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They’re our number one bus! Happy customers give a double thumbs up to the Harrogate Bus Company

2018.14.03
Transdev, bus, mobility, low emission
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Independent survey rates Harrogate’s leading bus firm top of the class for speedy and reliable service at value for money fares

 

Champion for on-time, reliable and great value for money service – that’s the top of the league rating given to The Harrogate Bus Company today by Britain’s leading independent survey of bus customers’ opinions.

Consumer watchdog Transport Focus consults more than 40,000 passengers a year to produce its Bus Passenger Survey – and the results of its Autumn 2017 research published today (Wednesday 14 March 2018) show The Harrogate Bus Company rated as number one in the communities it serves.

The Harrogate Bus Company has achieved an amazing 91 per cent overall satisfaction rating in the new survey, with the firm rated the best performing of all bus companies surveyed in its area – scoring eight percentage points higher than the average score in the region.

The survey results also show 64 per cent of customers using The Harrogate Bus Company’s services declared themselves “very satisfied”, both comfortably ahead of the 41 per cent rating given across other local bus providers.

The new Transport Focus survey is the first to gather opinions from customers travelling on both Transdev companies’ buses – and the results are great news for the team in Harrogate delivering some of Yorkshire’s fastest growing bus routes every day.

These results are a massive vote of confidence for our hard-working team in Harrogate, who are delivering amazing bus services for our customers every single day. In Harrogate, the 36 – our local icon - has been increased to run every 10 minutes between the town and Leeds, in response to booming customer demand, and supported by a £3m investment in new buses brimming with passenger-friendly features – while our popular route 1 between Harrogate and Knaresborough has also benefited from a revitalised fleet of buses offering free Wi-Fi, USB power points at every seat and cleaner, greener engines. Most of all, these results reflect the pride and professionalism of our people, who are at the heart of everything we do. Their dedication to providing the highest quality service never ceases to amaze our customers – for example during February’s severe weather, when our teams pulled out all the stops to keep our customers on the move.
Alex Hornby, The Harrogate Bus Company CEO

Despite ever increasing traffic congestion, the reliability of The Harrogate Bus Company’s also won a thumbs-up in the Transport Focus survey, recording 81 per cent satisfaction with punctuality in Harrogate – that’s ten percentage points higher than the 71 per cent average rating awarded to other local bus service providers.

The Harrogate Bus Company also rated number one for on-bus journey time, with 90 per cent of those surveyed in Harrogate satisfied with the speed of their journey – up to ten percentage points better than the West Yorkshire average of 80 per cent.

 

The positive journey time rating is especially important to us, as it demonstrates to motorists and rail users alike that the bus isn’t a slow way of getting from A to B … and of course it means no driving or parking stress.
Alex Hornby, The Harrogate Bus Company CEO
“While we’re delighted with these highly positive results, we’re determined to keep on improving bus services and attracting more people to choose our buses. In Harrogate, we’re currently installing revolutionary ‘opportunity charging’ technology to power an all-new fleet of electric buses, destined to be the first of their kind anywhere in the UK when they enter service later this year. All our buses in Yorkshire will also soon be offering contactless payment on-board, to make travel quicker and simpler, while our recently launched ‘Transdev Go’ smartphone app offers real-time travel updates and instant access to amazing value ticket deals in the palm of your hand. As part of West Yorkshire’s ‘Bus 18’ partnership, we’re also working hard with other bus operators to make getting around easier for everyone, such as by accepting each other’s tickets to get people through the recent snowy weather. Our bus services have a vital part to play in tackling congestion and pollution, while improving the quality of life for thousands of people who travel with us in Yorkshire every day. We’re incredibly passionate about finding new ways to attract more people to our buses, and as always, our customers are firmly in the driving seat.” Alex Hornby, The Harrogate Bus Company CEO

Customers surveyed by Transport Focus rate their satisfaction with a wide range of aspects of their bus journey, including bus stops and stations, comfort on board and cleanliness of the bus exterior, and the bus driver, as well as value for money and overall satisfaction with their journey.

Full details of the Bus Passenger Survey are available via the Transport Focus website at:

http://www.transportfocus.org.uk

About The Harrogate Bus Company

The Harrogate Bus Company operates local routes in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Ripon, as well as longer distance routes linking the area with Leeds, York, Boroughbridge and Pateley Bridge.

Its most popular routes all benefit from advanced technology to provide the best possible service, including a £3.3 million investment in its flagship 36: Riding Redefined Ripon-Harrogate-Leeds route in 2016, and a further three quarters of a million pounds on additional new buses to increase the frequency of service to every 10 minutes between Harrogate and Leeds.

Further investment has brought buses on Route 1 between Harrogate and Knaresborough, and the 70 and 71 services between Harrogate, Wetherby and Leeds up to ‘better than new’ standard with comfortable new seats, free superfast 4G Wi-Fi, USB power, next stop audio visual announcements and LED mood lighting inside, and a countdown destination display telling passengers how long they have until their service begins its journey from Harrogate and Knaresborough bus stations.

About Transport Focus

Transport Focus is Britain’s independent transport user watchdog, which works to secure the best deal for passengers and road users with a strong emphasis on evidence-based campaigning and research. Transport Focus consults more than 40,000 passengers a year to produce the Bus Passenger Survey, measuring customer satisfaction with local bus services for a representative sample of journeys.

About Transdev

Transdev is one of the largest public transport operators in Europe, with a reputation for delivering high quality public transport.

Visit http://www.transdevplc.co.uk for details of all Transdev services in the UK.