Arriva’s Better Bus Ride picks up top industry award

Arriva, Denmark’s largest bus operator and best performing rail operator, has picked up a top transport industry award for putting its customers and employees first.

The company was presented the 2011 Transport Achievement Award from The International Transport Forum (ITF) for its Bedre Bustur (Better Bus Ride) project in Denmark.

The project in Copenhagen, which is underpinned by an innovative partnership with the local transport authority Movia, features a series of campaigns aimed at improving the customer experience of bus travel and developing positive and engaging relationships between passengers and employees.

One of the campaigns ‘Love on the bus’ saw frontline bus drivers presented with cards and flowers on their birthdays. A surprise birthday celebration for one driver was captured on film and posted on YouTube, which attracted attention from across the world with almost three million hits.

Judges said they were impressed by the company’s broad people focus, including customers and employees. They recognised that the focus on increased communication between employees and customers contributed to ongoing service improvements, delivering greater comfort and satisfaction.

Thomas Øster, managing director of Arriva Danmark, said: “It is fantastic that our Better Bus Ride project has been recognised in such a way. It is a great tribute to all our employees who have given their hearts and souls to providing passengers with great daily travel experiences – and have succeeded in doing so.”

As well as raising awareness of the improved travel experience and better satisfaction and respect between passengers and employees on a national scale, the initiative was successful in growing passenger numbers by seven per cent across five Arriva bus lines during 2010. Passenger numbers on the first line have risen by 32 per cent since 2008.

David Evans, managing director - Arriva Mainland Europe, said: “With this award the judges have recognised Arriva’s commitment to our transport authority clients, customers and employees. While we are an international transport provider with operations in 11 countries we are a local operator and employer wherever we work. This award highlights our focus on delivering the transport needs of local people and communities and the value we place in our employees and the role they play in our success.”

The award was presented at a ceremony held in Leipzig, Germany on 26 May.

Arriva’s Fastrack service, based in Kent, UK, was recognised for outstanding innovation at the 2010 International Transport Forum (ITF) / International Association of Public Transport (UITP) awards.