Aberdeen

First Roadshow Leaves Cove Delighted

"Another productive and successful event with lots of terrific feedback" is how city bus operator, First in Aberdeen, is describing its latest 'Delight the Customer' roadshow, which took place in Cove on 18 February.

A number of residents in the local community turned out to speak to representatives from First including Managing Director George Mair, and took the opportunity to let the company know what they thought of its bus services.

The majority of those who attended praised the terrific bus services the area enjoys during the day thanks to services 3 and 21, which both operate every ten minutes throughout the day. However, many people raised the issue of introducing evening and Sunday bus services between Cove and the city centre.

"This is exactly the kind of feedback these sessions are designed to generate", said Mr Mair. "We need to know what our passengers are looking for and where they think we can improve - that's not to say that we will be able to deliver on that 100 per cent of the time, but we will certainly take a look at all suggestions put forward.

"For example, during our Cove 'Delight the Customers' event, we gave a commitment to looking at the potential for extending services in this area. We said that if we see sufficient growth to sustain an enhancement to the level of service we currently provide in Cove, then this would encourage us to allocate additional resources and make evening or Sunday services a reality at some point in the future.

"The event also gave us a chance to explain the challenges we face in delivering an efficient bus network across the city, and the opportunity for two-way dialogue was fantastic. Following on from our first 'Delight the Customers' in Newhills last month, this was another productive and successful event with lots of terrific feedback."

A number of other issues were also highlighted during the Cove session, which will be taken forward by the company, and many people commented on First's drivers - many of whom were recognised for the terrific job they do.

Mr Mair concluded: "Our passengers have a vital role to play in helping us plan and develop our network of services in the city, so it's great to have the opportunity to get out there and speak to them, as well as potential passengers, and that's what Delight the Customers is all about.

"We hear many things during our sessions and one of the key points I have made at both Newhills and Cove is that passengers need to let us know when they have an issue with the company - that is the only way we can do anything to address it.

"We genuinely value all the feedback we receive and I would like to thank all those who took the time to come along and see us in Cove. I am especially pleased that some passengers took the time to tell us how much they liked our services, our drivers and the roadshow itself, which is very encouraging.

"I hope to hear equally positive and constructive comments at our next 'Delight the Customers' in the city centre."

The dates and locations for the remainder of the Delight the Customer events for 2009 have now been confirmed as follows:

18th March - The Academy, City Centre

22nd April - Byron Square, Northfield

20th May - Medical Centre, Oscar Road, Torry

24th June - 3 Lums, Summerhill

22nd July - The Academy, City Centre

19th August - Asda Shopping Centre, Dyce

23rd September - Mastrick Shops, Mastrick

21st October - Kingswells Shops, Kingswells

18th November - North Donside Road, Bridge of Don

15th December - The Academy, City Centre