Bus punctuality needs to improve in Scotland, says report
Scotland largely satisfied with buses, but punctuality could be improved
Bus punctuality and waiting times are an area to improve in Scotland, according to a report by Transport Focus.
The Your Bus Journey Survey found 77% of passengers in Scotland were happy with how long they waited for a bus.
Despite this finding, it was also found that 86% of those travelling in the country say they were satisfied with their last journey. The new survey covers feedback from bus passengers in six key regions and bus operators, gathering evidence from over 3,000 journeys. The survey looks at how satisfied passengers are with their most recent journey and a range of other key factors such as their experience on board the bus, at the bus stop, with the bus driver and if they think the journey provided good value for money.
Passengers in Strathclyde were the most satisfied overall with their journey at 89%. While passengers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire were the least satisfied with 80%.
Half of passengers questioned in Transport Focus’s survey say that the bus was the only real means of transport available to make that journey, so ‘it’s vital that services are on time, reliable and offer good value for money’, according to the public transport watchdog.
Overall, 68% of fare payers say they are satisfied with value for money, including 28% very satisfied. The results for value for money differ considerably across the six regions surveyed, ranging from 38% in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to 76% satisfied in Strathclyde. According to Transport Focus, where value for money ratings are lower, this may be attributed to less reliable journeys or tickets and passes used by frequent travellers that have increased in price in the past year.
“We’ll be using the results from this survey as a benchmark for local transport partnerships and bus operators to drive improvements and attract more people onto buses” – Robert Samson, senior engagement manager at the independent watchdog Transport Focus
Robert Samson, senior engagement manager at Transport Focus, said: “It is good to see many passengers are satisfied with their journey. 86% overall satisfaction is a great start. However, there is a wide variation in scores for waiting time and value for money. They vary considerably by region from the highest (80%) to the lowest (69%). For an unfortunate 4%, the wait was more than 30 minutes.
“The Scottish Government, bus operators and local partnerships must work together so that passengers see the improvements in reliability, journey times and better value for money fares promised in the ‘Fair Fares Review’.
“We’ll be using the results from this survey as a benchmark for local transport partnerships and bus operators to drive improvements and attract more people onto buses.”
The study identified the top factors driving passenger satisfaction:
- timeliness: 59%
- value for money: 15%
- bus driver: 11%
- bus environment: 7%
- bus access: 5%
- bus stop: 2%