Bus travel in the region has been given the thumbs up this month, with Go North East customers reporting an overall satisfaction score of 92%, according to the results of independent national research.
Released this month, the Autumn 2018 Bus Passenger Survey reveals steady increases in satisfaction across most areas of Go North East service – including waiting time, bus stop information, availability of seating and on board comfort.
Published by industry watchdog Transport Focus, punctuality scored the biggest win for Go North East, with a 6% year-on-year improvement. Other factors highlighted positively include the safety of driving and bus journey time, with 91% of passengers reporting their satisfaction on each subject.
The report follows another year of investment by the award-winning bus operator to improve the customer experience, such as the introduction of simplified fare structures and on-bus contactless payments.
Martijn Gilbert, managing director of Go North East, said: “As the region’s largest bus operator, we place huge value on passenger satisfaction, so we welcome this research. Put simply, our towns and cities would grind to a halt if everyone who got the bus was in a car. That means we have a responsibility to provide a reliable, convenient and comfortable service, and it’s something we take very seriously.
“We continually strive to offer a good value service that meets all of our customers’ needs, and we’ll use the results to further improve on our customer experience, so we can deliver on our vision of ‘journeys taken care of’.”
The Bus Passenger Survey consulted 50,000 bus users across England and Scotland between September and December 2018.