Our history

   Bus Users UK began life in 1975 through the work of Dr Caroline Cahm MBE, now President Emeritus. It was formalised in 1985 following the deregulation of bus services

   In 1995 we became known as the National Federation of Bus Users, the first official body outside of London to represent bus passengers

   We started running local events, giving passengers a chance to speak direct to the people running their services

   With the backing of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, we launched a complaints handling service

   We won support and funding from the Welsh Government to set up an office in Cardiff

   The National Federation of Bus Users officially became Bus Users UK

   Our work handling passenger complaints was formally recognised by the Department for Transport

   We won the backing of the Scottish Government to fund our work handling complaints and running local events in Scotland

   We set up compliance monitoring in Wales and Scotland to improve services, hold operators to account, and provide evidence to the Traffic Commissioners

   We became the Nominated Body for complaints under the European Passenger Rights Regulation

   Bus Users UK became the first approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Body for bus and coach passengers

   We registered as a UK charity (1178677) with a new mission: to bring people together through socially inclusive transport

   Our charitable status in Scotland was officially approved (SC049144)

   Bus Users UK joined forces with nine other leading shared, active and sustainable transport bodies to form the Sustainable Transport Alliance

   Our Chief Executive, Claire Walters, was appointed Disability and Access Ambassador for buses

   We took over Greener Journeys week-long bus campaign and transformed it into Catch the Bus Month, an annual celebration of sustainable, accessible transport

   We celebrate 50 years as the passenger champion and a powerhouse of passenger advocacy, bridging the gap between communities and decision-makers and ensuring the voices of passengers are heard