Transport User Voice – Nine out of 10 passengers satisfied with ScotRail

31 July 2017

ScotRail has achieved its best performance in our latest National Rail Passenger Survey.

The latest survey shows a marked improvement in overall passenger satisfaction standing at 90 per cent, an overall improvement of six percentage points from Autumn 2016. Satisfaction with punctuality and reliability improved by seven percentage points to 86 per cent. This coincides with Network Rail published figures showing improved performance results and clearly demonstrates the importance to passengers of the link between punctuality and overall satisfaction.

The Performance Improvement Plan agreed with the ScotRail, Transport Minister and Transport Scotland, designed to improve train service punctuality has paid dividends that passengers recognise in our latest survey.

Any disruption to services is frustrating to passengers but it is worthwhile to note that how well the ScotRail deals with delays improved by 16 percentage points in the survey.

However, satisfaction with car parking facilities fell by six percentage points. With increasing importance being attached to improving air quality within the industry and the high demand being placed on a limited number of parking spaces at some stations, more thought needs to be given on how rail passengers are going to access the railway by walking, cycling and bus.

The Spring 2017 survey results can be found here.

Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group on Cycling, Walking and Buses

Transport Focus attended the latest meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Cycling, Walking and Buses which discussed among other topics the Government’s forthcoming Transport Bill. The Group heard about the scale of bus operations compared to other forms of public transport, the importance of bus services to passengers but also to the wider economy. However, bus services have suffered a significant long-term decline in patronage, which had continued in recent years, although there were regional differences.

The proposed Transport Bill has the potential to improve the bus journey experience through new arrangements between authorities and operators and bus passenger satisfaction. Transport Focus has researched bus passenger satisfaction on a range of factors in our Bus Passenger Survey as well as passenger’s priorities for improving services. The 2016 survey results can be found here.

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