Summary
Bus ratings
On the whole bus ratings are positive. Affordability, timings, routes and frequency receive very similar ratings with around half of respondents rating them as good/ very good and around a fifth rate them as poor or very poor. Reliability receives the weakest ratings with just under a third rating it as good/ very good and the same proportion rating it as poor/ very poor.
Passengers are having a good experience on board the bus – the ticket purchase process, feeling safe, accessibility, helpfulness of drivers and availability of a suitable space are all rated as good/ very good by the majority (63%+), and less than 10% rate any of these areas as poor/ very poor.
Bus stops
Over three quarters of respondents live within a five minute walk of a bus stop, and 60% can reach their destination within five minutes of getting off the bus. The accompanied bus journeys revealed that people are sometimes travelling further to find a more suitable bus stop, shelter, seating, space on the pavement, peak periods (demand) and being served by a suitable service are all important, particularly for those with additional accessibility needs.
Overall around 42% of respondents rate bus stops in Portsmouth as good/ very good, a similar proportion rate them as fair and 16% rate them poorly.
The accessibility and location of bus stops receives the strongest ratings over all areas of bus stops – the majority feel they are good/ very good and low levels of respondents rate them poorly. Just under half of respondents rate feeling safe and lighting as good/ very good, and just over a third rate cleanliness and maintenance, and information available in the same light. Lighting, cleanliness and maintenance, and information available are criticised by between 20% and 29% of respondents.
Key areas for improvement
Spontaneous improvements highlight how important accurate and working RTI screens and bus shelters are to bus users, they were the stand out top two mentions. Not only is it important to have a shelter, but bus users also want consideration into the type, size and placement of shelters too.
Bus users want bus stops to be well lit (poor lighting was the biggest criticism). Anti-social behaviour along with poor lighting are the largest contributors to people not feeling safe at bus stops. General uncleanliness is mostly to blame for poor ratings in that area, along with vandalism and graffiti.
Accompanied bus journeys – key areas for improvement
Overall it was clear from the accompanied bus journeys that bus users, and more so for bus users with additional accessibility needs, have a lot of factors to consider when choosing which bus stop to travel to. Journeys often involve more planning and need to take into account a plethora of factors including distance, presence of a shelter, seating, pavement space available, which routes are served and peak periods.
Information at the bus stop (as well as on buses) could be improved – when RTI is absent or not working the need for clear and easy to read (large font, easy to understand) timetables was highlighted. Audible announcements, or notifications would be helpful for those with visual impairments in particular who might be struggling to read bus numbers in time to flag the bus down. Respondents expressed their frustration over a lack of clear signage when bus stops are closed. Bus stop signs need to be present at all stops. Bus stops need to be placed in suitable locations, those on bends or narrow pavements are challenging for people with walking aids, pushchairs and visual impairements.
