Smart Ticketing on Buses in Brighton & Hove: Interim report Prepared for: Transport Focus Date: May 2015 PREPARED BY ILLUMINAS a global team based in London, New York and Austin Prepared in compliance with the International quality standard covering market research, ISO 20252 (2012), The MRS Code of Conduct, and the Data Protection Act 1998 by Illuminas, 183-203 Eversholt Street, London NW1 1BU, UK T +44 (0)20 7909 0929 F +44 (0)20 7909 0921 E info@illuminas-global.com www.illuminas-global.com INTERNAL
Contents 1. Background and objectives 2. Who we spoke to 3. Reasons for bus travel and attitudes towards using the bus 4. Bus journey experiences 5. Suggestions for improving the bus experience 6. Awareness and perceptions of smart technology & the key 7. Current usage of the key smartcard 8. Reactions to the key implementation onto Big Lemon / Compass services 9. Conclusions and next steps 2 INTERNAL
Background & objectives 3 INTERNAL
Background to the research The provision of smart ticketing, and more specifically smartcards, is becoming • increasingly widespread on public transport as a replacement for traditional paper ticketing Smart ticketing offers a range of benefits over traditional methods of ticketing • Smart cards are more durable than paper tickets and can be securely replaced if lost or • stolen They can be purchased online, in advance of travel, reducing queues on the buses • themselves and the need for passengers to find / prepare change From an operator perspective, smartcards provide superior passenger data on ticket • usage, journey length and footfall Enabling operators to run operations more effectively and plan services to meet needs more • accurately 4 INTERNAL
The need for research Brighton already has a fairly advanced smart ticketing scheme in place, compared to • many other towns The key smartcard has been available for use on the town’s Go-Ahead Group buses for a • number of years and it has also been introduced on the rail network for travel by train on Southern Railways services to London However, two of the smaller bus companies that operate in Brighton, Big Lemon and • Compass, are not smart enabled and only accept paper tickets This is a source of confusion and even complaint amongst passengers and may dampen • demand for Big Lemon and Compass services The Department for Transport is launching a pilot in the Brighton area that involves • two Big Lemon and seven Compass buses being smart enabled Allowing bus passengers to use the Key on these buses and remove the need for separate • tickets when travelling on Go-Ahead services The pilot is planned for August 2015 • 5 INTERNAL
Research objectives The overarching objective of this research is to understand the views of both • passengers and bus drivers on smartcards and the implementation on Big Lemon and Compass bus services in Brighton As well as identify any issues which might arise from implementation of smart payments • This report is focused on views and experiences of smart ticketing at pre- • implementation stage, and will be completed after a 2 nd wave of research in August 2015 (after the buses in question will have the technology installed, tested, and operational) This involved face to face and telephone interviews with passengers of all three bus • services impacted by the broadening of the scheme, as well as drivers of Compass & Big Lemon vehicles 6 INTERNAL
Who we spoke to 7 INTERNAL
Who we spoke to – Bus passengers 16 x 45 minute face to face interviews • with bus users in Brighton in April 2015 Users of Go- Additional recruitment criteria Users of Big Lemon Ahead services Users of Big and/or Compass who actively Lemon / Compass Spread of age / gender • services AND Go- reject using Big services ONLY Ahead services Lemon and/or Some purchased either a weekly, monthly or • Compass services annual bus ticket Big Lemon / Big Lemon / Go-Ahead Compass Compass Some users of other types of transport • Commuter & e.g. tube / train 2 2 1 regular user For Go-Ahead users a mixture of those using • Leisure & at least 2 1 2 the key only and the key plus cash weekly user A mix of level of comfort with using the smart • Leisure & 2 1 card payment method infrequent user All exclusive Go-Ahead bus users owned and • Business & 1 2 used the key smartcard occasional user Total 7 6 3 All paid for at least some of their bus journeys • 8 INTERNAL
Who we spoke to – Bus drivers Six x 45 minute face to face / tele-depth interviews with bus drivers in April and May • 2015 Three employed by Compass • Three employed by Big Lemon • All were screened to ensure they were aware of • the key smartcards in Brighton, and were experienced drivers, able to provide views and opinions on the subject area Bus drivers were paid a cash incentive of £30 for • their time 9 INTERNAL
Buses in Brighton: The big themes Brighton and Hove has a relatively youthful, technologically literate community of • bus users, who aren’t particularly wary of change in general terms Many were using the Go-Ahead app on their smartphones to plan journeys, check progress • and, in many cases, to pay for their travel They tend to be savvy about bus use, and most were comfortable with ‘working • round’ the services available to them, and dealing with whether the key is accepted or not Many had the services for which they could / could not use tickets very clearly delineated in • their minds Many are proud to be green, and the premium on parking in the town is widely seen • as positive (reduces congestion and minimises pollution) Big Lemon have a certain caché in the area for their green credentials – even non-users have • a fondness for a service that is so environmentally responsible, and are proud it operates within their region Almost everyone knew it operates on cooking fats and is ecologically superior as a result • 10 INTERNAL
Reasons for bus travel and attitudes towards using the bus 11 INTERNAL
Bus travel in Brighton is a useful, and affordable method of transport for most, and often relied upon Leisure users Often use bus to visit the town centre for shopping, meeting friends / family, • entertaining children, days out to Worthing, Littlehampton etc. Sometimes using buses instead of car, or more often because there is no alternative • Commuter users: for work / study For travel to work / study the bus is often part of a wider journey by train / walking, and used if • running late, a lift becomes unavailable, parking is too expensive or weather is bad e.g. raining / thunderstorm. Some parents accompany their child on the bus for all or part of the way. Others rely on the bus entirely, having decided it is the most economical and speedy way to reach their • destination Infrequent users Bus is a spontaneous decision for some: whilst en route to their destination, or an alternative to • walking home, or to replace a mode of transport they could use Leading most to highly value the convenience and suitability of buses in the Brighton area • The majority see Brighton’s buses as very helpful in day to day life. For • some it is a lifeline, where there are no other transport options available to them Most value the bus service, and satisfaction is generally high • 12 INTERNAL
Most are happy to use the buses, and feel the service delivered is good The vast majority were positive about using bus services in Brighton and Hove, and • identify clear benefits of buses over other methods of transport, especially driving Most see using the buses to get to the centre of Brighton as eco-friendly, especially • when compared to driving (and parking) there In line with the drive for a greener Brighton, many are keen to feel they are doing the right • thing by using buses Using the buses is hassle free on the whole, especially when compared to other forms • of transport Bus stops nearby homes / popular destinations make them a very convenient way to travel • Some compared using the bus to driving into central Brighton; which proves tricky and ‘a • nightmare’ in terms of parking The regular nature of bus services in the centre of Brighton, as well as the information • screens at bus stops provide services that are of a high standard Allowing for adequate planning when using the bus, and making bus travel in Brighton highly convenient • The Go-Ahead bus times app is useful for real time updates of services, and planning exactly when to set • out to catch a bus 13 INTERNAL
Bus journey experiences 14 INTERNAL
Recommend
More recommend
