Customer satisfaction among Southern Vectis passengers is at 92% – a rise for the third year running – an independent survey has found.
The Isle of Wight bus operator scored highly in an overall satisfaction rating according to national watchdog – Passenger Focus.
Passengers travelling by bus around the Island were surveyed between March and May this year. They gave scores and views on various aspects of the firms performance – including convenience, punctuality, service, comfort and condition of both vehicle and shelter.
Andrew Wickham, Southern Vectis Managing Director, said:
“These are excellent statistics and I’m delighted that so many are continuing to find our buses both convenient and comfortable.
“However, there are always things we can do to help make journeys a more pleasurable experience. That is why the annual survey from Passenger Focus is so important to us.
“It provides a gauge on how we are performing in comparison to others nationally – which I’m pleased to say is very favourable. But it also offers great insight into how our customers feel we could improve our performance.”
This year, Southern Vectis introduced new facilities at its travel shop in Newport providing better access to its smart card ‘The Key’. The firm has also been working closely with Age UK to make its buses more accessible for those with dementia.
Andrew added:
“These initiatives and others like them are the result of consulting local customers to find out what matters most to them – and we have further improvements planned for the coming year.
“We will also use the detailed information from the annual Passenger Focus survey to work with closely with local authority partners on highway issues, bus shelters and other important aspects of travelling by bus on the Island.”
