Transperth satisfaction continues to rate high

Transperth’s continued commitment to safety and security has resulted in another year of survey findings indicating almost all bus and train passengers feel safe on board during the day.

Consistent with last year’s figures, 98 per cent of both bus and train patrons said they felt safe on board during the day while 96 per cent of bus and 98 per cent of train users said they felt safe at the stop or station.

Though night-time figures are not as high, they have shown signs of improvement at stations and interchanges: 70 per cent of bus (up two per cent) and 70 per cent of train (up four per cent) passengers reported feeling safe at a station or interchange at night. On board, 79 per cent of bus patrons and 75 per cent of train patrons felt safe.

The figures were collated as part of Transperth’s annual Passenger Satisfaction Monitor (PSM), a survey of more than 4000 public transport users, by an independent researcher.

At a time when Transperth’s annual total boardings reached 130 million, the PSM showed that overall passenger satisfaction with Perth’s bus, train and ferry services continued to reach record highs.

“Of our train passengers, 93 per cent are satisfied with the system, compared with 81 per cent on the buses and 96 per cent on the ferries,” said Public Transport Authority Acting Managing Director Mark Burgess.

“One area where Transperth scored particularly well with passengers this year was in relation to our electronic ticketing system—SmartRider. An impressive 94 per cent of train users and 96 per cent of bus users were satisfied with SmartRider which is a record-high result since the system was introduced.”

Mr Burgess said several other important findings came out of the survey.

“While our bus results were generally very positive, we noticed some local area issues affecting bus satisfaction levels in a small number of specific areas this year,” he said.
“We’ll be looking into working with local authorities to improve in these areas.

“On a wider scale, the cost of fares continues to be one of the most important issues for passengers.

“Among train passengers, 74 per cent rated cost of fares as the most important factor – and we scored a 67 percent satisfaction rating.

“Second was safety on board – 72 per cent, with a 98 (day) and 75 (night) per cent satisfaction – then safety at station (70 / 98 (day) 70 (night)).

“On buses, punctuality of bus was cited as the most important factor by 65 per cent of respondents. Cost was next (59/65 per cent), then service frequency on week days (58/68 per cent). Safety at station (fourth) and cleanliness on board (seventh) were further down the list.

“On the ferry, cost of fare is the main consideration (59 per cent, with 80 per cent satisfaction), followed by cleanliness of the vessel (59/99 per cent) and punctuality (52/94 per cent).”

The Passenger Satisfaction Monitor
Each year, the PTA conducts its own passenger survey known as the Passenger Satisfaction Monitor. The 2010 PSM showed that 93 per cent of train passengers and 81 per cent of bus passengers are satisfied with the system overall.

The PSM, which has been running for 20 years, is the most comprehensive survey of its kind in Australia. Each year, an experienced independent research team under an accredited, highly-qualified leader, collates responses from more than thousands of public transport users over a four-week period. The methodology involves a face-to-face meeting, ensuring the passenger understands the context of all questions. It is a comprehensive interview and analysis process.

Over a four-week period earlier this year, Perth-based Painted Dog Research interviewed 4250 bus, train and ferry passengers who use the respective service at least once a fortnight, seeking responses on a wide range of travel issues, including fares, frequency, punctuality and perceived safety.

The PSM surveys are statistically balanced to ensure all types of public transport users – peak and off-peak, weekend, day and night-time users, bus (each of the 10 contract areas, each of the five CAT routes, and the Circle Route), train (each of the five lines) and ferry (locals and tourists) users, male and female – aged 18+ are represented.