TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Sorry but that isn't what non bus users commonly say.Agreed.
The people you want to survey are car drivers*, and the question being "why don't you go by public transport"?
Very commonly you'll get "I have to get two buses and pay twice and it takes ages because I have to wait half an hour between them" and similar, at least once you've weeded out "it smells of wee"** and such.
* I'd say "and cyclists", but as cycling is to be encouraged over even bus travel this is not a valid target market.
** Not wee, but damp. The fix is pressure ventilation as used in London, or full aircon (both of which also mitigate COVID). But that costs money...
What they actually say is contained in this handy study from Scotland and, aside from mentions of the trials of exact fares, you can probably see the themes as universal https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream...ing Why Some People do not use buses_2010.pdf
- Bad driving behaviour and poor driver attitudes
- Concerns about other passengers committing anti-social or criminal behaviour, as well as more general concerns about other people’s behaviour causing annoyance or discomfort
- Fears about the physical condition of buses making them unsafe, unreliable or inaccessible (for participants with mobility problems), as well as concerns about cleanliness and comfort on board
- Concerns about personal safety, comfort and the adequacy of information at bus stops
- The perceived length of bus journeys, as well as the appropriateness of timetables for the journeys participants needed to make
- A belief that buses cannot be relied on to stick to their timetables
- A perceived lack of direct and/or appropriate routes, as well as concerns about routes travelling through ‘undesirable’ areas
- A belief that fares are too high, as well as complaints about the inconvenience of having to find exact change.
What needs to happen is that buses need to have the playing field levelled to an extent. How can a bus compete when between Farnworth and Bolton, there's an almost absence of any bus priority, and that ain't gonna change if the bus is lilac, blue or yellow? And the ability to drive your car right through the centre of Bolton.