London in bottom four in European public transport stakes

PrintE-mail

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

18 February 2010

In a study of Europe’s top 23 cities, London is in the bottom four when it comes to public transport, according to EuroTest’s latest Europe-wide local public transport survey carried out across Europe. London comes in behind Warsaw and Rome when taking account of travel times, ease of transfers, information provision, ticketing and fares. Only Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb are rated lower.

Neil Greig, IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) Director of Policy and Research, said: “London obviously still has a long way to go before we can reach the top standards of quality at reasonable cost to the user. The survey clearly shows that if we are to tempt more Londoners out of their cars, we need to ensure our tube, train and bus systems are more accessible and affordable.”

Cost of travel was a main factor bringing London’s score down - even the Norwegian capital Oslo was cheaper for normal journeys.  Researchers from the University of Stuttgart applied a standard survey method to all the cities and found London’s tube system had too few escalators and lifts, had poor accessibility for disabled passengers or those with children, contradictory exit signing and not enough parking facilities for bicycles.

Tfl did, however,  win approval for the Oyster card system and the website which researchers found easy to navigate, informative, multilingual and provided accurate timetable and fare data.  Ticket office staff were also rated helpful and travel times to the main airport (Heathrow) were faster than most other cities.

The survey, carried out by the EuroTest consortium rated nine cities “acceptable”, eleven “good” and Munich, the best, was “very good”. Two cities, Zagreb and Ljubljana failed altogether to make the grade.

ENDS

Notes to editors

  • For detailed results of the local public transport test and for clubs contacts visit: http://www.eurotestmobility.com
  • The test was carried out in several steps between 24 October and 11 December 2009.
  • Local public transport systems were put to the test in the following 23 European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berne, Brussels, Budapest, Cologne, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Helsinki, Leipzig, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Madrid, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Vienna, Warsaw and Zagreb.

  • Media contacts:

    IAM Press Office – 020 8996 9777

    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    ISDN broadcast lines available

    iam.org.uk

    ENDS ALL

    1. The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) directly influences the driving and riding of more than 100,000 full members in the UK and Ireland. Established in 1956, the IAM is today best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving course, which is available to car, motorcycle and commercial licence holders. The IAM has grown to become the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to raising driving standards, engaging with the road-using public and influencing road safety policy.  The commercial division of the IAM operates through occupational driver training companies IAM Fleet and Drive & Survive.
    2. A 2006 report by Brunel University, following an 18 month study, concluded that “advanced driver training produces safer drivers and lower accident involvement”, with measurable improvements in knowledge, skills and attitude.
    3. In January 2007, the IAM Motoring Trust was established as the Policy and Research Division to undertake research, promote practical policies, act as an advocate for safer roads, safer drivers and safer vehicles and encourage responsible motoring through education and training.