Dialogue for progress

Passengers are the best people to voice expectations and ideas about how transit services can be improved. However, methods must be organized and deployed regularly to gather passenger feedback.

Veolia Transport has taken a hands-on approach for the past few years and rolled out a series of methods to do just that. In 2009, Veolia Transport decided to accelerate its use of customer satisfaction surveys: over the next two years, 90% of the transportation systems we manage must have a passenger satisfaction survey conducted by an outside organization.

In addition, focus group studies and service testing are conducted on a regular basis. With projections that 30% of Europeans will be over the age of 60 in 2030, the senior segment has received particular attention. As a result, maps and schedules have been made easier to read, vehicles have become more comfortable and we have made suggestions to public authorities about ways of improving their sidewalks and bus stops. It is also important to understand, test and measure the relationship between passengers, their travel needs and information technology. That is the task of Veolia Hi Lab, the conceptual laboratory that deciphers what drives or deters technology adoption. For the launch of our Veloway services, for example, ethnographic and ergonomic studies, mainly using cameras, were conducted locally to see how users reacted to these services.

By combining these methods and comparing the results for different systems and countries, Veolia Transport can deploy its best practices to serve passengers and transit authorities.

Our drivers, sales agency staff and customer service center agents are our company's ambassadors, building its success as they perform their day-to-day work. They must therefore be given support in delivering high-quality service. That is the purpose of the customer-focused training and culture change program Going for Green, which Veolia Transport has been deploying over the past five years.

So far, 10,000 employees in 10 countries have applied the principles of this training, which is designed to improve the comfort and well-being of passengers through greater attention to their needs. This interaction is extended through initiatives such as the "General Manager for a Day" contest set up for the 19,000 customers of the Boston commuter rail system. The prize for the winner was to spend a day with the system's general manager.

The Meet the Managers program serves a similar purpose, and has so far been rolled out in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. While in transit, Veolia Transport passengers are invited to talk to the managers from the system and transit authority. The program has led to improvements in the services based on the concrete needs expressed by passengers.

In Auckland, New Zealand, the program was part of a multi-million dollar project to revitalize the city's rail system. Some of the measures that resulted were new public information equipment, the introduction of passenger information agents in the main stations and the introduction of new measures targeting anti-social behavior.

A lot can be learned from a complaint. In complaints handling, statements of dissatisfaction and protest must be carefully recorded, the causes analyzed and corrective measures taken. Customers must also be assured of a rapid and personal reply. All these issues are addressed by an exclusive complaints handling program that Veolia Transport has named Listen.

Inspired by best practices in industries with high customer service standards, such as telecommunications and airlines, "Listen" enables the classification and rapid, personal handling of complaints. The program was first deployed in Dublin's LUAS system, where customer satisfaction rose from 59% to 78%. Based on this success, the program will be deployed in eight other countries. This customer-focused approach to continuous improvement in services requires real involvement from managers.

Veolia Transport has therefore developed MUST, the Marketing University for Superior Transportation, which exclusively targets our systems' managers and directors. These commitments and initiatives reflect Veolia Transport's Vision and its objective of setting the standard for customized mobility solutions.