Edinburgh named one of the worlds best cities for public transport by Time Out

Edinburgh has been named one of the best cities in the world for public transport, beating major destinations including Zurich, Vienna and Seoul in a new global ranking.

Edinburgh secured fourth place in Time Out’s list of the world’s best cities for public transport in 2026, with 92.4 per cent of residents rating their local network as either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’.

Only Taipei, Singapore and Hong Kong ranked higher in the survey, which asked more than 24,000 people around the world to rate the buses, trains and trams in their city.

Lothian Buses has said without a bus gate it will not divert its No 31 service into West Craigs | TSPL

The results put Edinburgh ahead of some of the world’s most established transport networks, with Zurich taking sixth place, Vienna seventh and Seoul fifth.

Much of Edinburgh’s transport offering is built around Lothian Buses, which carried 119 million journeys in 2025.

Edinburgh Trams also enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2025, recording 12.5 million passenger journeys.

People in Granton say the tramline is vital for the communities in North Edinburgh | TSPL

Passenger numbers have continued to rise since the network was extended through Leith to Newhaven in 2023, providing more connections across the capital - despite getting off to a rocky start.

The tram network also links the city centre with Edinburgh Airport, offering an alternative to travelling by car or taxi for passengers heading away on holiday or travelling for work.

Residents can also use contactless payments across buses and trams, with fares capped daily or weekly to help make journeys more straightforward.

The survey comes after Time Out recently ranked Edinburgh as the second most beautiful city in the world .

With the results showing that 84 per cent of locals in Edinburgh would describe their city as beautiful, the second highest percentage of all the cities surveyed.

Describing Edinburgh, the travel website said: “With its collision of architectural styles, from the New Town’s crescents of Georgian townhouses to the Old Town’s tight, higgledy-piggledy medieval streets and striking Gothic spires, the Scottish capital is famously an absolute delight to walk around.

So, despite the city’s steep hills and cobbled streets, the results suggest residents are largely satisfied with the options available to get around.

Edinburgh’s fourth-place finish makes it the highest-ranked UK city in the global public transport survey, putting the capital ahead of London.

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