ScotRail recorded the biggest year-on-year improvement in positive Recommend scores among current customers of any brand tracked by YouGov BrandIndex in the UK.
YouGov’s Most Recommended Brands in the UK 2026 report shows that half (50.4%) of ScotRail’s current customers said they would recommend the operator between July 2025 and June 2026, up from 41.8% during the previous 12 months – an increase of 8.6 percentage points. Recommend measures whether consumers would recommend a brand to others.
What may have helped change customers’ minds?
One clue comes from perceptions of value for money. YouGov BrandIndex data shows ScotRail’s positive Value score among current customers rising sharply during autumn 2025, from 24.5% at the beginning of September to over 43% by the end of October.
The timing coincides with one of the biggest changes ScotRail made to its fares during the year. From September 1, 2025, the operator permanently abolished peak fares, reducing Anytime Single and Return fares to their Off-Peak equivalents and allowing passengers to pay the same price regardless of when they travelled.
For some journeys, the difference was substantial. An Anytime Day Return between Glasgow and Edinburgh fell from £32.60 to £16.80, while Stirling to Glasgow dropped from £18.20 to £10.80.
The BrandIndex data shows perceptions of Value rising particularly strongly around this period, while positive Recommend also strengthened over the months that followed.
While the data cannot conclusively link abolishing peak fares with an improvement in recommendation, the timings do align. The fare reduction aligned with a substantial Value score improvement, during the same year that the operator recorded the greatest increase to positive Recommend scores among customers compared to all brands tracked in the UK.
Methodology:
YouGov BrandIndex tracks daily perceptions of thousands of brands. Recommend scores are based on thequestion: “Which of the following transport providers would you RECOMMEND to a friend or colleague?” Scores are reported as percentages, based on daily surveys of UK adults weighted by age, gender, region, social grade, and ethnicity. Figures cover July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 and the corresponding previous 12-month period. The analysis is based on current customers of each brand. For transport providers, current customers are defined as respondents who selected the brand when asked: “Have you used any of the following transport providers in the past 6 months?”
