CUSTOMER satisfaction with bus services in Darlington has increased by more than five per cent in the last year, according to an independent survey.

Bosses at Arriva say they are delighted at the result and have pledged to continue their efforts to improve customer experience in the town.

The company carries out the survey each October, using independent firm GfK NOP to question passengers using Arriva buses on different routes and at different times of day to build up a picture of what they think of the service.

The results published by Arriva do not show the exact figures from the survey, but instead provide a percentage increase or decrease in customer satisfaction from the 2011 survey in a variety of areas.

Among the results were a five per cent increase in feelings of personal safety on Arriva buses, a 12 per cent improvement in response to questions about the frequency of services and a seven per cent increase in satisfaction about the cleanliness of bus exteriors.

Arriva has pointed out that the survey took place before its recent Polish and Promote initiative to improve the cleanliness of its buses and ahead of the roll out of new gas buses in the town.

John Rochford, area manager for Arriva in Darlington, said: “We are looking to invest in Darlington and give people a better service.

“The survey showed us that people really value good heating and ventilation on the buses. The views on the frequency of the buses were also much improved and we think that is down to the new North Road bus priority scheme and also we’ve made a few tweaks to our timetable elsewhere.

“Customers want buses that are punctual and reliable and that’s our main focus. We want to improve all the time and it’s something we are constantly working on.”

Nick Knox, area managing director for Arriva North East, said: “This improvement is the direct result of hard work by our employees across the network and we were really delighted to receive this report. 

“While these results are very pleasing, we are never complacent and we have many more improvements in the pipeline. We want to make sure that our service is the very best we can deliver.”