26 March 2014

Go-Ahead Group welcomes bus passenger satisfaction results from customer watchdog organisation, Passenger Focus. Go-Ahead's bus operating company Go North East obtained an impressive 90 per cent overall satisfaction from its customers in the latest National Bus Passenger survey conducted by last autumn.

The levels of customer satisfaction of the company which operates in Tyne and Wear are higher than the national average of 88%, and also higher than any other of the five major metropolitan areas of England.

Kevin Carr, managing director of Go North East, said: "This independent survey of bus users is a tremendous vote of confidence from our passengers. Go North East has invested more than £22 million in more than 100 brand new, state-of-the-art vehicles and opened a brand new depot in Gateshead at a cost of more than £8 million. These investments have clearly been noticed by our passengers.

Mr Carr added: "The figures are also a tribute to the dedication and effort put in on a daily basis by our 2,000 employees who work hard to provide our customers with the highest levels of customer service."
ENDS.

For further information, please contact:

The Go-Ahead Group

Sarah Boundy, Group Corporate Communications Director                  07808 568 667

sarah.boundy@go-ahead.com

www.go-ahead.com

Go-Ahead

Go-Ahead is a leading UK public transport operator, providing high quality services in the bus and rail sectors. Employing around 23,500 people across the country, over one billion passenger journeys are undertaken on our services each year. We are committed to operating our companies in a safe, socially and environmentally responsible way and are proud to have been reaccredited with Carbon Trust Standard after taking action on climate change. In addition to the travelling public, our customers include the Department for Transport, Transport for London (TfL) and local authorities.

BUS

Go-Ahead is one of the UK's largest bus operators. With a fleet of around 4,400 buses, we carry nearly two million passengers every day. Our operations are focused on high density commuter markets. We have a strong presence in London, with around 24 per cent market share, where we provide regulated services for TfL. We operate deregulated services in Oxford, East Anglia, the South East, Southern and North East England. We also have a small yellow school bus joint venture in North America.

RAIL

The rail operation, Govia, is 65 per cent owned by Go-Ahead and 35 per cent by Keolis. It is the busiest rail operation in the UK, responsible for nearly 30 per cent of all UK passenger rail journeys through its three rail franchises: Southern (which includes the Gatwick Express), Southeastern and London Midland. In December 2009, Southeastern began operating the UK's first high speed domestic rail service between Kent and London, significantly reducing journey times.

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