Around 20 per cent of West Midlands buses are failing to be on time - data reveals

A report to the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny committee showed 79.6 per cent of buses were on time in the second quarter of this financial year (July to September).

While this was a slight increase of 0.9 per cent on the first quarter, Wolverhampton councillor Carol Hyatt said the figure of those not on time ‘feels like a lot’.

The percentage of rail services being on time stood at 82.8 per cent – a slight decrease from the 84 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year.

Metro services reliability were recorded as 91 per cent – an increase from 89 per cent in the first three months of the year.

There was also a drop in usage on buses and rail during the second quarter compared with the first but this was attributed to schools being closed for summer.

The report also looked at customer satisfaction with value for money of bus, rail and metro services.

For buses, the level of people satisfied with value for money dropped by 15 per cent to 56 per cent in 2024/25 compared with the previous year. This was attributed to increases in fares.

The picture was even bleaker for rail services with the level of people satisfied with the value for money with rail services as figures showed it was at 50 per cent compared with 73 per cent last year.

The report put this down to an increase in cancellations during last summer due to driver shortages.

Metro passengers were more satisfied with the value for money than bus and rail users but it had still reduced from 82 per cent last year to 71 per cent in 2024/25.

On a more positive note, the percentage of people who feel safe while travelling on public transport rose to 86.3 per cent in 2024 compared with 84.8 per cent last year.

Councillor Hyatt said: “The percentage of bus services on time is 79 per cent, that means 20 per cent of our buses, one fifth of our buses, aren’t on time. It’s feels like a lot on occasion.”