Support For First Great Eastern's Franchise Bid
More than eight out of 10 First Great Eastern passengers (85%) believe the company should be allowed to bid for the Greater Anglia franchise. Just three per cent of passengers supported the SRA (Strategic Rail Authority) decision to exclude First from the bidding process with more than four-fifths (82%) believing that the company should be re-instated.
Support for First Great Eastern services runs at nearly twice the national level for rail franchises.
FGE Scores Well Above Average for Train Companies across England
| MORI / CfIT scores for train companies in general | FGE scores from this study | |
|---|---|---|
| % train users rating as very or fairly good | % customers rating as very or fairly good | |
| Frequency of trains | 45 | 79 |
| Punctuality/reliability of trains | 37 | 73 |
| Value for money of ticket price/level of fares* | 24 | 43 |
* N.B. Asked as Level of fares for MORI / CfIT (2002) Source: MORI
Technical details
MORI interviewed a quota sample of 584 adults, aged 16+, stratified across 18 stations in the First Great Eastern franchise between 15 and 17 April 2003. All respondents had travelled on First Great Eastern services within the past six months.
The survey was commissioned by First to measure the extent of passenger support for the company's operations.
For the MORI / CfIT survey [Public Attitudes to Transport in England], a total of 1,725 interviews were conducted face-to-face, in home, between 27 February and 7 April 2002. Respondents were selected to be a representative sample of the English general public aged 16+, including proportional splits by age, gender and employment. Booster interviews were conducted in the London area to allow for separate analysis. Data were weighted in the overall analysis to correct for the London booster and some demographic skew.
