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Passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 SUY B: 6/2009 Marko Vihervuori Publisher DESCRIPTION HELSINKI CITY TRANSPORT Date of publication Planning Unit 14.8.2009 (original 9.3.2009) Author(s) Marko Vihervuori Name of publication Passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 Abstract Helsinki City Transport constantly measures passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki with the help of questionnaires. In 2008 altogether 12,401 passengers were asked to evalu- ate different quality factors. Respondents gave public transport an overall mark of 4.03, which was a lower than the year before (4.13). The scale varies from 1 = poor to 5 = excellent. The mark went down with regard to the service in all modes of transport, except for VR commuter trains. 2007 2008 Tram passengers 4.12 4.02 Bus passengers 4.09 3.98 Metro passengers 4.22 4.12 Commuter train passengers (VR) 4.01 4.04 Total 4.13 4.03 In tram traffi c satisfaction with available room and fl uency of travelling were better marked than earlier. Satisfaction with driver’s information skills and driver’s customer service went down, compared to the previous year. In bus traffi c passengers gave better marks for available room and driver’s manner of driving. Satisfac- tion with driver’s information skills and transfer conditions were lower than the year before. In metro traffi c, improvements were observed in available room, fl uency of travelling and station clean- liness. Satisfaction with vehicle tidiness and functioning of indication signs were lower than the year before. In commuter train service (operated by VR) satisfaction with public order and punctuality were bet- ter marked than earlier. Satisfaction with functioning of indication signs and station cleanliness went down, compared to the previous year. Key words Public transport, passengers’ satisfaction Other information Layout: Mirva Ilmoniemi, translation: Jarmo Kalanti Series number ISSN-number ISBN-number HKL series B: 6/2009 1459-725X 978-952-5640-22-9 Printing place and year Language Pages Appendices Helsinki 2009 English 21 4 Passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 1 2 Passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 Foreword This publication contains the results of the survey measuring passengers’ satisfaction in 2008. The ave- rages of marks for quality factors have been calculated by line, by mode of public transport and, in the bus traffi c, by tender object and by operator. The results will be exploited to develop public transport, in staff schooling, and in the calculation of bo- nuses for tendered operators. The survey also contains valuable information on passenger profi les. The survey has been assisted by 4–6 students who have, on vehicles, distributed questionnaires to pas- sengers, and collected them fi lled in. The fi eld work has been coordinated by research assistant Pirjo Pakonen. The results have been pro- cessed by system planner Esko Kokki. The report has been drawn up by head of traffi c research Marko Vihervuori. The report has been translated by Jarmo Kalanti and laid out by Mirva Ilmoniemi. Further enquiries can be posed to the undersigned at tel. +358 9 310 35835. Helsinki, 14 August 2009 Marko Vihervuori Passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 3 Contents Foreword 3 1. Introduction 6 2. Sample structure 7 3. Frequency of free riding 8 4. Passengers’ overall mark for public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 9 5. Passengers’ satisfaction with mode of public transport 10 5.1 Satisfaction with operator and with public transport system 10 5.2 Changes in different quality factors 12 6. Passengers’ satisfaction with different operators 16 7. Passengers’ marks by line-section and by line in bus service 19 Appendices Appendix 1 Passangers’ satisfaction by line in 2008 23 Appendix 2 Passangers’ satisfaction by tender object in 2008 25 Appendix 3 Passangers’ satisfaction by operator in 2008 28 Appendix 4 Questionnaire 30 4 Passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 Figures Figure 1. Passengers’ overall mark for public transport services in Helsinki 2004–2008. 9 Figure 2. Marks for operators, by mode of transport, semi-annually 2004–2008. 11 Figure 3. Marks for public transport system, by mode of transport, semi-annually 2004–2008. 11 Figure 4. Marks for different quality factors, by mode of transport, in 2007 and 2008. 12 Figure 5: Marks for drivers’ performance in tram traffi c, semi-annually 2004–2008. 13 Figure 6: Marks for drivers’ performance in bus traffi c, semi-annually 2004–2008. 14 Figure 7: Marks for different factors of public transport system, in tram traffi c, semi-annually 2004–2008. 14 Figure 8: Marks for different factors of public transport system, in bus traffi c, semi-annually 2004–2008. 14 Figure 9: Marks for different factors of public transport system, in Metro traffi c, semi-annually 2004–2008. 15 Figure 10: Marks for different factors of public transport system, in commuter train (VR) traffi c, semi-annually 2004–2008. 15 Figure 11: Marks for bus drivers’ customer service, by operator, semi-annually 2004–2008. 16 Figure 12: Marks for bus drivers’ information skills, by operator, semi-annually 2004–2008. 17 Figure 13: Marks for bus drivers’ manner of driving, by operator, semi-annually 2004–2008. 17 Figure 14: Marks for vehicle tidiness in bus traffi c, by operator, semi-annually 2004–2008. 17 Figure 15: Marks for travel comfort (indoor fi ttings) in bus traffi c, by operator, semi-annually 2004–2008. 18 Figure 16: Marks for public order on vehicle in bus traffi c, by operator, semi-annually 2004–2008. 18 Figure 17. Number of customer feedback to bus operators per million passengers, by operator, in 2005–2008. 19 Figure 18: Changes in marks for bus line-sections 2007–2008, in percentage terms. 19 Figure 19: Marks for operators of City Centre bus lines, in 2007 and 2008. 20 Figure 20: Marks for public transport system in City Centre, in 2007 and 2008. 20 Figure 21: Marks for operators of bus lines in North-Western Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 20 Figure 22: Marks for public transport system in North-Western Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 20 Figure 23: Marks for operators of bus lines in Northern Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 20 Figure 24: Marks for public transport system in Northern Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 20 Figure 25: Marks for operators of bus lines in North-Eastern Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 21 Figure 26: Marks for public transport system in North-Eastern Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 21 Figure 27: Marks for operators of bus lines in Eastern Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 21 Figure 28: Marks for public transport system in Eastern Helsinki, in 2007 and 2008. 21 Figure 29: Marks for operators of transverse bus lines, in 2007 and 2008. 21 Figure 30. Marks for transverse public transport system, in 2007 ja 2008. 21 Passengers’ satisfaction with public transport services in Helsinki in 2008 5 1. Introduction Helsinki City Transport has measured passengers’ consisting of a questionnaire with pen and wri- satisfaction with transport services in Helsinki sin- ting pad. The passengers have been asked to ce 1995. Questionnaires have been fi lled in on all evaluate different quality factors on the respecti- tram routes, on the Metro, and on bus lines with ve line and to return the questionnaire map to the at least 1,600 daily passengers. As for commuter assistant when exiting. As for commuter trains, trains (operated by VR), the interviews have been the assistant has interviewed passengers at sta- carried out at the stations of Malmi, Malminkarta- tions. The assistant has completed every returned no and Puistola. questionnaire with date, time and respective line number (or name of train station). The objective is to get an opinion of approximate- ly 11,000 passengers annually. The survey activi- Since the beginning of the year 2008 the scale of ty is going on throughout the year, except for the passengers’ satisfaction has varied from 1 (poor) month of December. Passengers’ satisfaction is to 5 (excellent). Earlier the scale varied from 4 followed up with a quarterly output, and a report (poor) to 10 (excellent). In this publication the data is published semi-annually. This report contains from the years 2004–2007 has been converted the results of the whole year 2008. into the new scale by using coeffi cients resulting from different questions and line numbers. The The passengers have been interviewed from Mon- conversion is not linear because of different va- day to Thursday between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and riance within the scales, it is, for instance, “easier” on Friday between 6 a.m. and, at latest, 2 p.m. to give the mark 4 in a scale 1–5 than to give 9 in a The number of chosen interviewees is determined scale 4–10. The passengers may use the different by route quotas, and by morning peak, day time scales with a different severity, so that time series and evening peak-hours in relation to the distri- on the marking of different factors are not always bution of passenger volumes. The objective is to congruent. get at least 100 opinions for each route annually. The most frequented lines have had larger samp- The survey also contains information on passen- les. Passengers on neighbourhood bus lines were ger profi le and such questions as what kind of not interviewed. tickets the passengers use, whether they could have taken the journey on their own car, and in On bus, tram and Metro an assistant has distri- which city or commune they live in.