5,831 First Essex bus journeys followed to their destination across 71 days, 15 Aug 2026 to 24 Oct 2026. 49% arrived on time by the GB bus standard, and 33% arrived early.
That is about 82 journeys a day, 0.1% of all the bus journeys we followed on the same dates.
Its on-time share is 20 points below the 70% for every operator we followed on those dates. It ranks 64 of 71 operators with a page here.
Its buses run early far more often than late, 1.9 early arrivals for every late one, while 17% arrived late. Early running counts against the standard, so on these routes the timetable, more than the traffic, is what holds the on-time figure back.
Averaged across every journey, its buses arrived 1.1 min late, against 0.1 min early for all operators on the same dates.
Its best day was Sunday, 23 August 2026, 69% on time over 48 journeys, and its worst Wednesday, 23 September 2026, at 28% over 32.
First Essex in numbers
Days covered
71
15 Aug 2026 to 24 Oct 2026
Journeys followed
5,831
0.1% of 8,972,755 on the same dates
…on time
2,886
49.5% · all operators 69.8%
…early
1,926
33.0% · all operators 24.5%
…late
1,019
17.5% · all operators 5.7%
…of which more than 15 minutes late
118
2.0%
Average arrival
1.1 min late
all operators 0.1 min early
Rank by on-time share
64
of 71 operators with a page
These are the 5,831 First Essex journeys we followed to within 250 metres of their last
stop in the urban areas we sample, so they describe its running where we sample rather than on
every route it operates. On time, early and late add up to every journey; "more than 15 minutes
late" is part of late. How bus punctuality is measured and why so many buses arrive early.