Passengers feel safer using public transport

29/8/04

Transperth patrons feel safer using public transport now than they have at any other time since customer surveys were introduced 10 years ago.

"Today's positive survey results reflect the Gallop Government's efforts to make our public transport network one of the best in the world," Ms MacTiernan said.

"The higher safety rating shows our initiatives - which include the introduction of Transit Guards across our rail system, improved lighting, emergency call buttons, closed-circuit TV and secure parking at stations and interchanges - are working.

"While we recognise this is a work in progress and we will continue to strive to do better, the latest survey is an encouraging result."

According to the survey, 95 per cent of passengers feel safe on trains and 99 per cent on buses during the day; the corresponding night-time figures are 79 per cent and 86 per cent - both significantly higher than the percentage who said they felt safe walking around the city at night.

"It is a similar story at our stops, stations and interchanges," the Minister said.

"During the day, 95 per cent of train travellers and 97 per cent of bus travellers feel safe, while the night figures are 62 per cent and 68 per cent - we are still working to get the night-time figures higher."

Overall satisfaction with Transperth's train services was 90 per cent. For buses and ferries, the satisfaction ratings were 82 per cent and 95 per cent respectively.

In 2003-04, operating through a single agency - the Public Transport Authority - for the first time, Transperth's three transport modes recorded a total of 90.57 million passenger boardings.

The figures came out of Transperth's latest annual Passenger Satisfaction Monitor (PSM), the most comprehensive survey of its kind in Australia.

The PSM, which has been running for 10 years, sought responses from more than 3,600 public transport users over a four-week period in February and March this year.

Perth-based TNS Australia interviewed bus, train, ferry and CAT (Central Area Transit) passengers who used the service at least once a fortnight, seeking responses on a wide range of travel issues including fares, frequency, punctuality and perceived safety.

Ms MacTiernan said several other important findings came out of the survey.

"Bus and train travellers both consider punctuality is the single most important characteristic - and we achieved satisfaction ratings in this area of 84 and 86 per cent respectively, despite it being a year when services were more than usually affected by civil work and industrial disruptions," the Minister said.

"The speed of the trip and the number of services at peak times are other major factors our customers look for, and we performed well in both areas.

"Ninety per cent of bus passengers and 93 per cent of train passengers were happy with their journey time, while 79 per cent of bus passengers and 85 per cent of train passengers felt there were sufficient services at peak times."

The survey is available at http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=78