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Lothian locals enjoy taking the bus (33 per cent), almost twice as much as the rest of Scotland (18 per cent), with only 26 per cent preferring to drive over taking public transport. The data, which provides a snapshot view of Scotland’s travel behaviours, was commissioned by First Bus as it launches a campaign to encourage us to be more ‘CarFree’.

Twenty-eight per cent of people in the Lothians stated they don’t feel guilty for choosing their car over a bus compared to the national average of 37 per cent. A strong environmental conscience was a key reason behind the decision to take bus in the Lothians, with half of them (51 per cent) listing helping the environment as a primary motivator for travelling by bus.

The freedom of not having a car in the city (55 per cent) and not having to find and pay for parking (67 per cent) were among other key reasons for choosing the bus in the Lothians.

Home to the most frequent bus users in Scotland*, people from the Lothians were found to be the least likely to drive for journeys they know they could take bus for (6 per cent) – almost half as likely as the national average (10 per cent).

Duncan Cameron, managing director of First Bus in Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic to see how the Lothians are making a conscious effort to take bus for the good of the environment – and that they’re enjoying it too.

“As we launch our Modal Shift campaign to encourage Scots to leave their cars behind a little more, I’d encourage frequent car users to consider taking the bus instead for their next journey.

"From saving money to reducing stress and our impact on the environment, there are so many benefits to discover. If we each made small, conscious decisions to leave the car behind a little more, together we could transform our city’s congestion, air and noise pollution.”

Lothians home to biggest bus users thanks to locals’ environmental consciences