Tram services are great, but must keep focus on keeping pace with demand, says watchdog

20 March 2018

More than nine in 10 tram passengers are satisfied with their journey, says independent watchdog Transport Focus.

The results of the latest Tram Passenger Survey, out today, show 91 per cent satisfaction overall across the five networks in the survey.

The key factor which makes tram journeys ‘great’ is the onboard environment and comfort. While satisfaction with this is relatively constant, satisfaction with the availability of seating or space to stand decreased significantly from

78 per cent in 2016 to 75 per cent. The amount of personal space is the lowest-rated onboard aspect, with 72 per cent of passengers satisfied.

Transport Focus director David Sidebottom said:

“Overall we know tram passengers are pretty content. We know that what matters to them is the space, comfort and overall environment of the tram. Since the survey started in 2013, tram has become more popular and therefore more crowded, especially in the busy peak travel periods. We challenge the industry to act on this insight and maintain its high passenger satisfaction ratings into the years to come.”

Other findings were:

• satisfaction with value for money among fare-paying passengers had dropped slightly, from 69 per cent in 2016 to 68 per cent this time
• satisfaction with punctuality and the length of time waiting for the tram have remained unchanged since 2016, with 88 per cent of passengers satisfied with both aspects

• satisfaction with the range of payment options has increased significantly since 2016 (from 78 per cent to 82 per cent).