More than 6,000 people used free night buses to destinations across Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire at weekends in November and December and on Hogmanay, Aberdeen City Council reports. The weekend services, which operated from Saturday 16 November 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025 and were paid for by the Council, saw week-on-week growth in the lead up to Christmas due to increased footfall in the city centre and increased awareness of the service, it says.
The buses on Hogmanay carried the most people on any single day of operation with 841 passengers making use of the routes, whilst the two busiest weekends were 14 and 15 December with 1,156, and 21 and 22 December with 1,013 people carried respectively.
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “I am pleased that more than 6,000 people used the free weekend and Hogmanay night buses. The service was provided to help people getting home from the cafes, restaurants, and pubs in the city centre late at night – and I am delighted people took advantage of the free night bus services.”
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Christian Allard added: “I welcome that so many people took advantage of this free and safe transport home both for going out on Hogmanay and at weekends. The Aberdeen City Council funding will also have helped to support businesses by giving people another transport option for getting home safely in the festive season and on Hogmanay.”
Aberdeen City Council paid First Bus to operate the 10 routes, which were funded from bus lane enforcement revenue, giving the unusual sight of the company’s buses operating services outwith the city. Operations Manager for First Aberdeen David Adam said: “We were delighted to see thousands of people use the night bus services in Aberdeen over the festive period and to see the numbers grow every week until the final weekend. It was fantastic to be able to help so many people travel to and from Aberdeen city centre in a sustainable, cost-effective way, while allowing us to play our part in supporting the city’s night-time economy during one of their busiest times of the year.”
Adrian Watson, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Inspired, commented: “We were delighted to support Aberdeen City Council and First Bus on the return of the festive night buses. It is great news that more than 6,000 people were able to get home safely and reliably after a night out – nearly double the number for last year’s festive night service. The night buses encouraged more people to come into the city centre and provided a welcome boost for businesses in our vital nighttime economy. These figures prove there is a demand for a night bus service in Aberdeen and we will continue to advocate for a longer-term sustainable model.” The Council says it will review the provision of weekend night bus services following the trial.
