Donostia San Sebastián certifies the quality of a second bus corridor
DonostiaBus has received a quality certificate for one of its bus lines and has renewed its existing certificate for another. The continuous improvements in the service implemented during CIVITAS have resulted in increased customer satisfaction and a 7% increase in the annual number of bus users in comparison to 2006.
On the 18 February 2010, the certifying body AENOR has presented the new certificate to DonostiaBus. The quality requirements are directly related to the well-being of the passenger and include, among others: the accuracy of the time table, frequency, occupancy rates, comfort level, safety and security, customer service by drivers, passenger information services and environmental impact.The certified lines (28 and 5) are the first and third most used lines within the bus network of the city of San Sebastián. The future objective is to also certify the second line in number of passengers. At that time the three certified lines would cover 40% of all passenger movements in city buses.Customer satisfaction surveys form the central element of the quality control process. The results from the periodic user surveys show steadily increasing customer satisfaction, from an average score of 6,08 in 2002 to 7,56 in 2009. The increased satisfaction has gone hand in hand with a continuous growth in passenger numbers. In 2009 the total number of passengers in the urban buses was 28.460.380, which is 7% higher than in 2006 and 10% higher than in 2004. The figures mean that, on average, each inhabitant of San Sebastián takes the bus 156 times per year. This places San Sebastián among the cities with the highest public transport use in Europe. The continued increase in customer satisfaction and growing number of passengers is the result of an integrated policy for improving the urban bus service in San Sebastián. Within the CIVITAS plus project the service is improved in a number of ways:Creating high quality bus corridors based on dedicated lanes, UTC priority and increased frequencyNew bus lines connecting to business districtsThe introduction of high blends of biodieselImproved passenger information through internet and SMSNew bus management system
