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Londoners have been relying on the tube network for more than 160 years. And they also get to enjoy some of the lowest bus fares in the entire country. So, you would think people in the capital would be pretty proud of its public transport system. But it turns out the most content commuters in the UK live a few hundred miles north.
Edinburgh has just been named one of the best cities in the world for public transport, taking fourth place in Time Out’s new global ranking and beating the capital to the UK’s spot on the list.
The ranking comes from our annual survey of city dwellers around the world. This year, more than 24,000 locals rated their buses, trains and trams on a scale from ‘awful’ to ‘amazing’, and cities were ranked by the share of residents who called theirs ‘good’ or ‘amazing’. Only the top-scoring city in each country could make the cut.
A whopping 92.4 percent of Edinburgh locals gave their public transport top marks. Only Taipei, Singapore and Hong Kong scored higher, and the Scottish capital finished ahead of some transit heavyweights, including Zurich, Vienna and Seoul.
A lot of the credit goes to Lothian Buses, which is majority owned by the city council and has run a flat fare since 2006. That means that an adult single costs £2.40 whether you’re going two stops or right across town, and £5.70 gets you a day of unlimited bus and tram travel around the city. Lothian’s buses carried 119 million journeys in 2025, up 2.6 percent on the year before.
Edinburgh’s tram project had a notoriously bumpy start, but since the line was extended through Leith to Newhaven in 2023, more and more people have been hopping on. The network had a record year in 2025, with 12.5 million journeys. The tram also runs all the way to the airport, which is handy if you’re flying in.
Paying is easy too. Tap your contactless card or phone and your fares are automatically capped by the day or week across buses and trams. Eligible under-22s and over-60s who live in Scotland can ride Lothian’s day buses for free with a National Entitlement Card or Young Scot card.
Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, the city’s transport convener, described the bus and tram network as ‘the backbone of our great city’ earlier this year. Clearly, locals agree.
Not a fan of public transport? That’s cool, Edinburgh locals also happen to have voted it one of the most walkable city in the world.
🚋 Read Time Out’s full guide to the world’s best cities for public transport in 2026.
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