Peer review: Anthony Smith
Chief Executive, Passenger Focus
Passengers’ daily concerns focus on their train turning up on time, a chance of getting a seat, (or in some cases even being able to board), and a clean train. This surely is the purpose of franchising: to ensure, in a largely non-competitive market, that this happens in a way that balances the needs of passengers and the taxpayer.
We publish the views of over 65,000 passengers a year in the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS). The key factor driving the steady increase in satisfaction over the years (82% overall satisfaction in spring 2014) is punctuality. The key driver of dissatisfaction is how delays are dealt with. So a strong message from passengers – franchising should underpin and encourage good performance.
The NRPS provides a good snapshot of the daily experience of passengers. But their priorities for improvement are not necessarily the same things - just because toilets are rated low in the NRPS does not mean they are the priority for improvement. Our recent work here shows a clear hierarchy of needs that varies little by journey type, region, country or individual train companies.
Value for money has stand out importance. Our respondents are talking not only about the ticket price, but also the basic elements of the service. And it is getting a seat, frequency and punctuality that follow, also with notably high rankings. A number of factors associated with provision of information and reliability are the next priorities. Franchising should surely then facilitate improvements in these areas.
We have also just published some work on passengers’ relationship with the rail industry. We wanted to try to understand why the broadly satisfactory everyday experience of many passengers is not translating into a more positive feeling about individual train companies generally. Also it is important for government to understand why it is not perhaps getting all the credit it should for the investment being made in the railways.
The results are telling. Passengers feel broadly positive towards the rail industry, with rail rated closer to supermarkets and airlines than more maligned industries such as banking and energy. Yet despite this, few would recommend rail as a way of travel.
Some operators generate quite high levels of trust, but in London and the South East this tends towards more ambivalence, perhaps reflecting passenger numbers and the operational environment.
However, when the key elements are broken down, a more complex picture emerges in which trust plays an extremely important part. It’s not enough for the train company to run the service, it must also build up a relationship and trust with its passengers .
What does this mean for franchising? The factors underlying trust in relationship centre on being truthful, acting with honesty and integrity, building long-term relationships, treating customers fairly, and communicating well. Passengers have told us they want to be consulted (to find out what they want), and for TOCs to be accountable (set out promises), transparent (report on progress) and engaged (talk to me!).
The new-style franchises being let by the DfT look promising. Only time will tell if they work, but the idea of customer reports, NRPS targets and more emphasis on quality seem to be encouraging TOCs to do the right thing. So getting the basics right every day is key, as is building a longer term relationship based on trust.
