BUS PASSENGER SURVEY Merseyside BUS PASSENGER SURVEY RESULTS FOR: November 2009 Merseyside PTE area (Merseytravel) July 2010 Contacts Ian Wright Passenger Focus 2nd Floor, One Drummond Gate, Pimlico, London SW1V 2QY Tel: 0300 123 0860 Email: ian.wright@passengerfocus.org.uk David Chilvers Continental Research Kingsbourne House 229-231 High Holborn London WC1V 7DA Tel: 020 7490 9111 Email: dave.chilvers@continentalresearch.com
Contents Methodology 1 Sample profile 2 Overall Satisfaction 3 Planning the journey 5 Ticketing used for journey 6 Method of Buying Ticket 7 Bus Stop Facilities 8 Satisfaction with Bus Stop 9 Time Waiting for Bus 11 Satisfaction with Waiting for Bus 13 On the bus (satisfaction with on the bus factors) 14 On the bus (satisfaction with length of journey and provision of information) 15 The Bus Driver 17 Value for Money 18 Peak / non peak comparison 20 Key drivers of overall satisfaction 21 Satisfaction and Impact 22 Appendix - The Questionnaire 23 Page
Methodology Passenger Focus undertook a survey of bus passenger satisfaction in the following areas in November 2009: PTE Ub Urban County South Yorkshire Stoke-on-Trent Shropshire West Yorkshire Brighton Cumbria Merseytravel Medway Kent Cornwall Greater Manchester Plymouth Hampshire Swindon Cambridgeshire The survey used a self-completion questionnaire, which was handed to passengers onboard the bus during their journey. A copy of the questionnaire is included in the appendices to this report. The survey was administered on a pre-selected sample of bus services in each area. The sample of bus services was designed to be broadly representative of operator market share and service frequency. A database of local bus services was created for each area and stratified by operator and service frequency. A sample of services was then selected using a Probability Proportional to Size approach. The results for each geographical area were then weighted to accurately reflect the market share of operators in the area. Results were also weighted according to the proportion of journeys made by concessionary passengers, based on data provided by the TAS partnership. This report presents the survey results for Merseytravel and compares them to the results for all PTEs and to all areas surveyed. 1
Sample Profile PTEs All Areas Merseytravel Merseytravel PTEs All Areas SAMPLE 2034 8053 18828 SAMPLE 2034 8053 18828 % % % % % % SEX JOURNEY PURPOSE Male 32 32 31 Commute 38 41 39 Female 64 64 65 Shopping 35 31 33 Not stated 4 4 4 Visiting friends/relatives 10 10 9 Sport/entertainment 2 3 2 AGE Day out 2 2 3 16-25 14 17 16 Travel to/from holiday 0 0 0 26-34 7 9 9 Personal business 3 4 4 35-44 12 12 12 Company business 0 1 1 45-54 17 16 15 Other 5 5 5 55-59 9 9 8 60+ 36 32 36 REGULAR TRAVELLER Yes (6 or more journeys in last 2 weeks 53 53 49 DISABILITY No 43 43 47 Yes 22 20 19 Not stated 4 4 4 No 65 69 69 Not stated 13 12 11 OTHER POSSIBLE MODES TIME OF TRAVEL Car (passnger) 21 25 26 Peak (before 9:30 or between 4pm and 7pm) 32 34 38 Car (driver) 9 12 16 Off peak (between 9:30am and 4pm or after 7pm) 68 66 62 Train 15 9 7 Taxi 26 21 20 CONCESSIONARY FARE Bicycle 4 4 6 Concession 37 33 36 On foot/walking 29 30 32 No concession 63 67 63 Metro/light rail/tram 1 3 1 Coach 0 0 0 Motorbike 0 0 0 Other 4 4 4 NB: Throughout this report, base size information relates to the unweighted base, to show the real number of passengers who were interviewed to provide the results. However, all data shown in the report, including sample profile data here, is weighted. Bus Passenger Survey: Merseytravel July 2010 2
Overall Satisfaction Overall satisfaction with bus journey % very / fairly satisfied Merseytravel (1940) 49% 40% 7% 88 PTEs (7676) 4 43% 7% 87 All Areas (17989) 47% 42% 7% 3% 88 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q26. Overall, taking everything into account from start to end of this bus journey, how satisfied were you with your bus journey today? 3
Overall Satisfaction Overall journey satisfaction by key passenger groups for Merseytravel % very/fairly satisfied Free pass holders (991) 63% 30% 3%3% 93 Fare-payers (940) 40% 46% 9% 86 Age 16-25 (208) 33% 52% 9% 86 Age 26-34 (107) 35% 50% 7% 7% 86 Age 35-54 (471) 42% 45% 7% 5% 87 Age 55-59 59 (162) 41% 38% 1 5% 79 Age 60+ (957) 63% 30% 3% 94 Peak travel (554) Non peak travel (1386) 43% 52% 45% 37% 8% 6% 3% 87 89 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q26. Overall, taking everything into account from start to end of this bus journey, how satisfied were you with your bus journey today? 4
Planning the journey Information sources used to plan journey Satisfaction using that source of information Printed bus timetable 25% 27% 31% (% very/fairly satisfied) Merseytravel PTEs All Areas Online bus timetable from bus company website Traveline website 2% 3% 5% 2% 1% 1% Printed bus timetable 86 87 89 Online bus timetable - 91 88 Traveline website - 91 87 Transport Direct website 1% 0% 0% Transport Direct website - - 89 Other website Phoned bus company 1% 1% 0% 1% 1% 1% Other website - - 90 Phoned bus company - 71 77 Phoned local council - - - Phoned local council Other 0% 0% 0% 3% 3% Q7. How satisfied were you with the information sources you used? None 60% 60% 55% Merseytravel (2034) PTEs (8053) All Areas (18828) Q6. What information sources did you use to help plan your journey today? (please tick all that apply) 5
Ticket used for journey Ticket used for journey Single ticket paid for in cash Return ticket paid for in cash Free bus pass for the elderly Free bus pass for people with a disability Discount ticket (student/other) One day bus pass Travel pass covering bus and other modes of Bus pass valid for more than one day Travel pass covering bus and other modes of Other 3% 9% 7% 5% 3% 3% 6% 8% 7% 2% 1% 1% 8% 7% 3% 19% 19% 17% 30% 28% 33% 19% 20% 18% Merseytravel (2034) PTEs (8053) All Areas (18828) Q2. What type of ticket did you use for this journey? 6
Method of Buying Ticket Method of buying ticket Rating the ease of buying a ticket using that method From the driver today From a driver before today From a travel office/travel centre/bus station/booking office From a website From a local shop or post office From a machine at the bus stop Other None 13% 17% 1 15% 1 13% 3% 2% 10% 5% 0% 0% 1% 6% 6% 7% 3% 2% 2% 49% 53% 56% (% very/fairly easy) Merseytravel PTEs All Areas From the driver today 98 97 97 From a driver before today 97 96 95 Travel office/centre/bus station/booking office 88 90 86 From a website 86 90 89 From a local shop/post office 86 89 88 From machine at bus stop - - 88 Merseytravel (974) PTEs (4168) All Areas (9184) Q3. How did you buy your ticket? * Base: all fare-paying passengers Q4. And how easy did you find buying this ticket was it? * Base: all fare-paying passengers 7
Bus Stop Facilities Facilities at the bus stop (% saying facility was available) A shelter An electronic display showing length of time till next bus is due to arrive A timetable A route map Lighting A code so I can use a mobile phone to find the time of the next bus 11% 18% 18% 9% 17% 19% 22% 29% 25% 13% 26% 18% 70% 73% 70% 66% 66% 62% Merseytravel (2034) PTEs (8053) All Areas (18828) Q11. Which of the following were available at the stop where you caught this bus? 8
Satisfaction with Bus Stop Overall satisfaction with bus stop facilities % very/fairly satisfied Merseytravel (1882) 25% 43% 16% 8% 7% 69 PTEs (7511) 27% 4 15% 8% 6% 71 All Areas 26% 43% 15% 9% 7% (17372) 70 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q13. Overall, how satisfied were you with the facilities at the bus stop? 9
Satisfaction with Bus Stop % very/fairly satisfied Satisfaction with bus stop facilities Merseytravel PTEs All Areas Any route maps provided (147) 5 32% 9% 86 85 85 Any electronic information e.g. showing time of next bus (169) 61% 25% 5% 7% 86 90 88 The timetable information provided (1144) 48% 37% 8% 85 85 86 The provision of shelter (1180) 46% 38% 8% 5% 3% 84 84 83 Your personal safety at the bus stop (1775) 41% 36% 15% 5% 3% 77 78 78 The cleanliness and freedom from graffiti (1582) 36% 38% 13% 7% 5% 74 74 74 The amount of litter (1493) 32% 39% 1 10% 5% 71 70 71 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q12. Thinking about the bus stop where you boarded, how satisfied were you with each of the following? (Satisfaction with provision of shelter, timetable information, route maps and electronic information based on respondents saying relevant facility is available) 10
Time Waiting for Bus Length of time waited for bus (% waiting for ) Merseytravel PTEs All Areas Under 2 mins 11 12 13 2-5 mins 39 37 37 More than 5 mins, and up to 10 mins 29 29 29 More than 10 mins and up to 15 mins 11 11 10 More than 15 mins 6 8 8 Not sure 1 1 1 Q14. How long did you wait for your bus? 11
Time Waiting for Bus How waiting time for the bus compared with expectation Merseytravel (2034) 13% 66% 18% PTEs (8053) 12% 65% 20% 3% All Areas (18828) 12% 66% 18% Less time than you expected About the length of time you expected Longer than you expected No answer Q15. Thinking about the time you waited for this bus today, was it? 12
Satisfaction with Waiting for Bus Satisfaction with factors around waiting for the bus The length of time you had to wait for the bus (1814) 41% 37% 10% 6% 6% % very/fairly satisfied Merseytravel PTEs All Areas 78 74 75 Whether the bus arrived on time (1630) 40% 35% 11% 7% 7% 75 72 74 The frequency of buses on this route (1700) 29% 35% 11% 13% 13% 64 63 66 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q19. How satisfied were you with each of the following? 13
On the bus Satisfaction with on the bus factors The ease of getting on and off the bus (1912) 63% 31% 3% % very/fairly satisfied Merseytravel PTEs All Areas 94 93 94 The information provided on the outside of the bus (route number and destination) (1840) 61% 30% 6% 91 90 91 Being able to get a seat (1865) 55% 3 6%3% 89 88 89 Room for all the passengers to sit or stand (1838) 46% 39% 9% 85 83 84 The temperature inside the bus (1814) 43% 40% 9% 6%3% 83 80 81 The cleanliness and condition of the outside of the bus (1819) 39% 43% 12% 3% 82 79 80 Your personal security whilst on the bus (1780) 41% 41% 1 3% 82 81 83 The cleanliness and condition of the inside of the bus (1840) 35% 43% 11% 6% 79 74 78 The comfort of the seats (1837) 33% 45% 13% 6%3% 78 75 76 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q20. Thinking about the bus journey itself, please indicate how satisfied you were with each of the following? 14
On the bus Satisfaction with on the bus factors: length of journey and provision of information % very/fairly satisfied Merseytravel PTEs All Areas The length of time your journey took (1838) 48% 38% 8% 86 81 82 The information provided inside the bus (1564) 28% 36% 28% 5% 64 62 64 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q20. Thinking about the bus journey itself, please indicate how satisfied you were with each of the following? 15
On the bus Reasons for dissatisfaction with time the journey took % saying. Preferences for on the bus information % saying. 46% 41% 41% 35% 27% 29% 26% 23% 21% 9% 10% 10% 31% 30% 30% 32% 3 26% 30% 2 25% 58% 57% 56% 51% 48% 50% 42% 39% 39% 17% 17% 12% 15% 13% 12% The amount of traffic on the road The route the bus took The slow driving speed Poor weather conditions The time the bus waited at stops Time for passengers to board and pay tickets Other reasons Merseytravel (95) PTEs (530) All Areas (1154) Q21. Why were you dissatisfied with the time the journey took? Timetable information Route information Electronic information Audio information Another type of information Merseytravel (109) PTEs (461) All Areas (1035) Q22. You said that you were not satisfied with the information provided inside the bus. What information would you like to be provided? 16
The Bus Driver Satisfaction with bus driver factors The appropriateness of the speed (1849) 48% 40% 9% % very/fairly satisfied Mersey- travel PTEs All Areas 88 87 87 Your feeling of safety from road accidents during the journey (1840) 48% 39% 10% 87 86 87 The driver's appearance (1861) 50% 35% 13% 86 85 87 The helpfulness and attitude of the driver (1823) The smoothness and freedom from jolting during your journey (1857) 46% 35% 1 3% 37% 42% 12% 7%3% 81 79 82 79 77 79 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q23. Thinking about the driver, please indicate how satisfied you were with each of the following? 17
Value for Money Satisfaction with value for money of your journey % very/fairly satisfied Merseytravel 42% 28% 13% 8% 9% (1421) 71 PTEs (6040) 39% 28% 13% 10% 10% 67 All Areas (13974) 40% 27% 13% 10% 10% 67 Very satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Fairly satisfied Fairly dissatisfied Q20. Thinking about the bus journey itself, please indicate how satisfied you were with each of the following.the value for money of your journey? 18
Value for Money Satisfaction with value for money by key passenger groups for Merseytravel % very/fairly satisfied Fare-payers (886) 3 30% 15% 10% 11% 64 Free pass holders (529) 68% 23% 6% 91 Age 16-25 (199) 31% 2 17% 13% 15% 55 Age 26-34 (105) 30% 30% 21% 6% 13% 61 Age 35-54 (434) 35% 33% 13% 10% 8% 68 Age 55-59 (140) 37% 29% 15% 7% 12% 66 Age 60+ (492) 65% 2 7% 3% 89 Peak travel (453) Non peak travel (968) 35% 33% 13% 10% 9% 46% 25% 13% 7% 8% 69 72 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Q20. Thinking about the bus journey itself, please indicate how satisfied you were with each of the following.the value for money of your journey? 19
Peak vs Off-peak comparison Key variations in satisfaction between peak and off-peak Merseytravel Your personal safety at the bus stop 72% 80% Any route maps provided 8 91% Your personal 78% security whilst on the bus 8 The information provided inside the bus 60% 66% The 85% appropriateness of the speed 90% Peak Off-peak 20
Key drivers of overall satisfaction Impact of individual factors on overall satisfaction with bus journey Merseytravel The figures in this chart are computed using a regression analysis which measures the correlation between overall satisfaction and satisfaction with individual factors. The more highly correlated a factor is, the greater its influence is likely to be on overall satisfaction. Merseytravel PTEs All areas The Length Of Time Your Journey Took The Helpfulness And Attitude Of The Driver The Timetable Information Provided Any Electronic Information eg Showing Tim e Of Next Bus Your Feeling Of Safety From Road Accidents During The Journey Others 21
Satisfaction and Impact Satisfaction with individual factors and their impact on overall journey satisfaction Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive area (Merseytravel) More Priorities for improvement Journey time Helpfulness / attitude of driver I m p a c t Service frequency Value for money Information inside bus Litter at stop Comfort of seats Length of time waited at stop Personal safety at stop Cleanliness at stop Punctuality Cleanliness inside bus Smoothness of the ride Personal security on bus Real time at stop Temperature on bus Driver appearance Shelter at stop Cleanliness outside of bus Feeling safe from accidents Getting a seat Ease of getting on / off Appropriateness of speed Timetable information at stop Information on outside of bus Less Room for everyone to sit / stand Route map provided at stop Lower S a t i s f a c t i o n Higher 22
Questionnaire (1) Above is a copy of the questionnaire, used in November 2009 23
Questionnaire (2) Above is a copy of the questionnaire, used in November 2009 24
Questionnaire (3) Above is a copy of the questionnaire, used in November 2009 25
Questionnaire (4) Above is a copy of the questionnaire, used in November 2009 26