Mystery travelling is just one of the ways Bus Users is helping operators improve services for their passengers
In 2019 we were asked to investigate discrepancies in the ticketing of a medium-sized operator. Having identified several areas for improvement including service reliability, driving standards, customer service and ticketing, we were recently invited back to see what lessons had been learned.Â
We agreed to set up some mystery travelling over two days organised by the operator with tickets bought via their app and on routes selected to ensure they experienced a good cross-section of services.
The first thing the team noticed was how vastly improved services were. Drivers were smartly dressed, friendly and helpful, as were staff on the customer service desk at the local interchange. Overall vehicles were clean inside and out and the standard of driving and consideration for other road users was excellent.
One driver in particular stood out when he managed to narrowly avoid colliding with a mobility scooter. The person using the scooter pulled in front of the bus without checking their way was clear and it was only thanks to the bus driver’s lightning reaction that no harm was done.
Throughout their time on the road our team witnessed drivers treating passengers with respect and kindness. One driver spent extra time with an older passenger who had clearly had little, if any, human contact recently and all their drivers were patient and considerate with non-English speaking passengers.
The operator had obviously taken on board all the feedback from our previous monitoring and had taken steps to improve every aspect of their service. The result was services, drivers and vehicles that were a credit to their industry. We will continue to work with the operator to build on these improvements.
To find out more about Bus Users monitoring services contact our teams in England, Scotland and Wales on enquiries@bususers.org