Bus passengers have their say in new survey

22 October 2021

Almost nine in 10 bus passengers were satisfied with their last journey in a new survey by independent watchdog, Transport Focus.

The Bus User Weekly Survey, which launches today, tracks bus passenger satisfaction (outside of London) week by week as passengers return to bus travel.

Passengers rated how satisfied they were with their overall journey, the punctuality of their service, the value for money of their ticket and a number of Covid-related measures.

The survey found:

• 88 per cent of bus passengers were satisfied with their overall journey
• 76 per cent of passengers were satisfied with how punctual their bus was (12 per cent dissatisfied)
• 66 per cent of passengers were satisfied with value for money of the ticket
• passengers were least satisfied with information on how busy the bus would be at 53 per cent, this was followed by the number of people wearing face coverings at 55 per cent per cent (almost a quarter were actively dissatisfied)
• several key measures saw satisfaction levels above 80 per cent: safety of the driving (88 per cent), availability of seating or space to stand (87 per cent) length of time the journey took (86 per cent) and cleanliness of the inside of the bus (82 per cent).

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“As more passengers return to travelling by bus, we’ll be tracking how satisfied they are and how operators can provide an even better service.

“Operators and local authorities must continue to work together to attract passengers back by delivering a service that is on time, reliable and offers good value for money.”

What passengers say

One passenger commented on their journey: “Very satisfied, driver was polite. Bus pretty clean and well ventilated.”

Another complained about the cleanliness of their service saying: “Finished night shift, caught bus at 8am, it was late. It was dirty, the alcohol dispenser was empty, there was visible dirt and a build up of gel all around the dispenser. At least half passengers not wearing masks, coughing and sneezing on bus. No windows were open and when I attempted to open one I got shouted at by another passenger.​”

A passenger reported: “Bus was on time and well ventilated. Would have liked more people to have worn masks.”

This weekly survey is intended to provide regular feedback from passengers about the journeys they have made by bus. The survey will provide further insight as more passengers start to travel, in advance of a new bus passenger experience survey launching next year.

Background

Passengers completed an online survey about their experiences of travelling with bus operators in Great Britain. Results are based on almost 500 passenger experiences between 13-17 October 2021.

The Bus User Weekly Survey asks passengers in Great Britain (outside London) about experiences of travelling by bus and how satisfied they were with their most recent journey (made in the last seven days).

Results will be published on a weekly basis and the data will be made available on our data hub soon.

Press office

Members of the media can contact the Transport Focus press office during office hours on 0300 123 2170. 

For urgent out of hours media enquiries please call 0300 123 2181.