The organisation’s 2025 Local Transport Survey found about 255 of 357 (71%) Otago members surveyed enjoyed using public transport, above the national average of 64%.
AA Otago district council chairman Malcolm Budd said he was pleased and quite surprised by the results — surveys had previously found "pretty miserable" satisfaction with Otago public transport.
"You hear all the bad things, but when you get a survey like [this], you can’t argue with that.
"I think it’s very encouraging."
The results showed the regional council was "on the right track" with public transport and work to get routes and services right appeared to be paying off, Mr Budd said.
Free transfers within 45 minutes of tagging on to a bus and greater connection to the University of Otago also made buses more attractive for users.
Mr Budd, who previously worked for bus and coach company Ritchies, said the council could foster greater satisfaction by strengthening bus services between Dunedin and Mosgiel.
Seventy-eight percent of Otago survey respondents were satisfied with fares, behind Canterbury at 80% and ahead of the national rate of 53%.
Otago users also gave higher ratings than other centres for driving safety (76%) and personal safety on bus trips (80%) and at bus stops (76%).
Satisfaction dipped when considering the frequency of public transport — 46% of Otago members were pleased with trip frequency compared with the national average of 56%.
Council regional planning and transport general manager Anita Dawe said the ORC was pleased improvements made by staff and operators were reflected in the survey.
"The operations team are constantly assessing trip and patronage data and looking for improvements to service.
"The constant focus we have on improvement will continue as we look to make our network as well used as possible."
Patronage had steadily returned following the Covid-19 pandemic.
She hoped the positive survey would inspire new users to "give our buses a go".
Improvements were often launched once or twice a year and the council welcomed constructive feedback to help improve services.
The annual survey of AA members polled more than 7500 people across New Zealand in October and November last year who were selected to provide a cross-section of AA users.
It aims to understand members’ local transport experiences across modes — including car trips, walking, cycling, bus and train use.
