Reading: 'Significant' Drop in Rail Passenger Satisfaction
21 January 2014, 13:02 | Updated: 21 January 2014, 13:07
Less than a month after the latest rail price hikes were announced, a survey has revealed passenger satisfaction in our area is worse than it was 18 months ago.
A survey by Passenger Focus shows national satisfaction with rail companies dropped by 2% between Autumn 2012- Autumn 2013.
Thousands of people were asked to rate how happy they were with various aspects of train companies, with negative results for First Great Western.
3,140 FGW passengers were questioned about services. There was a 'significant' drop in satisfaction with how the company deals with delays, the cost of tickets and the reliability of services.
Overall customer satisfaction dropped by 3% over the year, with only 4 in 5 people saying they were 'satisfied' with their services.
The biggest complaint was delays to services, with less than half of First Great Western passengers said they were satisfied with how the company dealt with delays.
The survey, conducted in Autumn 2013, shows the change in the percentage of FGW passengers who were satisfied with....
- How the train company dealt with delays (-7%)
- Ticket price/value for money (-5%)
- Reliability/time-keeping (-5%)
- Provision of information during the journey (-5%)
- Upkeeping of facilities/repairs (-4%)
- Toilet facilities (-4%)
- The cleanliness of the inside (-2%)
- The cleanliness of the outside (-1%)
- The availability of staff (-2%)
- The length of time the journey was scheduled to take (speed) (-2%)
- Connections with other train services (-2%)
- Satisfaction with the station (-1%)
- Connections with other forms of public transport (-2%)
- Facilities for car parking (-2%)
- Luggage space (-1%)
Other local train companies didn't fare much better, with overall customer satisfaction with South West Trains down 4% since Autumn 2012. The biggest complaint for SWT passengers was the toilets, with almost half of passengers saying they were unhappy with the facilities on board.
Overall satisfaction with Chiltern Railways saw no change from August 2012, but a slight improvement from Spring 2013.
There was an increase in customer satisfaction with the frequency of trains, provision of staff and punctuality.
The full report can be read here: