Campaign aims to help commuters be more considerate of fellow passengers
They are the people you might not see on public transport very often – the Mover-overer, the Floor Bagger, the Quiet Talker and the Door Clearer.
But a new ‘Model Commuters’ education campaign from Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is shedding light on the different behaviours of passengers traveling on public transport.
Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder says the campaign features four distinct characters, each highlighting one simple thing commuters can do to make each other’s journey more comfortable.
“The four characters representing different types of behaviour are the Mover-overer, the Floor Bagger, the Quiet Talker and the Door Clearer,” Mulder says.
“We’ve all been on a train, tram or bus when a fellow commuter has done something that has made our journey less enjoyable.
“With this education campaign four characters have been created to get the message across that we can all do something, no matter how small, to improve the way we go about catching public transport.”
Chief Executive Officer Mark Wild says PTV spoke to transport operators and reviewed customer feedback to find out what passenger behaviours on public transport commuters complained about most.
“Transport operator and customer feedback told us commuters get annoyed at fellow passengers who don’t move seats, keep a bag on their back, talk too loudly and don’t keep doorways clear,” he says.
PTV also surveyed members of a panel of public transport users who told us passenger etiquette is the fourth most influential factor on experience of public transport, with 62 per cent of people saying people’s bad habits had a medium to high impact on their experience.
Less than three quarters surveyed consider the behaviour and etiquette of other passengers to be an important element of their overall experience when using public transport.
“We have been focussed on improving service delivery, increasing customer satisfaction and driving down fare evasion, and this education campaign is just one of the many things we are doing to improve public transport services and respond to customer feedback,” Wild says.
The ‘Model Commuters’ education campaign is supported by a microsite that can be accessed at modelcommuters.com.au, where commuters can share their favourite model commuter via their social networks.