December 8, 2025
Nottingham bus patronage up, ranked second highest outside London
The Department for Transport’s annual bus statistics once again show Nottingham’s buses going from strength to strength.
Remarkably, Nottingham has the second highest bus usage outside of London, following Brighton and Hove, at 130 passenger journeys per head. Bus industry magazine Route One also reported that Nottingham, is one of the few local authorities this year to exceed levels of patronage from 2010, which is when Department for Transport’s dataset began.
In spring this year, it was revealed that Nottingham’s bus passengers are more satisfied than elsewhere – at 90% versus 83% satisfaction nationally. This week, Nottingham City Transport’s Zohra Rani won Top National Bus Driver at the UK Bus Awards.
Local bus operators aren’t resting on their laurels – Nottingham City Transport will soon launch 14 new electric buses into service and trentbarton are also developing their plans for electrification, alongside featuring in the latest edition of Nottingham Monopoly.
To ensure that both bus and tram networks could thrive in the city, Nottingham City Council works with the bus operators and NET to plan how bus and tram routes could compliment rather than compete with each other.
Nottingham has long been at the forefront of bus excellence. Nottingham Contactless launched in 2022, making Nottingham becoming the first city outside London to enable contactless payment on buses and trams with a daily price cap helping residents and visitors to get around cheaply.
Operators and partners are also working hard to make improvements to our city’s bus network using our Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP). Nottingham was one of the first cities in the UK to begin delivering a BSIP.
Some recently or ongoing BSIP projects include:
- Subsidising travel for young people to allow 19-21 year olds to benefit from cheaper bus travel and providing a 20% discount on Commuter Ticketing schemes
- Supporting good levels of frequency and coverage on crucial bus services
From early 2026, public transport functions will transfer to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) who will oversee public transport for the whole Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire region, including bus services, ticketing and investing in new infrastructure. With funding already made available to locally to support Nottingham’s bus electrification, ticketing schemes, bus routes and supporting infrastructure.
Councillor Linda Woodings, Executive Member for Regional Development, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “We have some of the best public transport in the UK here in Nottingham and that’s not by accident – it’s a result of many decades of hard work.
It’s brilliant to see more people using our great local buses and I know I speak for local people when I say we value them so much. With the move of public transport functions to EMCCA, we look forward to bus services improving across the wider region as well as in Nottingham.”
Jon Parker, the Independent Chair of the Nottingham Bus Partnership said: “Once again this is great news, proving that Nottingham is one of the UK’s leading public transport cities. I’ve seen first-hand the collaborative and committed work of the partners, who continue to deliver improvements across the bus network, driving growth in passenger numbers and improved customer satisfaction. As we move towards a regional approach, I look forward to seeing how the success of Nottingham can be extended for the benefit of bus passengers across the EMCCA region.”
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said: “This fantastic achievement is a testament to the commitment and innovation shown across Nottingham City, and it reflects the wider ambition we have for public transport across the East Midlands. As we move towards the transfer of transport functions to EMCCA, we’re laying the foundations for cleaner, greener and more reliable services that will benefit communities right across our region.”
