Nottingham and Nottinghamshire buses and drivers named best in the country

All areas across the country were asked by the Government to create local bus partnerships to ensure operators and local councils are working together to improve transport in their areas.

The independent organisation Transport Focus completed extensive surveys in the 34 local bus partnership areas to ask passengers their thoughts on wait times, bus drivers, value for money and overall satisfaction.

Nottingham ranked as the best city, and the third best area, with an overall approval rating of 87 per cent.

Coun Angela Kandola (Lab), Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for transport said: “In Nottingham, we have a long history of operators and the council working together to improve services.

"The council’s majority ownership of Nottingham City Transport (NCT) and great working relationships with Trentbarton and Ct4N have meant we can deliver pioneering city-wide schemes like Robin Hood, bus priority corridors and Nottingham contactless.

"But we aren’t resting on our laurels.

"As part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) we are delivering £27m in Government funding to upgrade the city’s public transport network so watch this space.”

The greater Nottingham area came top nationally in terms of satisfaction with wait times and Nottinghamshire the top county with satisfaction rating of 82 per cent and 74 per cent respectively.

This follows from significant work in recent years to upgrade the real time information network – taking the uncertainty out of wait times, designating 26km of bus lanes in Nottingham city and upgrading junctions for bus priority.

Nottingham’s bus operators also ranked highly nationally with NCT ranking as the top locally-owned operator (third overall) and Trentbarton coming sixth out of 55 operators surveyed across the country.

David Astill, NCTs managing director said: “We are both humbled and delighted that our customers recognise our efforts through the generous satisfaction scores that they attach to Nottingham’s bus company.

"We thank them for their loyalty and custom and look forward to serving them for many years to come.”

Bus drivers ranked well too, with Trentbarton officially having the best bus drivers in the country with NCT also ranking eighth out of 55.

Tom Morgan, Trentbarton’s managing director, said: “An outstanding driver is what makes an everyday bus journey a great experience, so for our drivers to be the best in the country is a fantastic achievement and a huge contribution to the overall success of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire in this survey.

Coun Neil Clarke (Con), Nottinghamshire Council cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “We are committed to investing in bus services and infrastructure and at the end of 2023 we announced over £5m will be invested to support, improve and deliver new bus services across the county.

“We know there is more work to do when it comes to bus service improvements and making sure that every community has access to a reliable and affordable service.”

Matt Cranwell, managing director at Stagecoach East Midlands, said: "This recognition is a reflection of the dedication of our drivers, engineers, cleaning staff, and depot management teams, who work hard to deliver a safe, comfortable, and essential service to our customers every day.”