Official Statistics

This page provides information and links to our compliance arrangements with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics and with the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008.

Passenger Focus and the Code of Practice for Official Statistics

The UK Statistics Authority published the Code of Practice for Official Statistics in January 2009. The Code applies to all bodies that are responsible for official statistics and compliance is a statutory requirement where statistics have been designated as National Statistics.

The UK Statistics Authority has decided that the output of the National Passenger Survey (NPS) produced by Passenger Focus will be classed as official statistics and, dependent on the outcome of assessment against the Code, may be designated National Statistics. The possible designation of other statistics produced by Passenger Focus is currently under review.

Passenger Focus has reviewed the NPS against the Principles and Protocols specified in the Code and has established that, while the NPS complies in many areas, it is not fully compliant. Passenger Focus has therefore produced an action plan detailing the steps that are being taken in working towards full compliance in the expectation that the NPS will be designated National Statistics following assessment (the action plan is available on request).

On 1 April 2009, Passenger Focus took over responsibility for the Bus Mystery Traveller Survey (BMTS) from the Department for Transport, and responsibility for the Bus Passenger Satisfaction Survey (BPSS) on 1 April 2010. The outputs from both surveys are already designated National Statistics. Passenger Focus recognises its responsibility to continue to observe the requirements of the Code with respect to these two surveys.

Statement of compliance with the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008

The statement is published in conformity with the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008 which was approved by Parliament under Section 11 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and which came into effect on 1 December 2008.

The statement sets out Passenger Focus's operational arrangements for giving the Chief Executive and his close officials pre-release access to the organisation's own official statistics once they are in their final form prior to publication.

These arrangements are designed to ensure that such access is justified, limited, controlled and publicised and complies with statutory requirements. Their purpose is to maintain public confidence in the integrity of official statistics while also allowing the Chief Executive to account immediately for the implications of statistics covering policy or operational areas for which he is responsible. 

Click here to view 'Passenger Focus's statement of compliance with the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008', and 'Definitional notes'.

National Passenger Survey

We consult over 50,000 passengers a year to produce the National Passenger Survey - a network-wide picture of passengers' satisfaction with rail travel. Passenger opinions of train services are collected twice a year from a representative sample of journeys.

Passengers' overall satisfaction and satisfaction with 30 specific aspects of service can, therefore, be compared over time.

• Click here to view the NPS 'Results documents'
• Click here to view the NPS 'Individual train operating company report documents'
• Click here to view the NPS Spring 2010 'Official Statistics press release'
• Click here to view the NPS 'Supporting documents'
• Click here to view information on 'NPS release dates'
• Click here to view information on NPS 'Pre-release access lists'
• Click here to view a 'Review of NPS'

Bus Mystery Traveller Survey

In April 2009 Passenger Focus assumed responsibility from the Department for Transport for the Bus Mystery Traveller Survey (BMTS).

This is an ongoing survey to monitor and record changes in the quality of local bus services. Trained assessors undertake journeys on over 4800 bus services a year and rate them on a number of aspects, including punctuality, cleanliness and driving standards. The survey is currently undertaken on local bus services in nine areas in England (the six Passenger Transport Executives, plus Bristol, Leicester and Nottingham).

A minimum of 1200 bus journeys are assessed each quarter and the survey represents typical patterns of bus usage, by day of week and time of day. 

The survey has been running since 2006-07 and we will continue to publish the findings from the survey according to the release dates below.

The BMTS is published twice a year, an annual report and an interim report (covering results from quarter 1 and quarter 2) . The proposed release dates are as follows:

• Interim report 2010/2011 - October 2010
• Annual report 2010/2011 - May 2011

Please click on the links below to view recent BMTS research:

BMTS Q2 2009 - 2010 report (revised 10 February 2010)

BMTS annual results 2008 - 2009 (revised 1 February 2010)

BMTS annual results 2009 - 2010

Bus Passenger Satisfaction Survey

In April 2010 Passenger Focus assumed responsibility from the Department for Transport for the Bus Passenger Satisfaction Survey (BPSS).

This is an ongoing survey to monitor and record passenger satisfaction with local bus services.  Interviews are conducted with over 11,000 passengers per year at bus stops and stations across England (excluding London). Passengers are asked to rate their satisfaction with several aspects of the journey they have just undertaken, including the bus stop environment and ‘on the bus’ factors, as well as giving a rating of their overall experience of using the bus.

A minimum of 2800 interviews with passengers are completed each quarter and the survey is representative of typical patterns of bus usage, by day of week and time of day. The survey provides a reliable measure of bus passenger satisfaction at a national and regional level.

The survey has been in existence since April 2000, following the announcement by Government at the bus summit in November 1999 that it would carry out regular surveys to monitor user perceptions of local bus services. We will continue to publish the findings from the survey according to the release dates below.

The BPSS is published on a quarterly and an annual basis. The first report authored by Passenger Focus will contain data from Quarters 2 and 3 2010/11.

The proposed release dates are as follows:

• Quarter 2 2010/11 and Quarter 3 2010/11 (combined report) – 23 September 2010
• Quarter 4 2010/11 – February 2011
• Quarter 1 2011/12 – May 2011
• Annual results 2010/11 – May 2011

Links to latest results and other BPSS supporting documents will be made available in due course.

Monitoring compliance

The Head of Research at Passenger Focus has established procedures to monitor compliance. Any cases of failure to comply will be scrupulously investigated and a full report will be made to the National Statistician without delay, where a serious breach has occured. The National Statistician will report regularly on compliance with the Code of Practice. This Statement of Compliance will be kept up to date.