Can you trust in the bus?

11 February 2016

Today I’m talking at the Transport Times Bus Summit in London. I’m highlighting our new research (out on 2 March) which looks at bus passenger trust, their priorities for improvement and why people don’t use the bus more.

This important new work confirms the importance of providing a good ‘core product’ – a frequent, punctual and reliable service that provides value for money. This applies both to regular passengers and to infrequent or non-users. It also shows that there is real value in companies communicating and engaging with passengers and building up a relationship. Not only could this help in making better decisions but it also generates trust and goodwill towards the company when things go wrong.

You can see my presentation slides on the website and Route One magazine has a good preview of our work too.

The message from passengers is clear. Local authorities and bus operators need to form effective partnerships to deliver reliable, value for money, clean buses with welcoming drivers. This needs to be backed by a clear sense of who is in charge and where comments and complaints should be directed. Is that too much to ask for?