LOTHIAN BUSES COMES UP TRUMPS IN PASSENGER SURVEY
A new survey has shown that Lothian Buses passengers have the highest satisfaction levels compared with those who use a range of other bus operators in England and Scotland.
The research, carried out by the independent watchdog Passenger Focus, found that 96% of Lothian Buses passengers were satisfied with the overall service of the bus company, compared to 88% of passengers of six other major bus operators.
Punctuality and waiting time of the buses also scored high with 90% and 91% of Lothian Buses passengers satisfied with both these aspects of service respectively, again higher than the national averages of 77% and 76%.
Ian Craig, chief executive of Lothian Buses, said: “Knowing that the vast majority of our passengers are satisfied with all aspects of our service is excellent news and shows the outstanding levels of service that our staff are continuing to provide. The fact that we have topped the survey is even more encouraging and reflects the efforts our team make across the business to provide the best possible fleet and services.
“At Lothian Buses we are always looking for ways to improve our offering to our customers, especially as we prepare to run Edinburgh’s new tram service.”
Other areas where Lothian Buses scored highest on were:
- Satisfaction with the bus driver, including their helpfulness and attitude (76%) and the safety of their driving (91%).
- Availability of seating and standing space on the bus (93%), cleanliness and condition of vehicles (88%) and satisfaction with bus stop facilities (88% compared to 80% in other parts of the country).
Cllr Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener, said: “Edinburgh residents are enormously proud of Lothian Buses’ service and these excellent survey results demonstrate just how well Lothian Buses is performing against other companies. A thriving and fully integrated public transport system is absolutely essential in a modern capital city and particularly for Edinburgh, where recent Census figures showed more people walk, cycle and take the bus to work than anywhere else in Scotland*. With the trams gearing up to start running passenger services in May, multiple cycle infrastructure projects getting under way in April**, an ambitious new Local Transport Strategy for the next five years in place and Lothian Buses continuing to flourish as one of the UK’s best-loved bus services, this really is a very significant time in Edinburgh’s transport history.”
Lothian Buses enjoyed a record number of passengers last year, with numbers increasing by 4.2% from 110.7 million in 2012 to 115.4m in 2013.
The Bus Passenger Survey was carried out between 8 September and 1 December 2013 and received 2169 survey responses from Lothian Buses passengers. The survey received 13,500 responses from areas including West Midlands, Merseyside, Tyne and Wear, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. It was designed to provide results that are representative of bus passenger journeys made within each area that is at the level of a transport authority. All passengers that took part in the survey were aged 16 or over.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
It is easy to take things like bus service for granted. But when we visit Edinburgh (most years) we love the buses. Indeed, a friend who also visited initially refused to board a bus because where she lives in Canada, the buses are seen to be the mode of transport for the rougher types (that’s her opinion). However, once she got on an Edinburgh bus she couldn’t stop raving about the experience. Indeed, several years later – back in Canada – she still tells everyone how great those buses are. True, she didn’t ride one on a Friday night, but then the idiots who take the buses are not the buses themselves. Indeed, Edinburgh is lucky to have such a wonderful bus service.
Lothian Buses are great but I really dislike the fact that they always use the newest/cleanest buses on some lines (i.e. 10,27) and always the oldest/dirtiest buses on some other lines (i.e. 25,34).
We all pay the same price for our ridacard/tickets and should all be treated the same way!
Comments are closed.