Secrets of satisfaction: What makes passengers happy on buses

According to the results of a survey conducted by Transport Focus, the level of passenger satisfaction with bus transportation services varies significantly from country to country. The key factors are punctuality and value for money.

For example, 80% of bus passengers across England said they were satisfied with their recent trip. At the same time, passenger satisfaction varies greatly, writes Intelligent Transport.

For example, passengers in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole were the most satisfied with their journey – 90%. While passengers in West Yorkshire were the least satisfied at 73%.

At the same time, the survey examines how satisfied passengers are with their last journey and several other key factors, such as their experience on the bus, at the bus stop, with the bus driver, and whether they think the journey was good value for money.

The results show a significant difference in waiting time and bus punctuality across the surveyed regions. Even in the regions with the best scores, congestion during peak periods is a problem for operators and is reflected in the ratings provided by passengers.

Almost half of the surveyed passengers say that the bus was the only realistic means of transportation for their trip, so services must be on time, reliable, and offer good value for money. At the same time, 67% of passengers who pay for buses say they are satisfied with the value for money.

In turn, the authors of the study emphasize that the government, bus operators, and local authorities must work together to ensure that passengers see the improvements in reliability, travel time, and value for money that were promised in the national bus strategy.

"We will use the results of this survey as a guide for local transport authorities and bus operators to improve and get more people on buses," Transport Focus said.

Following the UK government's significant investment in the National Bus Strategy and the £2 fare cap, the industry must deliver on its commitment to make buses more reliable, more regular, and better value.

Value for money: The scores in this section range from 87% (East Riding of Yorkshire) to 55% (Brighton and Hove, West of England and North Somerset).

Punctuality: Overall, 70% of passengers are satisfied with the punctuality of the bus. Passenger scores range from 86% (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) to 62% (West Midlands).

Waiting times: Waiting times also show significant variation across the survey, ranging from 82% in Greater Nottingham to 60% in Tees Valley and Durham.

In addition, satisfaction with the bus driver always scores the highest, with 85% satisfied.

In turn, Transport Focus added that it will work with transport authorities and bus operators to fully understand the results and focus on plans to improve transportation and attract new passengers to the bus.

Earlier, TravelWise wrote about the British requirements for transporting pets on airplanes.