Bus passengers give services thumbs up

The survey found that the numbers who were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with services in South Yorkshire rose from 83 per cent in 2013 to 89 per cent in 2014, compared with 88 per cent in York and 88 per cent in West Yorkshire in 2014.

In York 54 per cent of passengers were very satisfied with services, compared with 48 per cent in South Yorkshire and 47 per cent in West Yorkshire, while 51 per cent of people said they were very satisfied with the punctuality of buses in York, in comparision with 49 per cent in West Yorkshire and 44 per cent in South Yorkshire.

Just 34 per cent of fare paying passengers in York said they were very satisfied with the value for money, however this was higher than any other area in the country that took part in the survey. In West Yorkshire the figure was 23 per cent, while the figure in South Yorkshire was 31 per cent.

Coun Dave Merrett, York Council’s cabinet member for planning, transport, and sustainability, said: “It’s essential that York makes the most of the city’s bus services to allow the city to grow whilst minimising traffic congestion.”

David Sidebottom, acting chief executive of Passenger Focus, said the results were good news but said there was still room for improvement.