Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams have today (9 January) announced increased patronage across the city’s bus and tram networks in 2025, with more than 130 million customer journeys recorded.
Across the year, Lothian Buses recorded 119 million customer journeys, an increase of 2.6% compared with 2024. Edinburgh Trams have had another record-breaking year, seeing growth of 3.3 % with 12.5 million customer journeys recorded.
This follows a year which saw the city’s public transport network deliver bus and tram services across a particularly busy summer period which included several high-profile concerts and events at Murrayfield Stadium and the Royal Highland Centre alongside a vibrant Edinburgh Festival season.
The introduction of contactless payments on trams earlier this year now also enables customers to use their contactless card or device to pay for daily and weekly inter-modal caps across both buses and trams in the city.
Sarah Boyd, Chief Executive of Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams, said:
“Our bus and tram network sits at the heart of the city, providing reliable, inclusive and accessible public transport for the hundreds of thousands of customers who travel with us every day.
“This strong commercial performance reflects the dedication of our people, both on the frontline and behind the scenes, who work tirelessly to deliver consistently high-quality services.
“As we look ahead to 2026, we remain committed to managing cost pressures to ensure that we can continue to invest in the delivery of an integrated, dynamic and fit for purpose public transport network that meets the demands of our growing capital city.”
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said:
“Edinburgh’s outstanding public transport network is the backbone of our great city, keeping the Capital moving every day.
“These new figures clearly show how popular our buses and trams are with our residents and visitors, and my thanks go to our valued colleagues at Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams for their great work over the last year. I’ve no doubt that this will continue in the year ahead as these excellent companies work ever closer together.
“As we continue to deliver on our ambitious City Mobility Plan, and face into the many challenges of managing a growing, successful city, our tram and bus services will remain at the heart of our response.”