90% of Stagecoach customers in England satisfied with bus services

Nine in 10 Stagecoach bus customers in England are satisfied with their journeys, according to independent research by consumer watchdog Transport Focus.

Passengers travelling with Britain’s biggest bus and coach operator recorded improved satisfaction across a number of areas, including journey time, the friendliness of the driver and the availability of seating.

More than 9 in 10 Stagecoach customers in England gave the thumbs up to the company’s services in Cumbria and North Lancashire, East of England,, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Kent, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire , South West of England, Tees Valley, Tyne & Wear, Swindon and West of England. .

The results follow continued significant investment by Stagecoach in new low emissions buses and new technology.

Stagecoach Managing Director for Stagecoach UK Bus in England and Wales, Mark Threapleton, said: “These independent results show we are continuing to deliver a consistently high quality service for our customers and are a fantastic endorsement of the hard work of our employees across the UK every day.

“We are working hard, in partnership with other operators and local authority partners to provide easier, more affordable and better joined up journeys but we know there is more work required to deliver even better services for our customers.

“To match the industry’s efforts, we desperately need tougher action from local authorities to address the impact of car congestion which is damaging local air quality, slowing bus journey speeds, holding back our economy, and pushing up the cost of transport for local people and can negatively impact the perception of the value of bus travel. Tackling this huge issue will open the doors for cleaner towns and cities and allow bus travel to flourish.”

The detailed results also showed:

- 90% of Stagecoach customers reported being satisfied with their bus service -  the same score as a year ago.

- Average satisfaction with all bus operators across England was 88%,

- 65% of Stagecoach customers in England said they were satisfied with value for money

- The highest scoring Stagecoach companies on overall satisfaction in England were Stagecoach in Nottinghamshire (95%), Stagecoach South West of England (95%) and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire (94%).

- Two Stagecoach companies saw significant increases in satisfaction over the past year with Stagecoach in Swindon rising from 79% to 93% and Stagecoach South West increasing from 85% to 95%.

- Satisfaction with punctuality remained at 75% - the same as 12 months ago.

- Satisfaction among Stagecoach customers with on-bus journey time increased from 85% to 86%

- Passengers said they were more satisfied with the welcome/greeting from their Stagecoach driver than last year with this score rising from 77% to 79%, and there was high satisfaction (88%, up from 87%) with the availability of seating/space on board the bus. 

Stagecoach has made a series of improvements to help transform bus travel for customers, including continued investment in new, greener vehicles, the introduction of contactless payments on all buses, smart, integrated ticketing schemes and a greater focus on customer service through the delivery of more convenient purchasing options and better customer information.
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For more information about Stagecoach bus services visit www.stagecoachbus.com