AROUND nine in ten bus passengers in Scotland are satisfied with their service, according to the latest survey by the industry watchdog.

Stagecoach's operation in the Tayside and Central region scored highest for overall satisfaction and journey time with, respectively, 95 per cent and 93 per cent of passengers happy with the service.

The Perth-based bus company's Strathclyde services were also rated top for punctuality among passengers taking part in the annual Passenger Focus bus survey, with 89 per cent of participants saying their services usually run on time.

Taxpayer-owned Lothian Buses were considered to offer the best value for money, with 83 per cent of passengers using its South-East services saying they were content with the fares compared to only 46 per cent of passengers using First Bus' services in North East Scotland.

Overall satisfaction rates were also lowest among passengers using First North East buses, which scored 86 per cent for overall satisfaction.

McGill's, the Greenock bus firm owned by former Rangers directors James and Sandy Easdale, was rated the poorest for punctuality with only 77 per cent of passengers saying their services generally ran on time and 11 per cent of participants saying they were very dissatisfied with the company's punctuality.

However, the overall picture for Scotland showed that bus passengers north of the Border were generally happier with their service than those in England.

The survey of more than 47,000 passengers found that 88 per cent of bus users in England were happy with their service compared to 92 per cent of Scots.

David Sidebottom, passenger director of the independent watchdog, said: "Passengers tell us that value for money is key to their satisfaction with a service, along with being able to get decent information and a friendly, helpful driver.

"When bus companies act on the findings in the survey it has a direct result for passengers."

Paul White, spokesman for the Confederation of Passenger Transport Scotland, which represents operators, said: "It is fantastic to see that overall passenger satisfaction rates remain exceptionally high in Scotland, with the 11 Scottish operators involved receiving a satisfaction rating of over 90% on average. What is particularly heartening is that it is the people who really matter - the passengers - who are giving their bus services this endorsement.

"However, the bus industry is not complacent and there is always room for further improvement. The industry will review the findings of the Survey and will redouble efforts to deliver for passengers in areas such as reliability and punctuality, newer vehicles and smarter technologies."