BUS PASSENGERS CALL FOR RETURN OF CONDUCTORS
For Immediate Release:
Date: 12 June 2019
New research has shown that the return of bus conductors could herald an increase in night bus users.
The UK wide public opinion poll, conducted by research consultancy Customer Faithful, found that almost a third of respondents said the re-introduction of “clippies” would be the single biggest factor in making them feel safer using buses at night.
Despite conclusive evidence that travelling by bus helps reduce congestion and carbon emissions[1], the total number of bus journeys has been in steady decline for over a decade[2]. But more than 3 million workers in the UK do regular night shifts –including 600,000 women in roles such as nursing, catering and social care[3].
Last year alone passengers made 85 million fewer trips on buses nationally.
Evidence from Transport for West Midlands found that an extra 11.5% of public journeys would be made if passengers felt safer[4]– and the region is also home to the biggest increase in night working in the last five years.
West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, said: “No one on our buses should have to put up with anti-social behaviour and I am determined to use every tool available to tackle the problem.”
In the Customer Faithful opinion poll (June 2019), people were asked to choose what would make them feel safer travelling by bus at night from a list of options.
The option of having bus conductors on board buses scored nearly 50 per cent more votes than any other option, as well as being the leading choice of almost all age groups, across both genders
Opinion Poll conducted 10th - 12th June 2019
“This data highlights a number of issues,” said Customer Faithful founder, Rick Harris.
“Bus conductors may have become obsolete in terms of selling tickets on buses, but there is potentially still a valuable role for them in terms of supporting passenger safety at night. Whilst the cost of additional staff might be prohibitive, it could be achievable to introduce them on particular at-risk routes, during hours of darkness.”
Harris also points out other findings, stating that “we found ‘CCTV cameras on buses’was the second most popular choice, despite over 90 per cent of UK buses already having CCTV on board. This could suggest that greater awareness of this feature is needed to reassure passengers of their presence. In contrast, almost as many people chose ‘CCTV at bus stops’ – something that is very rare currently, and again this could be introduced in known trouble-spots, to promote public safety and help local policing.”
ENDS
About Customer Faithful
Customer Faithful is a multi-disciplinary research consultancy, dedicated to highlighting unmet need in customer, patient and employee experience.
With team backgrounds in customer experience, clinical psychology and data analysis, Customer Faithful aims to make market research as accessible as possible and deliver valuable project outcomes that are easy to apply. Team members at Customer Faithful have worked with a wide range of public transport providers including National Express, Go-Ahead and Stagecoach.
CONTACT: Rick Harris
Name – Managing Director
Phone +44 7768 022052
Email: rick@customerfaithful.com
References:
[1]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/06/diesel-cars-are-10-times-more-toxic-than-trucks-and-buses-data-shows
[2]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774565/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-mar-2018.pdf
[3]https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/number-people-working-night-shifts-more-150000-5-years
[4]https://www.tfwm.org.uk/news/new-powers-to-tackle-anti-social-behaviour-on-the-buses/