Low satisfaction with public transport services
The Commission for Integrated Transport is to invite public transport operators to a seminar on customer care after a nationwide opinion poll rated transport services and staff attitudes at the bottom of the service sector.
In one of the largest surveys of attitudes to public transport, 2,200 people questioned by MORI rated train, bus and underground services well behind high street banks, building societies, local supermarkets and garages.
Though local bus and rail services are rated positively in the survey, the levels of satisfaction are considerably lower than for supermarkets, banks/building societies and garages.
While customers felt most content with the service at supermarkets with 83% satisfied, garages came second with 69% followed by banks and building societies on 68%. Bus services came out best of the transport services on 56% satisfaction with rail and Underground level pegging on 46%.
The difference is even more stark with unhappy customers. Of other services, only banks and building societies have more than 10% of dissatisfied customers - at 12%. Public transport services generally are marked down by at least twice as much. 24% of people are unhappy with bus and rails services and 22% with Underground services.
Bus drivers and train staff got negative scores for enthusiasm. Front line public transport staff generate consistently less positive ratings for helpfulness, cheerfulness, politeness and patience than staff in other major service sectors.
Commission Chair, Professor David Begg, said: "We want to share these results with operators and to learn from them."
"Many operators are already providing excellent service for their customers but clearly it is not yet the norm. Perceptions matter and we will not be able to get more people back onto public transport until passengers feel that both company and staff care about them and their journey."
"The differences are so stark between the ratings the public are giving other parts of the service sector that we believe it would be helpful to sit down with the operators to look at the figures, analyse the problems and work with them to see how we can change perceptions."
"This has to be in the interests of both operators and passengers."
Technical details
- MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 2,002 adults aged 16+, including a boosted sample to 490 in London. All interviews were conducted face-to-face in respondents homes between 9 June - 5 July 2001 in 204 enumeration districts throughout England. Data was weighted to reflect the correct geographic and demographic profile of the population.
- The full report is published on the CfIT website at www.cfit.gov.uk
