Press releases - Rail, bus, coach and tram

Passenger Focus gets the green light to represent bus, coach and tram passengers

25.02.2010

Passenger Focus will start representing bus, coach and tram passengers in England outside London from 25 February 2010. This follows Sadiq Khan, Transport Minister, making the legislation to extend the statutory remit of Passenger Focus to bus, coach and tram issues.

The Government took powers in the Local Transport Act 2008 to enable Passenger Focus’s remit to be extended, through secondary legislation, to bus, coach and tram passengers in England outside London. The necessary secondary legislation is due to come into force on 25 February 2010.

Sadiq Khan, Transport Minister, said: “Given that bus, coach and tram passengers make over 5 billion journeys each year, it is important that these are provided to a high standard and many of them are. 

"But as I have seen and heard on my bus tour, there are still too many examples of services that don’t reach the standards that passengers have a right to expect.

"Passenger Focus already has a strong reputation for securing benefits for rail passengers through evidence-based campaigning and advocacy.  I am confident that they will be able to transfer this capability to deliver improvements for bus, coach and tram passengers.”

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, added: “It is great news that we have been given statutory responsibility for representing bus, coach and tram passengers. We’re absolutely committed to using our established consumer focus to get the best deal for passengers.”

Passenger Focus has carried out extensive research across the country to gather evidence of passengers’ experiences of bus and coach services. A report looking at the passenger perspective of the National Concessionary fares scheme has already been published. In the coming months, comparative, benchmarked research into bus passenger satisfaction in 20 areas of England will be published, as well as bus and coach passenger priorities for improvement. In addition to that, Passenger Focus has taken over the Bus Mystery Traveller Survey from the Department for Transport and will also be looking at measures to improve the handling of bus passenger complaints across the bus industry. Passenger Focus is now building a dedicated team who will use this research as the basis of their work at a local and regional level to help get a better deal for bus, coach and tram passengers.

Ends
 
Notes to editors

1. Passenger Focus is the official, independent consumer organisation representing the interests of rail users nationally and from spring 2010, bus, coach and tram users across England outside London.  Created by the Railways Act 2005, Passenger Focus is the operating name of the Rail Passengers’ Council (this will change to the Passengers' Council from 25 February). It is a body corporate, executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Transport. We want to make a difference for rail, bus, coach and tram passengers.

We’ll do this by:

- providing authoritative advice for industry based on sound research;
- securing improvements to services – both big and small-scale improvements;
- helping passengers with advice and information;
- campaigning for change;
- acting on rail passenger complaints.


2. For further information please contact:
Dervish Mertcan
Press Officer
Tel: 0300 123 0847
or e-mail:dervish.mertcan@passengerfocus.org.uk