13 March 2024 , 09:35
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Arriva in West Yorkshire has been ranked as England's worst bus operator after a survey of passengers travelling on buses owned by 55 bus operators.
The Transport Focus showed that only 66% of passengers were happy with their last journey. Arriva buses serve places like Leeds and Wakefield in Yorkshire. The company, which is one of the UK's biggest train and bus operators, is based in Sunderland.
It is owned by Germany's state-owned transport giant Deutsche Bahn but was bought by US-based investor I Squared Capital for around £1.4 billion last October. The research found that people travelling in cities across England are less happy (78%) than those travelling elsewhere.
Transport Focus said this is because city services are more likely to be crowded and delayed by traffic and roadworks. The best operator was Stagecoach in Portsmouth, with a satisfaction score of 91%. Overall, 80% of bus passengers in England were happy with their last journey, while 8% were not.
Bus drivers can either make or break a passenger's journey, according to the study. Passengers said they noticed if the driver waited for everyone to be seated before moving off and how carefully they drove.
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The research collected feedback on more than 35,000 journeys in England. Transport Focus director David Sidebottom said: "It is good to see many passengers are satisfied with their journey. Eighty per cent overall satisfaction is a good start."
"However, wide variation in scores show that some passengers are being let down. As congestion continues to bite, Government, bus operators and local authorities must work together so that passengers see the improvements in reliability, journey times and better value for money fares promised in the national bus strategy."
"We'll be using the results from this survey as a benchmark for local transport authorities and bus operators to drive improvements and attract more people onto buses."
Graham Vidler, chief executive for industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), said: "It's great to see eight out of 10 passengers were satisfied with their last bus journey, and even better to see satisfaction as high as 90% in some areas such as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole or the East Riding of Yorkshire."
"To drive improvements for bus passengers right across the country, operators and local authorities will want to learn from these high-performing places. These results also highlight the persistent challenge posed by road congestion when it comes to delivering reliable, punctual bus services, especially in peak periods."
"This is why it's vital local authorities invest in measures to give buses priority on key routes, and it's why CPT is calling on the next government to require all local authorities to improve bus speeds by 10% over the next five years. Given that bus drivers are the most thanked profession in the country, it's also gratifying for bus operators to learn that this survey also found 85% of passengers were satisfied with their bus driver."
The PA news agency approached Arriva for a comment.