Transport User Voice June 2024 – Around Great Britain

31 May 2024

Find out more about our work

Scotland
Bus is the most frequently and widely used form of public transport in the west of Scotland – and people in the region have been asking for better bus services.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is aiming to improve the bus network by producing a Regional Bus Strategy. Its ‘Case for Change’ is the first step in the strategy’s development – it defines a set of objectives, and from these a set of core policies will be created.

We had the opportunity to feed into this, emphasising the need to focus on passenger needs by:

• Setting goals targeted towards improving the experience for passengers.
• Creating a set of official standards for customers and promising to uphold them.
• Continuously monitoring performance through customer feedback.

We also noted the importance of our Your Bus Journey survey in monitoring passenger satisfaction levels and the developing of proposals to improve services.

West Yorkshire
As work continues on the TransPennine Route Upgrade, we have been out testing rail replacement services and feeding back our observations to Network Rail and the train operators involved in the programme.

The team were recently in West Yorkshire during weekday engineering works in the Morley area to speak to frontline colleagues and passengers about their experiences. As a result, we pointed out the importance of colleague visibility and support, especially around busy stations such as Leeds, Huddersfield and Dewsbury. When colleagues aren’t able to be present, we emphasised how vital accurate and clear information (such as posters) at rail replacement bus stops are in helping passengers.

Whilst we have seen some improvements to bus signage and wayfinding at stations, we will continue to push for consistency across the board to allow all passengers to make their journeys as smoothly as possible. We are also working with the programme partners and train operators to improve accessibility on route to rail replacement stops – for example, ensuring safe crossing points are provided.

North West England
This month we headed to Ulverston station in Cumbria, joining forces with Network Rail, ISS (Infrastructure Support Solutions) and Northern to improve the environment for passengers.

The day was spent painting and refreshing the historical station. It was the third day of its kind this year, and more work is planned to restore the Victorian canopy and underpass to its former glory.

It was good to see residents, schools and representatives from the rail industry working together and demonstrates how rail stations play an important role in the community.

South West England
Our work in the South West region has continued to focus on working together with the rail industry to minimise the impact of engineering work.

We presented at a cross industry HS2 forum on what passengers need when their journeys are disrupted by planned engineering works. Our presentation included research we undertook with Network Rail about passenger perceptions of construction at Old Oak Common station and the impact on train services.

We also spent a day in the Westbury area looking at local stations with Great Western Railway in preparation for an engineering block planned for early 2025. The work will renew infrastructure to improve train service performance through the area.

Wales
The team in Wales have been out and about on the Heart of Wales line, which experienced considerable disruption due to animals on the line.

We were pleased to see the level of support for passengers stranded at Llandybie – frontline colleagues provided good quality information and showed genuine care for passengers on a hot day by providing water and snacks. A rail replacement was put in place quickly for those travelling onward to Shrewsbury. We were told by passengers that they were appreciative of the care they received.

We also headed into West Wales on the Swansea to Tenby route. It was a hot and busy day but generally, a pleasant trip on a very scenic route.

We did however spot some things that need attention:

• On-board announcements were out of sync causing confusion to passengers
• Trains needed to be cleaned as there was a fair amount of rubbish on board
• Parking tariffs at the station did not match the information provided on the Transport for Wales website
• Train splitting at Whitland meant some passengers had to move mid journey

We have provided a report to Transport for Wales and Network Rail and will work together on securing improvements for passengers.

 

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