Public Attitudes Towards Buses
A nationwide survey was carried out by MORI on behalf of Lexington Communications for SEIU and T&G. The survey covered usage of local bus services and attitudes towards different aspects of bus services. The topline findings of the survey are printed below:
Topline Results
- Fieldwork dates: 26th August - 1st September 2004
- All figures in percentages
- Base: All (1,864); All who use local bus services regularly (816) unless otherwise stated
- Data have been weighted to the known population profile
- Number of sample points across Britain: 189
- Interviews conducted face-to-face in respondents' homes using the MORI Omnibus
- An asterisk represents a percentage less than 0.5 but greater than zero
- Numbers may not always add up to 100% due to computer rounding or multiple answers
- Please note that some of the sample sizes for individual products are very small. Results of these should be treated as indicative only
Q1 I am going to read out a number of forms of transport people use. From this card, please tell me how often, if at all, you personally use each one? Base: All (1,864)
| 160 | Once a week or more | 1-3 times a month | 6-11 times a year | Less often | Never | No opinion / Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % | % | % |
| Local buses | 27 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 1 |
| Long distance buses or coaches | 1 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 73 | 2 |
Q2 Which, if any, of these companies provides bus services in your local area? Base: All (1,864) Q3 And which of these do you use? Base: All who use local bus services regularly (816)
| 160 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % |
| Stagecoach | 34 | 25 |
| Arriva | 32 | 24 |
| First Group | 28 | 28 |
| Locally operated bus service | 13 | 14 |
| The Go-Ahead Group | 3 | 4 |
| Any mention of National Express Group | 7 | 7 |
| Travel West Midlands | 5 | 6 |
| Travel London | 1 | 1 |
| Travel Coventry | * | * |
| Travel Dundee | * | * |
| Other | 6 | 6 |
| None of these | 5 | 10 |
| Don't know | 12 | 7 |
| Any | 82 | 84 |
Q4 Why do you not use buses run by First Group? Base: All those who do not use First or those who do not use buses regularly (1,637)
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Inconvenient | 4 |
| Not frequent enough | 2 |
| Unreliable / not punctual | 1 |
| Journey too slow / takes too long | 1 |
| Do not know the timetable | 1 |
| Fares too expensive | 1 |
| Not clean | 1 |
| Do not like the attitude of the staff | * |
| Feel unsafe on the bus | * |
| Overcrowded | * |
| Unsafe to wait where I would need to get on/off | 0 |
| Other | 5 |
| 160 | |
| First Group don't operate in area | 28 |
| Don't use buses | 28 |
| Unaware of First Group | 13 |
| No particular reason | 5 |
| They no longer run buses on the route I take | 4 |
| Don't know | 9 |
Q5 Why do you not use buses run by the National Express Group, for example, Travel Coventry, Travel Dundee, Travel London, Travel West Midlands? Base: All those who do not use any of the National Express Group of companies or those who do not use buses regularly (1,796)
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Inconvenient | 4 |
| Journey too slow / takes too long | 2 |
| Unreliable / not punctual | 1 |
| Not frequent enough | 1 |
| Do not know the timetable | 1 |
| Fares too expensive | 1 |
| Do not like the attitude of the staff | * |
| Unsafe to wait where I would need to get on/off | * |
| Feel unsafe on the bus | * |
| Overcrowded | * |
| Not clean | * |
| Other | 9 |
| 160 | |
| Don't use buses | 33 |
| National Express don't operate in area | 21 |
| No particular reason | 9 |
| They no longer run buses on the route I take | 5 |
| Unaware of National Express Group | 3 |
| Don't know | 12 |
Q6 I'm now going to read out different aspects of bus services. Thinking of the bus services you use, please tell me, from this card, how you would rate each aspect? Base: All who use local bus services regularly (816)
| 160 | Very good | Fairly good | Neither good nor poor | Fairly poor | Very poor | No opinion / Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % | % | % |
| Bus services overall | 18 | 57 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| Cleanliness | 11 | 47 | 19 | 16 | 6 | 1 |
| Punctuality and reliability | 12 | 43 | 15 | 19 | 9 | 1 |
| Frequency | 15 | 48 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 1 |
| Level of fares | 9 | 38 | 19 | 19 | 10 | 5 |
Q7 Do you think that the overall standard of bus services have got worse, stayed the same or improved in the last five years? Base: All who use local bus services regularly (816)
| 160 | % |
|---|---|
| Got worse | 22 |
| Stayed the same | 38 |
| Improved | 34 |
| Don't know | 6 |
Q8 Please could you tell me, from this card, how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statement? Base: All who use local bus services regularly (816)
| 160 | Strongly agree | Tend to agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Tend to disagree | Strongly disagree | No opinion / Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % | % | % |
| Bus companies put profit before customers' needs | 23 | 37 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 7 |
