Archive, Industry News

Auckland bus use up

Auckland bus usage has increased as the city takes measure to further increase patronage

Bus usage in Auckland has increased almost five per cent compared to the same time last year, as Auckland Transport has established a Customer Focus Committee (CFC) to improve customer experience on public transport.

January saw a jump of 3.3 per cent in the number of people using public transport in Auckland.

The Northern Express bus service saw a rise in patronage of seven per cent, while the number using all other bus services was up almost five per cent compared to January 2013.

The number of trips on rail was up seven point six per cent in January compared to the same month last year, although ferry patronage was down for the same period.

Meanwhile, the Board of Auckland Transport has established the CFC which will drive continuous customer service and customer experience improvements throughout the business.

Mark Gilbert, who has a background in senior management that incorporated marketing and customer service roles, will chair the committee.

He says it will provide oversight and advice on a range of initiatives from project planning and market research to implementation and a major priority is an increase in public transport patronage.

“Our overarching vision is to put an excellent customer experience at the heart of everything we do,” he says.

 

“We aim to provide outstanding customer service, every time and be a trusted and positive contributor to the lives of all Aucklanders.

 

“That means a greater emphasis on customer needs and wants no matter what part of the organisation or its services they are engaging with.”

 

The CFC is a full committee of the board, with all Auckland Transport directors invited to attend and the first monthly meeting will be held in March.

Send this to a friend