Opinion
In the passenger seat
Beneath the headline results of the rail National Passenger Survey (NPS) lies a wealth of data says Anthony Smith
I
n our latest report (
http://ow.ly/nIvyy) we look at the average commuter – does he or she exist? There is a tendency still to think of commuters as besuited, middle-aged professionals travelling to the city from a leafy suburb where they religiously board the 08.16 every Monday to Friday. What is the reality? To help get a better understanding of these passengers and their behaviour – including weekend commuting – we undertook additional analysis of NPS data as well as specific research into commuting habits, looking at the demographic profile of commuters, the work they do, when they travel, and the tickets they use.
Some other recent research into passengers’ festive-period travel experiences (
http://ow.ly/nIvQ0 ) had showed that up to 20 per cent of passengers at the weekends over the Christmas and New Year 2012/13 festive period were commuters. The commuter research has interesting results. The weekday
‘nine to five’ commuter is still very much alive; 97 per cent of commuting journeys are made on weekdays. However, even the three per cent commuting at weekends represents 29 million journeys per year.
Most (83 per cent) commute to an office – with 40 per cent being professional/senior management and 23 per cent middle management. More than eight out of 10 weekday commuters travel in peak hours (from 8 to 10am and from 4 to 7pm). Not everyone conforms to the stereotype. Of those who
commute only on weekdays, just 57 per cent did so for all five days. Only 59 per cent had a season ticket – 29 per cent had a peak Single/Return. Much of the commuting at weekends is by people who also travel in the week rather than just at weekends. Almost a quarter of week-round commuters worked six (17
per cent) or seven (7 per cent) days a week. There are fewer managerial workers at weekends and a higher proportion of retail/transport and hospitality workers. Only 68 per cent travel to an office. Week-round commuters spend a higher proportion of their net income on commuting than do weekday commuters. On Saturdays, 31 per cent of commuters occasionally or regularly catch the first train; on Sunday it is 62 per cent. Week-round commuters are more reliant (than weekday-only commuters) on other forms of public transport as a part of their commute. Not everyone travels enough to justify a season ticket. Seasons are less attractive for those travelling at weekends or working at different sites on different days of the week. Those travelling a few days each week are particularly interested in Carnet tickets. Among weekday commuters there is an indication some might adjust their working/travelling hours
if appropriate ticket offers made this financially attractive. Frequency is also important. There is a clear desire for earlier first and later last trains, especially at weekends. In an industry where relatively little is known about passengers, these data give a clear indication that travel patterns are shifting. Ticket structures need to alter to reflect these changes, not least to recognise the fact that more part- time commuters are women. They currently pay more per journey than their predominantly male annual season-ticket
counterparts. Does this seem fair? • Anthony Smith is chief executive of Passenger Focus
RAIL IMAGES Specialists in Rail Photography
Britain’s leading rail photo library High quality commissioned photography Digital video shooting & edit facilities
Tel/Fax: 01702 525059 email:
info@railimages.co.uk www.railimages.co.uk
September 2013 Page 43
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188