Transport User Voice – April 2019 – People who catch the bus love the bus

26 March 2019

Almost nine in 10 passengers using buses were satisfied with their last journey in the latest Bus Passenger Survey. 

Nearly 50,000 passengers took part in the Autumn 2018 Bus Passenger SurveyIn England 88 per cent of them were satisfied with their last bus journey, 91 per cent in Scotland. 

In England, passengers on Trent Barton buses in Derbyshire were the most satisfied overall with their journey at 96 per cent, while Diamond Bus passengers in Worcester were the least satisfied with 60 per cent. 

Nearly half of passengers surveyed in England say the bus is the only real means of transport available to them, so it’s vital that their service is on time, reliable and offers good value for money. 

Overall satisfaction ratings for younger bus passengers improved in this year’s survey. This builds on recent campaigning by Transport Focus to make bus a better deal for young passengers. 

Huge variations in satisfaction with value for money ratings across England and Scotland still exist, so there is still room for improvement. More operators and authorities must work together to attract new passengers and ensure bus continues to provide an essential lifeline to communities. 

Key findings in England include: 

  • satisfaction with value for money ranged from 81 per cent to 44 per cent across the areas surveyed in England (averaging 64 per cent) 
  • satisfaction with punctuality ranged from 83 per cent to 60 per cent (averaging 74 per cent) 
  • satisfaction with the greeting offered by the bus driver has risen to 76 per cent in 2018 (from 74 per cent in 2017) 
  • the proportion of passengers who said they experienced behaviour during their journey that caused them to worry or feel uncomfortable ranged from four per cent to 10 per cent (averaging 6 per cent) 
  • satisfaction among 16 to 18-year olds has risen to 80 per cent (from 77 per cent in 2017). 

Transport Focus will now take these results out to governments, transport authorities and operators to talk about action plans for improvements and make sure they act on what passengers are saying. 

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