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Bus punctuality and timetables Summary of passenger research January 2014

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Page 1: Bus punctuality and timetablesd3cez36w5wymxj.cloudfront.net/migrated/Bus...expectation that this information will be accurate. Passengers using ‘turn-up-and-go’ services (for example,

Bus punctuality and timetables

Summary of passenger research January 2014

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What did we find?Some things areconsistent across alltypes of passengerPassengers largely agreed on whatappropriate standards for measuringpunctuality should be:• perceptions of punctuality are largelydetermined by their experience oflateness at the stop where they got onthe bus (‘departure stop’) • delays in arrival at the destination areconsidered differently – as passengersare already in transit, anxiety andfrustration tend to be lower• cancellations, while frustrating, arealso not generally considered in termsof punctuality unless they happen a lot.

There are someimportant variationsThe type of bus service used affectspassengers’ feelings regarding punctuality.

Those using services which operateto a fixed timetable, with each busscheduled to arrive at a particular time(e.g. 9.46am), deliberately go to thebus stop early to make sure they do notmiss their bus. They measure whetherthe bus is early or late against thetimetable, and have more of an

Bus punctuality and timetables

IntroductionPart of Passenger Focus’ work is to represent the needs and views of bus passengers in England, outside of London. When some new statutory guidance on punctuality was being put together, we commissioned some research to help usunderstand what people thought of bus punctuality and timetable information – and what they wanted in future.Punctuality is important to bus passengers and we know from our Bus Passenger Survey (BPS) that it is one of the key reasons that people say they are dissatisfied with theiroverall journey. In 2013, the BPS showed that 18 per cent of passengers were dissatisfied with bus punctuality.

Bus punctuality and timetables

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expectation that this information will be accurate.

Passengers using ‘turn-up-and-go’services (for example, every 10minutes, rather than at precise times),go to the bus stop expecting a bus tocome in the next few minutes ratherthan at a set time. These passengerstend to have less of an idea of whenbuses are running late.

Our BPS supports this – 78 percent of passengers who know whentheir bus is meant to arrive becausetheir buses run frequently are satisfiedwith punctuality, compared to 60 percent for passengers who didn’t knowwhen their bus was meant to arrive.

“I’m lucky here, if one goes byanother one comes by in fiveminutes...” Frequent passenger, Manchester

Some other factors that make passengersmore sensitive to lateness are:• the service is less frequent (that is, at intervals of more than 10-15 minutes) • the journey is time-critical, for example:

• to reach work or college (BPSdata also confirms this; buspassengers who are commuting arefar more dissatisfied with punctualitythan non-commuting passengers –

23 per cent versus 14 per cent)• hospital appointments• job interviews• connections with other transport.

• no other transport option is availableto the passenger• the journey is long• the journey is new• the passenger has a disability thatmakes bus travel harder or particularlystressful.

“It can be quite traumatic or stressful, I’m always flagging downlorries or the bus will just pass me.”Frequent passenger, visual impairment, urban Hertfordshire

Passengers aregenerally tolerantabout lateness –within reasonPassengers in the research said thatthey do not expect ‘perfection’ in termsof punctuality and will accept someflexibility, through windows of tolerance.

They also take some responsibilityfor managing their own journey, andtake measures such as turning up withtime to spare or catching earlier busesfor very time-critical journeys.

“Because it’s that time in the morningyou think ‘well, there’s a lot of otherpeople on the road’. To be honest I’msympathetic because I don’t see howany bus timetable at that time of theday can ever be right.”Frequent passenger, Manchester

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However, passengers’ tolerance is notunlimited. They expect their goodwill tobe rewarded, in terms of good servicefrom bus operators and drivers. Thisinvolves trying hard to be punctual,improving where there are issues andproviding good communication to helppassengers with their bus travel.

What do buspassengers want on the timetable?Not all passengers use timetables allthe time; examples given of when theymight be consulted were for journeysthey make irregularly, for journeys thatmight already be familiar but at a newtime or completely new journeys onunfamiliar routes or in unfamiliar areas.

Passengers largely agreed thattimetables should provide a relativelyhigh degree of detail that gives the most amount of information an individualmight require.

While this includes a number ofthings such as breadth of information

or using a colour contrast to maketimetables easy to read, the mostimportant area of detail to include isaccuracy of departure and journey timesduring both peak and non-peak times.

Passengers are happy to see morecomplex schedules to get informationthat is more accurate. They prefer thisto a simple, easy-to-remember timetablewhich does not reflect traffic patternsand is less accurate.

“It’s obvious that the buses are goingto be late during rush hour. So, theyhave to take that into account and do the timetable based on that.”Infrequent passenger, Leeds

If timetables are not accurate, at best passenger travel experience isfrustrating, with more waiting andlonger journey times than anticipated.At worst, it is highly stressful (forexample, for passengers withdisabilities that make travelling difficult)or resulting in significant negativeimpact for the passenger (for example,missing other travel connections orlateness resulting in loss or penalty).

This challenges some conventionalthinking on timetabling and may warrant some further exploration.

How late is ‘late’?Although passengers say they wantaccuracy, they have clear windows of tolerance or flexibility around busschedules as they acknowledge thattraffic and passenger conditions are

not fully controllable. These windows are largely in line

with current industry guidelines butthere is some variation in terms ofstandards for leaving early.

Passengers generally consider itacceptable for buses to arrive at theirstop of departure up to five minutesafter the scheduled time, whether theservice is frequent or scheduled (andirrespective of interval).

We can also see this in the BPSdata. Five minutes waiting time is thethreshold after which satisfaction withpunctuality decreases markedly. Whenpassengers have to wait six to nineminutes for their bus, satisfaction falls considerably (87 per cent ofpassengers are satisfied with a waittime of five minutes, compared to 77 per cent when waiting between six and nine minutes). A similar drop in satisfaction can be seen for thosepassengers waiting 10 minutes.

For more frequent services,particularly ‘turn-up-and-go’ services,passengers consider it acceptable for buses to depart from a stop early.This is because the impact on thepassenger is relatively limited shouldthey miss the bus and there is apotential gain to them if they are able to catch a bus which arrives early.

By contrast, for buses operating at less frequent intervals (particularlythose operating to a fixed timetable and over 20 minutes apart), passengersfeel it is unacceptable for buses toleave stops early. This is because the

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Bus punctuality and timetables

impact on the passenger of missing thebus is felt to be more significant thanwaiting at stops whilst on the journey(since for the latter, the bus is stillrunning as per the schedule).

“If they’ve left before their time I getvery cross. It’s happened to me, theyleft two minutes early... I was on timebut he flew right past us and wouldn’tstop ... I know two minutes is nothingbut when you have to wait for anotherhour or whatever it’s very frustrating” Frequent passenger, visual impairment,Hertfordshire

Passengers tend to tolerate more delay in getting to their arrival stop –they see it as a delay to the journeyrather than a late bus.

Regardless of which type of servicethey are using, when they are on a bus and in transit, passengers say they are tolerant because they cantypically see the cause of the problem.They understand, however, that thiscould mean a significant impact onanyone catching the bus further along the bus route.

Keep passengersinformed – and keep them on-sidePassengers’ experience of bus travel is improved significantly when theyreceive information about schedulingupdates and delays which assists withtheir journey planning, management and understanding of why problemshave happened at a particular time1.

Channels for such informationinclude:• live information panels at bus stops and potentially on buses; BPS data alsoshows satisfaction with punctualityincreases if there is a digital display at the stopshowing when the next bus will arrive• live information through digitalsources such as apps and website• information about delays availablethrough drivers.

Role of the TrafficCommissionerNo passengers within this research study were aware that TrafficCommissioners exist and haveresponsibilities that benefit bus users.Some assumed that a regulator waslikely to be in place (but were unsure of the details) and others thought thatbus operators are left to their owndevices.

This has an impact on passengers’willingness to complain. Many felt thatthe effort of complaining simply was not worth it, either because they felt the problem was not of great enoughsignificance or because they expectedtheir efforts would be in vain, with noworthwhile response from the busoperator.

“It would depend on what happened,your average late bus I wouldn’tcomplain; it would have to be moreserious things. I doubt there’d be any outcome anyway, they’ll justmake excuses.”Frequent passenger, urban Hertfordshire

During the research, participants wereintroduced to some basic informationabout Traffic Commissioners. Thischanged some perceptions about thebus industry and bus operations locally.

Passengers felt reassured thatregulation and authority was in place,and that their needs were being lookedout for – for example, in terms ofmeeting service promises (schedules)and safety.

“The Traffic Commissioner should act on complaints but the purpose ofthem should be to continually try toensure the best service for the public,so you’ve got someone fighting yourcorner without having to ask.” Frequent passenger, rural Devon

1 Further information on bus passengers’ needs for information can be found in the PassengerFocus research report Bus passengers’ experience of delays and disruption, April 2013

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Contact us

© 2014 Passenger Focus

Fleetbank House2-6 Salisbury Square London EC4Y 8JX

t 0300 123 0860 w www.passengerfocus.org.uke [email protected]

Passenger Focus is the operatingname of the Passengers’ Council

Information on punctualityPassengers in this study had limitedinterest in looking at informationthemselves on the punctuality of their bus service.

There was some mild interest insimple, headline information, such aspercentage of buses arriving on time,reaching passengers passively at pointswhen they care about bus performance.This might be, for example, when theyare waiting at a bus stop or when theyare travelling on a bus.

“I wouldn’t be particularly interestedbut with a spare five minutes at thebus stop, I’d have a little look.” Frequent passenger, urban Hertfordshire

They felt that it was important to collectdetailed information to monitor andmanage bus operator performance.However, this would be for regulatorsand operators to use, alongside somevery interested general public, ratherthan the majority of bus passengers.

Setting the goalPassengers in this research felt that bus operators should aim to run all oftheir buses on time. They do not expectthis to be achieved but they feel thatthis aim is likely to be necessary foroperators to achieve what they feel is a good standard of delivery, around80 per cent punctuality.

“Set a target of continuousimprovement which would help them strive to improve all journeys.” Infrequent passenger, rural Devon

MethodologyWe carried out focus group discussions and individual ‘depth’ interviews withbus passengers in Hertfordshire, Devon, Manchester and Leeds. We spoke to a range of passengers making frequent and infrequent trips and using thebus for different journey purposes. Eight depth interviews were undertakenwith passengers with a disability.

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