The local bus operator won
‘Bus Operator of the Year’ at the recent 2013 National Transport Awards at the
Westminster Park Plaza in London .
At the prestigious event which was hosted by
radio and television presenter Jeremy Vine, Reading Buses also picked up a
second award ‘Dedication to access for all.’
As a result of the success Reading Buses has
currently now won six of seven shortlistings in two different sets of leading
industry awards.
‘The people making a real difference to
transport across the UK ’ were recognised at the award ceremony which attracted
more than 600 senior transport professionals including the Secretary of State
for Transport Patrick McLoughlin MP.
In voting Reading Buses ‘Bus Operator of the
Year,’ the judges concluded that passenger and revenue growth was underpinned by
solid performance improvements.
The company improved customer satisfaction
through a number of different initiatives to show that there was a real focus on
putting the customer first. There was a significant focus on improving staff
morale, skills training, vehicle cleanliness and investment in new technology as
well as improved on-board information displays. Reading Buses was also proud of
the increase in women bus drivers which meant that 11% of their total driving
staff are now female.
Reading Buses last year developed its biggest
route, purple 17, by improving Monday to Saturday frequency resulting in
week-by-week patronage growth of up to 20% - with further improvements to Sunday
services already in place this year.
The company also points to 25% growth in the
‘greenwave’ service revamped in partnership with Reading Borough Council, a 17%
increase in travel by young people under the Solo initiative to bring no-fuss
cheaper travel to under-19s, the introduction of the fully automated online
top-up for their simplyBus smartcards, and more interaction with their customers
online through their website and social media feeds.
In achieving its ‘Dedication to access for
all’ award, Reading Buses demonstrated their true commitment to accessibility by
improving elements across its fleet for all customers. They have a fleet which
has been 100% low floor for some time – four years ahead of the DDA’s
requirement.
Bus destination displays have been made
bigger and more legible, individual brightly coloured branding for different
routes help people recognise their bus and audio and visual next stop
announcements have already been introduced on over half the
fleet.
Reading Buses was one of the first bus
companies in the UK to offer reduced rate travel for job seekers, the Solo
initiative has helped to get more young people on the bus and the online top-up
facility has also seen more customers switch to easier, and cheaper, smartcard
fares.
The company say they were ‘astounded’ by the
results which reflected the hard work put in by all staff in the
organisation.
Said James
Freeman, Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer: “We have worked extremely hard
over the last four years to get to where we are now. We have shifted the focus
more towards the customer and what we can do to enable them to go about their
lives – whether by improving their daily commute or giving them cheaper fares in
the evening to encourage them to get the bus into town.