Bus services and subsidies

Request data on subsidised bus routes, costs, and passenger numbers.

Many bus routes in Scotland only run because the council pays a subsidy. You can find out which routes are supported, what they cost, and how many people use them.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25]: 1. A list of all bus routes subsidised or supported by the council. 2. The annual subsidy paid for each route. 3. Passenger numbers for each subsidised route, if held. 4. Any routes where the subsidy was withdrawn or reduced during the period, and the reason. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Your local council’s transport department. Find your council on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

In the west of Scotland, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) also subsidises bus routes directly across 12 council areas. If you are in the SPT area, send a separate request to SPT for routes it funds.

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Tips#

  • Councils may not hold passenger numbers for all subsidised routes, as these are sometimes collected by the bus operator. The phrase “if held” makes clear you only want data the council already has.
  • If you want data on a specific route, name it in the request rather than asking for all routes.
  • Subsidised routes are often reviewed annually. If a route has recently been cut, asking for the reason gives useful context.