The results of our summer survey on the Moorlands Connect bus service are now in. Although we weren’t in a position to run a proper passenger survey, we thought it would be useful to ask people away from the bus service if they knew about it, had they used it and what did they think about it.
With that mind, we set up a paper survey at all our stalls, and at other events we attended throughout the summer in a range of different locations. We also set up an electronic version with a click-through from our newsletter and website, although the response to this was very limited.
The results were interesting, although not entirely unexpected. Of the 40 responses, although most had heard of the service, very few (five) had actually used it. However, one of our primary aims was to find out why people were not using it, and the answers were revealing.
Those who had used the service had found it great, others had friends or relatives who benefitted substantially from it and a fair few, who said they had their own transport now, expected that they would probably use it in the future – the terms ‘brilliant’ and ‘excellent’ figured prominently, along with ‘lifesaver’ and ‘vital service’.
Of the barriers to use, primary reasons seem to be: lack of information, difficulty with the booking app, poor internet connectivity (a particular problem in the Moorlands) and a restricted phone service from the bus company.
We appreciate that many of these issues are outside the control of the bus company but we will share the results with Moorlands Connect and particularly with the County Council, who are responsible for county-wide transport.