ATOC responds to ‘low passenger satisfaction’ report

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Passenger Focus recently published a report on how rail passengers travel to the station which revealed low passenger satisfaction with car parking facilities at stations.

Passengers that said they would like to use an alternative form of transport to reach the station (16%) mostly suggested buses were their preferred option.

In response to the Passenger Focus report ‘getting to the railway station’, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies said:

“In recent years train companies have invested a significant amount of time and money in improving the options that people have to get to and from the station.

“New bike racks and dedicated bike and ride schemes have been put in place at hundreds of stations and sales of combined bus and rail tickets have more than trebled in the last three years.

“New posters setting out a range of different travel options are available at the vast majority of stations across the country.

“But train companies know that there is always more that can be done and will continue to work with Passenger Focus and other organisations to keep on improving things for passengers.”

On car parking at stations, a spokesperson said:

“Charges set by train companies are similar to those in town centre car parks. Many of the UK’s stations don’t charge for parking at all and many car parks have discounted prices at quieter times of the day.

“Across the country millions of pounds are being invested in station car parks to add extra spaces and to make them safe and secure for passengers.”

1 COMMENT

  1. The TOC’s may well have put in more bike rakes, but in the South East they also have cycle bans on many peak hour trains, meaning that the “extra capacity” they talk about hasn’t even catered for the extra cycles that have to be left at stations because of the ban (at the few stations where more rakes are provided).  This results in many stations not having any available cycle spaces during the day.  This is especially true of semi rural stations where there is a poor bus service (1 bus per hour or less).  Even when such concerns are raised with the relevant TOC they brush them aside and do nothing, even when there is space to provide the required facilities.  Until more action is seen in really improving cycle facilities (25% more cycle rakes or 10 extra cycle rakes, which ever is greater, where cycle rakes are more than 90% full) then any such statement by the ATOC is just hot air.

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