According to the BEST survey conducted last year, passenger satisfaction with public transport remained high, with 76 per cent of HSL area residents being satisfied with public transport services. The figure was up by one percentage point from 2018 and the HSL area was ranked second in the comparison of European urban regions. Geneva came out on top for the fifth year running, with 79 per cent of residents being satisfied.
In the BEST survey, respondents evaluate ten public transport quality factors. The HSL area ranked better than the other BEST cities in many respects. In the Helsinki region, the respondents were more willing to recommend public transport to others than the residents of the other cities included in the survey. In addition, respondents in the Helsinki region were more satisfied with the reliability and value for money of public transport as well as with travel comfort than in the other cities.
Compared to 2018, residents of the Helsinki region were more satisfied with ticket prices, information about service disruptions and the cleanliness of vehicles.
“The satisfaction with public transport of residents of Espoo and Vantaa living in zone B has improved in particular following the introduction of the new fare zone in spring 2019,” says Director of Department Sini Puntanen. “The improved satisfaction with disruption information is due to the continuous development of the HSL app as well as our other efforts to improve information provided through various channels. The improved travel comfort is due to many things including modern and more eco-friendly vehicles in service in the area.”
Some 2,100 residents from all HSL member municipalities responded to the survey in 2019. The participants included the HSL area, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Bergen, Geneva, Trondheim and the Rotterdam-Haag area.