet these standards.

“We undertook this survey because we wanted to give consumers a voice. I’d like to thank the more than 4,600 people who took part in the survey. The responses came from all parts of Scotland but there was a notably high rate from people in rural areas, where problems like bus infrequency are often more acute.

“Having gathered this data, CAS will now be meeting with bus companies, local authorities and the Scottish Government to find ways of addressing these issues.

“Our objective here is to create better journeys for the people who rely on bus services.”