Transport Focus – formerly Passenger Focus – carried out the second annual Tram Passenger Survey in Autumn 2015 and the results have recently been released showing that 90% of those questioned remain satisfied with the overall tram service with passengers travelling on Nottingham Express Transit the most satisfied (96%) and passengers on Manchester Metrolink the least satisfied (85%). The survey excludes London Tramlink.
4962 passengers were questioned during the autumn across the six tram networks: Blackpool, Edinburgh, Manchester, Midland Metro, NET and Stagecoach Supertram. Levels of the number questioned differed depending on the system with a high of 2801 on Metrolink and only 270 in Nottingham – interestingly these have the lowest and highest levels of satisfaction respectively! The questions asked were to do with the journey which was being undertaken on that day.
The overall satisfaction levels were as follows:
Blackpool – 95% (2013 – 97%)
Edinburgh – 95% (2013 – n/a)
Metrolink – 85% (2013 – 83%)
Midland Metro – 90% (2013 – 92%)
NET – 96% (2013 – 96%)
Supertram – 92% (2013 – 94%)
On the whole the levels remained as they were the previous years although there were small decreases in Blackpool, Midland Metro and Supertram with an increase seen on Metrolink. The overall levels also compare favourably with similar surveys undertaken on the railways (81%) and the buses (88%).
The survey also asked passengers for their views on several other aspects of the journey they were taking. Headline results from this include a major fall in the satisfaction of passengers in Blackpool with the availability of space to either stand or sit (down to 84% from 91%) although the opposite was true on Midland Metro (up to 76% from 61%) probably as a result of the entry into service of the new Urbos 3 trams from last autumn. The remainder of the questions asked saw very minimal changes to the 2013 figures.
It is good to see that satisfaction levels are remaining fairly positive across the various tram systems and even though Manchester Metrolink remains below the average level this has, at least, increased from the previous year. It is also good to see that Edinburgh Trams has leapt in at the higher end of the figures with only 5% of those questioned unsatisfied with the service just a few months since services began.
* The full in-depth results – the document is 64 pages long! – can be found on the Transport Focus website at http://www.transportfocus.org.uk/research/publications/tram-passenger-survey-autumn-2014-full-report.
I suppose the Metrolink results are largely down to the weekend disruptions more than any breakdowns which seem to have levelled out recently.
Why does the survey exclude London (Croydon) Tramlink?
Sheffield performed really well with only a 2% decrease,considering the local council outsourced gritting to a private company.Supertram were absolute stars providing services when a large number of people couldn’t even leave their houses and main bus routes were not even gritted.
Midland Metro must have been down due to Wolverhampton closure at the time trams were terminating either at Preistfeild or The Royal not fully into Wolverhampton St Geroges.