
In case you missed it there was a really interesting piece this week asking “why do so many people hate US airports?” on the BBC magazine website. It compared the experience of travelling in the US with some of the newer airports that have been built in the Middle East and Far East. It noted that not many US airports feature in the Skytrak...
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Often the best ideas are the simple ones. For anyone catching a bus in London during the rush hour has probably experienced a mad crush on the lower level only to find that the top level is almost empty. For some, they like the convenience of sitting or standing close to the door. But for others, there the lack of visibility of what space is...
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Back in November Passenger Focus released it’s findings on what passengers needed when things go wrong; it didn’t paint a very good picture of how the railway industry handles problems. The recently issued National Passenger Survey continued to show a high level of dissatisfaction amongst passengers. We know it’s not usually done well because of the recurring story from passengers when things go wrong is “we weren’t...
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One of the advantages that the car has over public transport is that it takes the passenger from A – B, door to- door, no changes, no hassle. So as well as being the ultimate consumer product, it is also convenient and easy. But with the costs of motoring rising, and roads becoming more congested, the car is losing much of its shine. Urban planners...
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There was news last month that some supermarkets are reviewing the use of self-service checkouts. Research has suggested that they do not save time for customers and that they maybe contributing to an increase in theft. There had previously been an expectation that we would see increasing amounts of self-service in supermarkets because they save on staff costs and were expected to reduce queue lengths....
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Passenger experience has become a hot topic in public transport especially for airports. Major airports are putting it at the centre of their thinking – for example, the mission statement for Heathrow Airport is making every journey better. But what does it actually mean? Is it more than the latest bandwagon for every vendor of products and services to jump onto claiming that their product...
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On all public transport systems we are generally bombarded by verbal announcements, many pre-recorded. Some are useful – “the next train from platform 6 is the …” but most are just noise – don’t run when its wet, keep your belongings with you, etc. It is similar to how our visual field is assailed by signs and information. Again we have to look for those...
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