+ 
Public service vehicles (buses and taxis): April 2024 to March 2025 +
+ +Data on bus services, bus passes, frequency of buses and taxis for April 2024 to March 2025.
+In this page
+Introduction
This release presents public service vehicle statistics for Wales covering the financial year 2024 to 2025. This release was temporarily paused after the April 2024 publication. Therefore, on 31 March 2026, we have published both 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 data on StatsWales.
Local bus services
Bus services are a vital part of Welsh economic and social life. The 2021 Census showed that 19% of the population of Wales had no access to a car or van, and many people rely on bus services for travelling to work, hospital appointments, visiting friends, shopping and accessing leisure services. Local bus services are defined as those services where passengers are carried ‘at separate fares over short distances’ [footnote 1].
A total of 71.7 million passenger journeys were undertaken on local buses in Wales during 2024 to 2025. This compares to 71.4 million journeys in 2023 to 2024 and 61.2 million journeys in 2022 to 2023. However, this is still lower than the 92.4 million passenger journeys in 2019 to 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The passenger journeys in 2024 to 2025 covered a total of 78.5 million vehicle kilometres.
In 2024 to 2025, the number of drivers employed on locally operated buses and coaches increased by 3.1% to 3,221 drivers. This is 1,053 (24.6%) lower than the peak of 4,273 in 2009 to 2010.
In contrast, the number of local bus and coach vehicles in operation fell for the second year in a row to 2,106 for 2024 to 2025 (a decrease of 6.4%).
In the latest year, there was a 13.5% increase in local bus fares, compared to a 7.3% increase across Great Britain. The increase in Wales was the highest annual increase since comparable records began in 2004 to 2005. The previous largest annual increase was 6.9% in 2012 to 2013.
Licensed taxis and private hire vehicles
Individuals can apply for a taxi licence, a private hire vehicle (PHV) licence or a dual licence.
- A taxi licence enables the holder to pick up passengers on the streets or from designated taxi ranks.
- A private hire vehicle licence enables the holder to pick up passengers who have made a booking with a licensed private hire operator.
- A dual licence enables the holder to drive either a taxi or a private hire vehicle.
Taxi and private hire vehicle data for 2025 is yet to be published, as a result of adjustments in the publication cycle as announced in October 2024 by the Department for Transport (DfT). The next release of taxi and private hire statistics are now expected to be later in 2026. Please see the DfT website for more information. Data for 1 April 2024 show:
- a total of 4,211 taxis and 5,878 private hire vehicles were licensed in Wales
- the number of licensed taxis fell by 2.0% whilst licensed private hire vehicles increased by 7.8% compared to 1 April 2023
Notes
In our recent consultation on statistical outputs, we proposed to reduce the length of this publications whilst continuing to publish the data on StatsWales. We are piloting this approach whilst we analyse the consultation responses.
We welcome feedback on this shortened release.
Definitions
Local bus service
Local services are scheduled stopping services registered with the Traffic Commissioner. A local service is defined as a bus service using public service vehicles to carry passengers at separate fares over short distances. The route can be of any total length, as long as throughout its length passengers can get off within 24.15 kilometres (15 miles) (measured in a straight line) of the place where they were picked up. Each passenger must make a separate payment to the driver, conductor or agent in order to use the service. Excursions and tours need only be registered if separate fares are paid, the whole journey is within a 24.15 km (15 mile) radius of the starting point, and they run one or more times a week for at least 6 weeks in a row. Schools and works services may be local bus services if the users pay a separate fare but do not need to be registered if someone other than the bus operator is responsible for arranging the journey, and the journey is not advertised beforehand to the general public, and all passengers travel to or from the same place, and passengers pay the same fare no matter how far they travel.
Passenger journeys
A count of the total number of boardings of each vehicle, so a trip which requires a change from one bus to another would be counted as two journeys in these figures. Figures do not include children under 5 years of age.
Vehicle kilometres
Distance (kilometres) run by local buses in service. This includes only ‘live’ (i.e. service) miles and not ‘dead’ running e.g. from depots to the start of a route.
Quality information
Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
All of our statistics are produced and published in accordance with a number of statements and protocols to enhance trustworthiness, quality and value. These are set out in the Welsh Government’s Statement of Compliance.
These accredited official statistics (OSR) demonstrate the standards expected around trustworthiness, quality and public value in the following ways.
Trustworthiness
Most of the information presented here is derived from annual returns made to the DfT by the Public Service Vehicle (PSV) survey of around 450 local bus operators. This survey provides information on passenger journeys, vehicle miles, passenger receipts and operating costs. Separate, smaller surveys managed by DfT collect information about fare changes, service reliability and quarterly patronage from the larger bus operators.
Full details of the data sources and methods used can be found in the guidance (DfT).
These statistics are pre-announced on the Statistics and Research area of the Welsh Government website. Access to the data during processing is restricted to those involved in the production of the statistics, quality assurance and for operational purposes. Pre-release access is restricted to eligible recipients in line with the Code of Practice (UK Statistics Authority).
Quality
The published figures provided are compiled by professional analysts using the latest available data and applying methods using their professional judgement and analytical skillset. Statistics published by Welsh Government adhere to the Statistical Quality Management Strategy which supplements the Quality pillar of the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority) and the European Statistical System principles of quality for statistical outputs.
The statistical release is drafted, signed off by senior statisticians and published in line with the statement on confidentiality and data access which is informed by the trustworthiness pillar contained in the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority).
Value
The purposes of this statistical release and the accompanying data published on StatsWales are to provide evidence for policy development and to inform the media and wider public about public service vehicles.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFG)
The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before Senedd Cymru. Under section 10(8) of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, where the Welsh Ministers revise the national indicators, they must as soon as reasonably practicable (a) publish the indicators as revised and (b) lay a copy of them before the Senedd. These national indicators were laid before the Senedd in 2021. The indicators laid on 14 December 2021 replace the set laid on 16 March 2016.
Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the well-being goals and associated technical information is available in the Wellbeing of Wales report.
Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national indicators and be used by public services boards in relation to their local well-being assessments and local well-being plans.
Footnotes
[1] Separate fares are where each passenger makes a separate payment to use the service. Though journeys are defined as ‘short distances’ they may be of any overall length, as long as passengers can get off within 15 miles of the place at which they were picked up.
