Passenger focus in an infrastructure boom

In a sector that is so necessarily infrastructure focussed, it is critical to take a step back and understand passenger level needs. Developing passenger focussed solutions increases satisfaction levels, encourages more frequent rail travel and fosters public support for infrastructure investment.

“Perhaps most important is that we should recognise that it is no longer appropriate to entirely break up planning and design into unconnected segments…all are inextricably linked…and in a passengers mind it is simply interconnected parts of the same journey.”
-Philip Drake

How do we detect a public transport passenger in need? How do we detect a passenger that is so upset with the transport services that next time they will travel by car - no matter the cost? For the most part we cannot. What we can do however is try to ensure it never gets to that point.

For operators and public transport developers, meeting the needs of their consumers is increasingly difficult. Passengers are better informed of choices, more demanding of value, more attuned to international standards and more technologically needy than at any time in history. What hope do operators have to keep passengers satisfied and supportive?

Moreover, in a sector that is so necessarily infrastructure focussed, how do we get back to understanding passenger level needs? I sometimes get the impression that developers forget why all this infrastructure is important. Have we lost focus on the passenger experience?

Customer Satisfaction

The question then is how do we ensure customer satisfaction, reduce complaints, encourage more frequent rail travel over private vehicles and foster public support for further rail infrastructure investments.

It's a broad and often difficult goal to aim for and the clear need here is for a passenger focussed solution. Further, in a heavily engineered and regulated transport sector a solution which successfully delivers operator and safety essentials seamlessly with value attributes that raise customer satisfaction. There are some factors that can have a major influence here, factors that are at the heart of the passenger focussed solution.

Perhaps most important is that we should recognise that it is no longer appropriate to entirely break up planning and design into unconnected segments. Certainly we have a tendency to leave the carriage to engineers and industrial designers and expect the stations to be looked after by architects and interior designers and so on through the process. But all are inextricably linked. The passengers do not necessarily appreciate the complexity of the separation - in a passengers mind it is simply interconnected parts of the same journey.

A coordinating approach between the all parts can be the best place to start and ideally this extends outwards to the station precinct, cross modal links and localised transport oriented developments. So to start planning with a passenger focused solution there are two strategies which become important.

Virtual Journeys

The first is imagining the many passenger journeys door to door. Try to map out the science and psychology of passenger movements from well before the station approaches through to boarding, then the actual journey and the exit process. Are entrances clear, are cross modal connections easy, are travel choices and options well communicated, are there food offers when appropriate, toilets when needed, clear options for those with luggage, bicycles or wheelchairs, assistance for the elderly or consideration to families with infants or prams. Remembering also that the journey does not finish as they exit the train. There are still issues such as re-orientation, directional wayfinding, ongoing connections and possibly even establishing the timetable for a return journey. All these needs must be considered as part of the passenger experience.

The Value Equation

The second strategy is to understand what represents value to the passenger and thinking about how much can be included in the journey. Remember here that price is not the only thing passengers use to assess value.

So in the rail sector for example, safety is considered mandatory, as is on-time operation. These are just minimum expectations, a duty if you like, and pre-empt any consideration of a value equation. Comfort is a starting point but needs to be well beyond the minimum before it even registers. Above average bathrooms also play a huge role in the perceptions of customer care. Clear hierarchical communication and real time information, food options, news or entertainment access and technology support are also areas that can raise the perceived value, both on the train and in stations. 

Similarly the interior design of both carriages and stations can play a major role in adding to usability, accessibility and addressing needs beyond the average passenger. In the past, durability has usually been a top priority, often at the expense of comfort and usability.  This is no longer acceptable with passengers. Nor is the "one size fits all" model. With a variety of physical, technological or journey needs, passengers will expect that the transport designed for them will account for those various needs. These are the aspects that go into the passenger's value equation and contribute to satisfaction. 

Passenger Experience Master Plan

So from a base that considers the one common element to every transport business, the passenger journey, addressing that journey in detail from start to finish will identify what a passenger needs and at which point in the journey that becomes important to them.  It is a way to overview the journey with a focus on the passenger experience.

We recommend actually starting the planning process not with a development master plan, but with a passenger experience master plan. It is in fact a plan to design your "end product". Then, extrapolating from that product plan, conceive how to deliver this experience using the infrastructure that will be built or improving what exists.

Such a unified approach will address inconsistencies in the travel experience and identify key links that need to be built between the various stages of a journey. Only then, with the end in mind should, the ongoing development be broken down to its parts for implementation within the core brief on achieving the passenger experience outcomes.

Human Solutions

In our work at ADG Transport Environments we recognise that infrastructure dependant sectors need to step back frequently and take stock of the human elements. Not by simply averaging ergonomic and demographic data, but by understanding passenger needs and taking stock of what is perceived as value to the public.

Within that framework we can provide solutions in two ways. We either work with existing consultants and suppliers, both in carriage design and station or TOD planning to permeate that linked overview, testing each step for solutions that advance the passenger experience. Alternatively we can undertake the design development within our team of user-focussed architects, interior designers, industrial designers, signage and visual communication designers.

To our way of thinking it's about focus and while there is such a boom in infrastructure, you may need someone on the team focussed on the human solutions.

If you would like to learn more about our approach or how we can provide solutions that improve customer satisfaction, please contact us on info@adgtransport.com.au or visit www.adgtransport.com.au