Arriva receives 92% of 1 star ratings for bus services

[MasterSpenny]

Not a good look for a bus operator, Arriva (not sure which subsidiary) has received 2826 reviews, of which 92% are one star ratings.

'Awful company': What people say about Arriva bus service

Bus passengers have left scathing online reviews about transport providers.

www.bucksfreepress.co.uk

Arriva bus passengers rate company online​

Bus passengers have left scathing online reviews about Arriva, with thousands of low scores rating the service as ‘bad’.


People across the country have rated their experience with Arriva, whic is just one of the many companies providing transport in Buckinghamshire.

Around 2,826 reviews have been submitted on Trustpilot to date, a consumer review platform open to anyone to rate their experience with a business.

A whopping 92 percent of ratings were one-star ratings, leaving Arriva with an average of 1.2 out of five stars on Trustpilot.
Go Ahead, which Carousel Buses is part of, was rated as "poor" after 1.8 out of five rating based on 55 reviews.

First Bus scored 1.2 out of five stars similar to Arriva, with 92 percent out of 2,208 reviews being one-star, meaning the service was rated as "bad."

Ian Steele said on Trustpilot bus 13 service in High Wycombe was “terrible.”
He wrote on October 24: “Buses just don't show up for an hour around 9am when people are trying to get to work. The app is useless says a bus is 1 minute away and then it doesn't show.

“Just look at the reviews for this awful company – well over 2000 unhappy customers!”

Arriva Bus responded to his comment the same day, apologising about “the service shortfall.”

“Your time is valuable and that it’s never ideal when you’re kept waiting,” Arriva customer service wrote.
Paulina Pedrak left a one star rating on November 16, saying bus service 2 doesn’t “even bother to show up.”

She claimed buses appeared on the app before they suddenly disappear and are cancelled “last minute,” a recurring problem reported to the Free Press by two parents.

“Last two weeks I was always late for work or waiting ages to comeback from work. Spent so much money for taxis,” Paulina added. Following a recent network upgrade and passenger complaints in High Wycombe, Arriva promised service revisions from January 7, 2024.
A spokesperson for Arriva South said: "The issue with platforms such as this is that we cannot verify the accuracy of any comments made and we’ve noted that Arriva’s score is on a par with other bus operators.

"We always invite our customers to speak to us directly about any issues they have and we have replied to people on this website asking for their help so we can look into any problems.

"As a company who cares about making bus transport the best option for people in Buckinghamshire and beyond, we listen to our customers who communicate with us and we often make changes based on what they tell us.

"Our buses transport millions of people to where they need to go seven days a week and we do our job safely and as best we can. In fact, many passengers do call us with their positive experiences."

 

[dlj83]

Mainly because people won’t ever review something about something positive or when things go right….

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Not a good look for a bus operator, Arriva (not sure which subsidiary) has received 2826 reviews, of which 92% are one star ratings.

'Awful company': What people say about Arriva bus service

Bus passengers have left scathing online reviews about transport providers.

www.bucksfreepress.co.uk

Put it in perspective. I’m not the greatest fan of Arriva but did you bother to look at other bus companies? Not a good look for these either….

Brighton and Hove - 1.8
Nottingham City Tspt - 1.9
Lothian- 1.9

Morebus gets a heady 2.2 but 86% are 1* ratings. The lesson… don’t believe the clickbait

 

[GusB]

What percentage is 2826 out of the total number of passengers that Arriva carries? Slow news day at the Bucks Free Press, perhaps?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

What percentage is 2826 out of the total number of passengers that Arriva carries? Slow news day at the Bucks Free Press, perhaps?

It’s not even journalism. The “story” is….

Well, you know that firm who operates in Bucks? Well, if you go on Trustpilot, there’s loads of people from across the U.K. who slag them off.

That’s it.

I’m no Arriva apologist but it’s a bobbins story

 

[Statto]

I'm not surprised, Arriva Merseyside is my main local operator [Birkenhead depot], newest buses are a batch of 4 Wright Streetlights on a 16 plate, rest of the fleet are on a 13 plate or older, reliability is awful too, i was on an Arriva Merseyside bus earlier that was 15 minutes late (413) & this was 11am, & other buses are regularly late

 

[Bletchleyite]

Mainly because people won’t ever review something about something positive or when things go right….

I'd not expect high reviews for a bus company for the reasons you state, but Arriva has long in my view been the worst of the big groups. I'd struggle to give Arriva Milton Keynes one star, it really is dire. Delays and cancellations are the norm in a city that basically doesn't have traffic congestion compared with traditional cities, and the condition of vehicles inside and out is uniformly poor.

I haven't used it for a while but I don't recall the Merseyside or Lancashire operations being much better.

 

[507021]

I'd not expect high reviews for a bus company for the reasons you state, but Arriva has long in my view been the worst of the big groups. I'd struggle to give Arriva Milton Keynes one star, it really is dire. Delays and cancellations are the norm in a city that basically doesn't have traffic congestion compared with traditional cities, and the condition of vehicles inside and out is uniformly poor.

I haven't used it for a while but I don't recall the Merseyside or Lancashire operations being much better.

Arriva in Liverpool isn't bad, but the rest of the division is very hit and miss, mostly miss these days. Southport depot in particular is a shadow of its former self, which is a real shame. Slightly further afield, I'm rather pessimistic about the long-term future of Chester depot at the moment.

 

[mattb7tl]

The general public tend to reject the idea that delays are almost always never an operators fault hence the bad ratings for any and every company.
The only way to judge how good or bad an operator is from my view is the by their levels of communication, maintenance, service reinvestment, and you know aspects they can actually control.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'm not surprised, Arriva Merseyside is my main local operator [Birkenhead depot], newest buses are a batch of 4 Wright Streetlights on a 16 plate, rest of the fleet are on a 13 plate or older, reliability is awful too, i was on an Arriva Merseyside bus earlier that was 15 minutes late (413) & this was 11am, & other buses are regularly late

I'd not expect high reviews for a bus company for the reasons you state, but Arriva has long in my view been the worst of the big groups. I'd struggle to give Arriva Milton Keynes one star, it really is dire. Delays and cancellations are the norm in a city that basically doesn't have traffic congestion compared with traditional cities, and the condition of vehicles inside and out is uniformly poor.

I haven't used it for a while but I don't recall the Merseyside or Lancashire operations being much better.

Get all that but if even Lothian and Nottingham are getting a vast majority of ONE STAR ratings, what is that really telling you about the legitimacy of Trustpilot?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Get all that but if even Lothian and Nottingham are getting a vast majority of ONE STAR ratings, what is that really telling you about the legitimacy of Trustpilot?

The site is legitimate, there's nothing dodgy about it. It probably says something about bus travel being one of those things you don't think about if it goes well but you get quite angry if it doesn't, so negative reviews are more likely than most.

Lothian does get two stars, though, which does show Arriva is worse!

 

[harz99]

The general public tend to reject the idea that delays are almost always never an operators fault hence the bad ratings for any and every company.
The only way to judge how good or bad an operator is from my view is the by their levels of communication, maintenance, service reinvestment, and you know aspects they can actually control.

Having been in the industry, both at the sharp end driving, then supervising/managing, i would venture that a lot of delays are in fact down to the Operator's themselves.

Inadequate running times, inadequate schedules, no on the road supervision, no recovery time at termini, interworking routes so that a delay on one translates to a delay on another route, running buses until they fail rather than planned unit replacement, and so on.

Arriva near me operate 2 longish routes that are common from Hartlepool to Peterlee, then one goes on to Durham the other to Sunderland, both via every village en route. In addition only one bus an hour on the 23 operates through to Sunderland with alternate short workings from Hartlepool to Peterlee & return. The 24 is every 30 mins over full route. On arrival at Hartlepool a 24 changes to a 23 for it's return trip and vice versa.

In the last year, an effort to combat late running was made by saving a couple of minutes and altering the routing in Hartlepool to a one way loop, with the terminus in the middle outside the Maritime Museum, it has done little to improve performance, and inconveniences most of the inbound passengers by stopping short of the town centre and no longer serving an interchange stop near the railway station, where the majority want to be. Passengers are allowed to remain on the bus to carry on to the town at no extra cost though...

There was no public consultation from Arriva on the change, apparently there was with the County Council Transport Dept, but not the users who found at a few days before the change with on-bus notices.

Of course, the same few minutes could have been saved with far less inconvenience to customers, by running the one way loop in the reverse direction, but nobody asked!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The site is legitimate, there's nothing dodgy about it. It probably says something about bus travel being one of those things you don't think about if it goes well but you get quite angry if it doesn't, so negative reviews are more likely than most.

Lothian does get two stars, though, which does show Arriva is worse!

Legitimacy as to the validity and accuracy of its information and opinions, not it’s legal compliance. If Lothian gets two stars, it does highlight the accuracy of the opinions.

 

[Statto]

Having been in the industry, both at the sharp end driving, then supervising/managing, i would venture that a lot of delays are in fact down to the Operator's themselves.

Inadequate running times, inadequate schedules, no on the road supervision, no recovery time at termini, interworking routes so that a delay on one translates to a delay on another route, running buses until they fail rather than planned unit replacement, and so on.

That's the case with Arriva Merseyside, they interwork half of the routes on the Wirral, particularly the cross river routes, that if a bus is delayed on one route it can lead to bunching with severe delays on another route.

407 West Kirby - Liverpool is one of my local routes, that is interworked with the Arriva 471, 472 Liverpool - Heswall, frequency is every 20 minutes, but buses can often be running in pairs, & can be so late that sometimes drivers get permission to run the return journey non stop from West Kirby to Laird Street, that passengers can end up waiting an hour on sections of the 407 route.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Legitimacy as to the validity and accuracy of its information and opinions, not it’s legal compliance. If Lothian gets two stars, it does highlight the accuracy of the opinions.

I don't think the opinions are necessarily inaccurate, rather people just don't feel motivated to post positive reviews when a bus journey goes fine as it will most of the time. The main reason for this is that it's for most just a means to an end, so doesn't leave a lasting impression.

The general public tend to reject the idea that delays are almost always never an operators fault hence the bad ratings for any and every company.
The only way to judge how good or bad an operator is from my view is the by their levels of communication, maintenance, service reinvestment, and you know aspects they can actually control.

Delays often are the operator's fault. In most towns, using the same running times all day is obviously not going to work, yet you see it far too often. Yes, I like clockface, but only when it is actually achievable. What you also see too often is timetables that clearly don't work but are never fixed, or known points where a problem occurs but no attempt to try to avoid it. One example in Milton Keynes on the old 6 was that a particular problem junction became a problem on the main commuter journey - if it got there 5 minutes or more late, it would end up 15-20 late at the centre, but nothing was ever done to slacken that trip at the outer end to make sure it always hit that junction on time, say.

Of course if a car crash occurs unexpectedly then that isn't (but if the network is actively controlled* then its impacts can sometimes be reduced, e.g. by dropping a spare bus** in on the other side of it or diverting later buses around it), but most traffic congestion is inherently predictable because it happens at the same junctions every single day.

* "They all went out this morning mate, no idea where they are now"
** Yes, I know.

 

[pm2304877]

Arriva Merseyside is my local operator and they don't even deserve the one star.
Their Wirral operation is a disgrace, no services after 1800 hrs on deprived estates and their record with keeping eco buses running is a shambles; witness Runcorn.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I don't think the opinions are necessarily inaccurate, rather people just don't feel motivated to post positive reviews when a bus journey goes fine as it will most of the time. The main reason for this is that it's for most just a means to an end, so doesn't leave a lasting impression.

Perhaps the individual accuracy of the experiences is correct. Mind you, not always (if you look at the Ensignbus repostes) It's that people will often highlight the bad experiences but seldom praise the good.

In that respect, how accurate a picture does Trustpilot give you?

If you believe that Arriva gets one star, then Lothian with two stars is moderately better. However, Lothian is still (according to Trustpilot) officially a "POOR" atrocious operator as is NCT and Brighton & Hove. Also, according to Trustpilot, McGills is allegedly better than Lothian!

In that respect, how accurate a picture does Trustpilot give you?


I await the next Bucks Press scoop where the office junior googles something else

 

[RT4038]

I don't think the opinions are necessarily inaccurate, rather people just don't feel motivated to post positive reviews when a bus journey goes fine as it will most of the time. The main reason for this is that it's for most just a means to an end, so doesn't leave a lasting impression.



Delays often are the operator's fault. In most towns, using the same running times all day is obviously not going to work, yet you see it far too often. Yes, I like clockface, but only when it is actually achievable. What you also see too often is timetables that clearly don't work but are never fixed, or known points where a problem occurs but no attempt to try to avoid it. One example in Milton Keynes on the old 6 was that a particular problem junction became a problem on the main commuter journey - if it got there 5 minutes or more late, it would end up 15-20 late at the centre, but nothing was ever done to slacken that trip at the outer end to make sure it always hit that junction on time, say.

Of course if a car crash occurs unexpectedly then that isn't (but if the network is actively controlled* then its impacts can sometimes be reduced, e.g. by dropping a spare bus** in on the other side of it or diverting later buses around it), but most traffic congestion is inherently predictable because it happens at the same junctions every single day.

* "They all went out this morning mate, no idea where they are now"
** Yes, I know.

I think you are a bit out of date now - (virtually) all bus operators now know exactly where their buses are through BODS tracking, however active control, spare buses and drivers for such a purpose, slack schedules, frequent schedule alterations etc are simply unaffordable in the current model.

Some congestion places are known, but I very much doubt (in the provinces, at least) that congestion occurs every weekday at exactly the same level - bus timetables can (and often do) allow for some of this, but the sheer quantity of unpredictability reasons (multiple road works involving traffic lights or long diversions, off route closures that displace traffic to the bus route, traffic accidents, deliveries, quantity of staff absence on a given day, bus breakdowns, passengers taken ill, driver foibles etc etc ) is almost endless.

Yes, of course, some operators are optimistic in their scheduling, most of which boils down to maximising the revenue and minimising the costs to run the maximum amount of service within given cost parameters. So the question is - would less frequent, less coverage, more complicated services * that were more reliable (but still not very reliable, due to the nature of some disruption) bring in same/more revenue per mile operated/paid hour than the current system? I am not sure I would bet the future of my bus company on it, however much I'd like to try!!

* or the current level of service with the additional costs

 

[northwichcat]

Mainly because people won’t ever review something about something positive or when things go right….

I disagree. If you look around the web there's a lot of 5 star reviews. The people who don't bother to submit reviews are the ones who get exactly what they expected. If a bus operator runs duplicate services due to high demand for an event, or if a driver goes the extra mile to assist a passenger then the operator can expect to start seeing some 5 star reviews.

slack schedules, frequent schedule alterations etc are simply unaffordable in the current model.

D&G Bus, who took over a number of former Arriva routes, have a reputation for adding a lot of padding to timings. They're rather reduce an hourly bus service to a 70 minute frequency at rush hour, to have their buses normally on time, than have a consistent timetable with a high risk of buses running late at peak times.

 

[RT4038]

D&G Bus, who took over a number of former Arriva routes, have a reputation for adding a lot of padding to timings. They're rather reduce an hourly bus service to a 70 minute frequency at rush hour, to have their buses normally on time, than have a consistent timetable with a high risk of buses running late at peak times.

As do many operators of course. This does not help with the myriad of unpredictable delays though.

 

[Towers]

Arriva Merseyside is my local operator and they don't even deserve the one star.
Their Wirral operation is a disgrace, no services after 1800 hrs on deprived estates and their record with keeping eco buses running is a shambles; witness Runcorn.

There might well be a valid reason for this, in their defence… “deprived estates” and buses tend historically to have a somewhat difficult co-existance!

 

[Mwanesh]

How many of these reviewers actually use busses daily. Have been to Brighton and Nottingham can't fault the operations. My own opinion. As for Arriva I do have a soft spot for them as that's where I started my career

 

[Bletchleyite]

How many of these reviewers actually use busses daily. Have been to Brighton and Nottingham can't fault the operations. My own opinion. As for Arriva I do have a soft spot for them as that's where I started my career

Brighton and in particular Nottingham are generally regarded as quite good operations. However neither is Arriva - Brighton is Go-Ahead and Nottingham is municipal (and Trent Barton, also generally quite well regarded, though not quite as well as it was).

Arriva is a wholly different (and wholly worse) kettle of fish.

I'm very glad I don't use Arriva Milton Keynes often. If I didn't drive I'd be cycling everywhere, it's just dire, every time you go past a stop you see CANCELLED on at least one service, and I've also explained the other quality issues with them.

 

[northwichcat]

There might well be a valid reason for this, in their defence… “deprived estates” and buses tend historically to have a somewhat difficult co-existance!

A lot of residential areas have no evening bus service now, as previously subsided services were withdrawn as subsidies were withdrawn, and operators decided to not reintroduce all commercial journeys post-COVID.

 

[507021]

Arriva Merseyside is my local operator and they don't even deserve the one star.
Their Wirral operation is a disgrace, no services after 1800 hrs on deprived estates and their record with keeping eco buses running is a shambles; witness Runcorn.

Extremely high running costs, combined with the fuelling infrastructure needing expensive rectification work, meant it was no longer financially viable to operate those particular buses. The first batch only had a few years left anyway, making it even less financially worthwhile to do all that work just for the later batch. That said, at least Arriva invested in greener buses which could actually enter service in a timely manner. The same can't be said for the Liverpool City Region's taxpayer funded Enviro40H2s, which still haven't entered service several months after delivery because the fuelling situation remains unresolved. It's that which is a shambles.

 

[peterblue]

Slow news day.

Most review sites will feature a disproportionate amount of negative reviews, simply because it's relatively uncommon to go through the trouble of leaving a positive review. This is especially true for something relatively mundane such as a bus company.

 

[RT4038]

or if a driver goes the extra mile to assist a passenger then the operator can expect to start seeing some 5 star reviews.

Which invariably, but not always, means letting a passenger off all or part of their fare, or the staff member assisting a passenger to the detriment of the punctuality of the bus (and thereby other passengers who will have cause to give a low rating ) or in their own time. This is the problem - people wanting to be treated special in an activity which is just a glob of customers that the staff member has an average 10 seconds for each.

Slow news day.

Most review sites will feature a disproportionate amount of negative reviews, simply because it's relatively uncommon to go through the trouble of leaving a positive review. This is especially true for something relatively mundane such as a bus company.

Where the expectation is of something that 'just works' with a utopian 1950s or more coverage, both in area and timetable, in spite of the fact that the majority now have or have access to cars, which are parked or used in such a way as to obstruct such a service being provided.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Arriva in my experience are by no means the best, but I've had a far worse experience with Go Ahead.

 

[northwichcat]

Which invariably, but not always, means letting a passenger off all or part of their fare, or the staff member assisting a passenger to the detriment of the punctuality of the bus (and thereby other passengers who will have cause to give a low rating ) or in their own time. This is the problem - people wanting to be treated special in an activity which is just a glob of customers that the staff member has an average 10 seconds for each.

Or it could be:

1 star review - Number 7 bus arrived 20 minutes late. I missed my connection at the interchange for the last number 3 bus of the day and had to pay £20 for a taxi to get home.

5 star review - Number 7 bus arrived 20 minutes late. Driver made a phone call and they held the last 3 bus at the interchange so I could get home.

But what people don't usually bother to write is

3 star review - Number 7 bus arrived 20 minutes late. Driver clearly communicated the the reason for the delay and apologised. I arrived home 20 minutes late but it was outside the driver's control.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Or it could be:

1 star review - Number 7 bus arrived 20 minutes late. I missed my connection at the interchange for the last number 3 bus of the day and had to pay £20 for a taxi to get home.

5 star review - Number 7 bus arrived 20 minutes late. Driver made a phone call and they held the last 3 bus at the interchange so I could get home.

But what people don't usually bother to write is

3 star review - Number 7 bus arrived 20 minutes late. Driver clearly communicated the the reason for the delay and apologised. I arrived home 20 minutes late but it was outside the driver's control.

That polarisation is very noticeable.

As I keep saying though, whilst we all know that Arriva is not exactly brilliant (!), the fact is that all the bus companies on TrustPilot are hated to a greater or lesser degree.