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Bus Passenger Survey reveals varied satisfaction across the country

Posted: 14 March 2016 | Katie Sadler, Digital Content Producer, Intelligent Transport | 1 comment

Transport Focus has revealed results of its annual bus passenger survey showing 86 percent of passengers were satisfied with their bus service. However, opinion on value for money and punctuality varied widely across the UK.

Bus Passenger Survey reveals varied satisfaction across the country

Transport Focus has revealed results of its annual bus passenger survey showing 86 percent of passengers were satisfied with their bus service.  However, opinion on value for money and punctuality varied widely across the UK.

Bus Passenger Survey reveals varied satisfaction across the country

Transport Focus, the independent watchdog, questioned more than 40,000 passengers in autumn 2015, as part of its annual Bus Passenger Survey (BPS). The research covers a wide range of aspects including the bus stop, waiting for the bus, on the bus, the outside of the bus and the bus driver as well as their overall satisfaction with that bus journey and their rating of value for money.

Along with European Bus Forum, we’ve outlined some of the key statistics of the report:

BUS PASSENGER SURVEY

Results of the latest survey show the majority of those surveyed were satisfied (86 percent) with their bus service but value for money ratings and satisfaction with punctuality vary widely across the country.

There were huge discrepancies region to region on value for money ranging from 41 percent to 80 percent satisfaction – 39 percentage points between the highest and lowest area scores.

Bus Passenger Survey results reveal a fall in punctuality satisfaction

Punctuality satisfaction levels ranged from 64 percent to 84 percent (averaging 75 percent) which is down from the 2014 figure of 77 percent. Transport Focus highlights the fall may be due to the significant challenges facing bus operations in some town and city centre due to increased traffic congestion.

Commenting on the results, David Sidebottom, passenger director of Transport Focus, said: “Passengers tell us that they want a bus service that is punctual, reliable and offers value for money. Such a wide range of value for money and punctuality scores across the country shows there is still room for improvement.

“Understanding what drives improved passenger satisfaction, and then delivering that more consistently, is one way of getting more people to use buses” 

“With lots of debate and decisions being made about how bus services up and down the country are run we hope that government, transport authorities and bus companies work together to use these findings to improve the things that matter most for passengers – a consistent, punctual, reliable and value for money bus service.

“Understanding what drives improved passenger satisfaction, and then delivering that more consistently, is one way of getting more people to use buses.”  

The Bus Passenger Survey Autumn 2015 full report can be downloaded here.

Findings of the Bus Passenger Survey will be debated at a Transport Focus event, Is bus the missing link in delivering a northern powerhouse?, in Manchester on 16th March 2016. Further details about the discussion can be found here.

Event programme released

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One response to “Bus Passenger Survey reveals varied satisfaction across the country”

  1. Cllr Horace Prickett says:

    Good, comprehensive survey which makes interesting and valuable reading. It will prove very useful in discussions with bus companies and passenger interest groups. Keep up the good work, you’re doing a grand job!

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