Passengers gave HSL area public transport services a good rating in a survey conducted in summer 2013. In total 86 per cent of passengers were satisfied with the service and the mean of all scores was 4.01 on a scale of 1 to 5. The scores for the reliability of tram and train services improved in comparison to previous summers, in particular. Passengers were also more satisfied than before with the smoothness of train journeys.
Passengers on the Suomenlinna ferry were also highly satisfied with the HSL area public transport with the mean of all scores being 4.15. Ferry journeys received good scores in nearly all aspects. Ferry passengers were satisfied with the service provided by the staff and the cleanliness of the ferries, keeping to timetables and the suitability of the timetables as well as with travel comfort and space capacity. Only the waiting conditions at the pier were given a score below four. The working of the pier arrangements at peak times were criticized in particular.
“In summer 2013, the special theme was safety. We seek to identify safety problems also with the help of a driver survey. Our goal is to improve safety so that everyone could feel safe on public transport,” says Mr Antti Vuorela, the Head of Operational Research at HSL.
Passengers feel unsafe at stations and stops more than onboard vehicles. In particular, people avoid traveling by train in the evening because of feeling unsafe. About one fourth of passengers say they avoid traveling by train on weekends, for example.
HSL measures passenger satisfaction with public transport services year-round using onboard questionnaires. During the summer 2013 survey period, 1,188 ferry passengers and 4,670 passengers on other modes of transport responded to the survey.