Customer Satisfaction with Nottingham City Transport has reached record levels in its latest annual customer survey, as five times UK Bus Operator of the Year achieves an overall satisfaction score of 96%.
The survey was conducted on all NCT bus routes and online, and the results based on over 5,000 responses. Customers are asked several questions to rate how satisfied they are with specific features of their service, along with questions about the travel habits.
| Feature | Satisfaction Score |
| Frequency of the service | 87% |
| Buses turning up on time | 84% |
| Having friendly drivers | 91% |
| Greeting from the driver on boarding | 87% |
| Value for money | 87% |
| Buses kept clean from litter | 86% |
| Smoothness of the ride | 86% |
| Safety of the bus driver’s driving | 95% |
| Personal safety on the bus | 93% |
| Satisfaction with NCT’s Call Centre | 88% |
| Satisfaction with NCT’s Travel Centre | 91% |
| Satisfaction with NCT’s Social Media | 89% |
| Provision of USB charging points | 86% |
| Ability to get a seat | 91% |
| Driver helpfulness with accessibility needs | 95% |
| Audio next stop announcements on board | 93% |
| Visual next stop announcements on board | 93% |
| Comfort of the seats | 91% |
| Space for wheelchair and pushchairs on board | 89% |
The high satisfaction scores reflect NCT’s proactive response to the well documented national shortage of bus drivers. This included increasing pay rates by up to 25% in the last 18 months, which has seen 153 new drivers join NCT in the last year, as well as advertising realistic timetables that can be consistently delivered.
This has resulted in improved performance for customers, with 99% of all scheduled journeys operating during the last 12 months and currently 94% of journeys operating on time.
David Astill, NCT’s Managing Director commented “The response of our customers to our latest annual survey has been incredible, and to have achieved our highest satisfaction scores ever is truly humbling. I thank them for their continued custom and loyalty.
We have consistently delivered on their number one priority – reliable bus services that operate frequently and punctually, and I am certain this has driven these record scores.
That is down to the hard work put in by the whole team at Nottingham’s bus company 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and my heart-felt thanks go to them for delivering services to a standard that all of us at NCT can be justifiably proud.”
He went on to say “I should also acknowledge the support we receive from both the city and county councils through bus priority measures, integrated ticketing and a conurbation wide real time system. Greater Nottingham’s public transport sets a benchmark, and shows what can be achieved through working in partnership.”
Nottingham’s bus network continues to recover post-pandemic. Overall usage of the NCT network is at around 90% of pre-COVID demand, with bus-use per head of population in Nottingham the second highest in the country, outside London.
NCT’s network continues to provide a sustainable, convenient alternative to the car, with 26.5% of respondents choosing to use the bus over a car they had available for the journey they were making. On some routes, this is as high as 43%, with customers using NCT for work, shopping, socialising, medical appointments and getting to school, college, university.