Public transport Public transport passengers in north-western Switzerland criticize reliability

Public transport passengers in north-western Switzerland are less satisfied with the feeling of safety at night, reliability and prices. In both Basel, they criticize the passenger information. These are the findings of the 2023 customer survey published on Thursday by the cantons of Aargau, Baselland, Basel-Stadt and Solothurn.

Compared to the previous survey in the pandemic year 2021, when fewer people used public transport, passengers rated most topics as equally good or slightly worse. Overall customer satisfaction in all four cantons is 77 to 78 out of a possible 100 points, which is lower than in 2021 but still higher than in the period before the pandemic, according to the press release.

The feeling of safety has worsened compared to 2019 and 2021. While it remains high during the day at 89 points, it is rated at just 62 to 65 points at night. A significant proportion of passengers feel unsafe at bus stops in particular. Accordingly, many of those surveyed would like to see more security staff present.

Influence of the Margaret Bridge closure

Satisfaction with information about delays in the two Basel cities has also fallen. At 66 points, the value is lower than in the other cantons and has fallen below the 2019 level. This is likely due to the short-term closure of the Margarethenbrücke bridge in summer 2023, according to the report.

The reliability of public transport has also suffered significantly in the eyes of passengers compared to 2021. With the exception of Aargau, where reliability rose by one point, it fell by 2 to 4 points in the other cantons. However, it is rated better than before the pandemic. There were also losses of 2 to 3 points in overall satisfaction. The tariff increases at the end of 2023 are likely to have had an impact, as the four cantons write.

5,900 people took part in the survey in fall 2023.