FAMILIAR faces, punctuality and good value for money are just some of the reasons the people of Nottingham have voted their bus services the best in the country.
Nottingham has come top in the latest Bus Passenger Survey, published by independent watchdog Passenger Focus.
It shows that bus passengers in the city were the most satisfied overall in the country, with 92 per cent saying they were pleased with the service they received.
Jeff Cawthorne, 80, of Wollaton, waiting to catch his bus home from Upper Parliament Street yesterday afternoon, said: "The buses are fairly good for me. I don't use the buses that often but when I do, I'm always satisfied with the service. They are on time and efficient and easily accessible."
Nottingham came miles above other towns in the survey, which revealed that passengers in Milton Keynes were the least happy, with only 73 per cent of people saying they were satisfied.
Overall satisfaction averaged 84 per cent.
Satisfaction with value for money ranged from 30 per cent to 70 per cent, averaging out at 54 per cent.
Kim Brampton, 54, of Broxtowe, also catching a bus from Upper Parliament Street yesterday, said the main reason she caught the number 35 was because she could rely on it.
She said: "I don't have a car, so I rely on the buses. The drivers are pretty friendly and my buses are reliable and on time. Being top in this survey is a nice thing for Nottingham to have achieved."
Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith hoped the survey encouraged bus providers to improve their standards and pointed to Nottingham as the benchmark.
He said: "We hope this report will be a call to action for transport authorities and bus companies to better work together to improve things for passengers.
"In particular, they should closely examine how the high level of passenger satisfaction in places like Nottingham, Oxfordshire and Devon has been achieved, and then look to replicate it."
