Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Acknowledged
Analyse complaint data to identify systemic issues and report quarterly on service improvements.
Recommendation
Users of such a service must receive assurance that information about complaints and failures is being aggregated and used proactively to improve systems and services, not just to effect redress to the individual. In order to achieve this, the Department should: • analyse information gathered through this mechanism both to hold operators to account for resolving specific problems promptly, and to enable systemic issues and trends to be identified and addressed; and • report quarterly on what issues have been resolved and services improved as a result. (Recommendation, Paragraph 106)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the complexity of complaints and has worked to improve information for disabled people. It commits to undertaking further work to explore and assess how complaints processes can be simplified, including mapping processes with stakeholders to identify how data use and transparency can be captured, collated, and published.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The inquiry highlighted the complexity of complaints processes across transport modes and operators, and the Department has already been working with disabled people’s representative groups to improve the information available to people about their rights and where to seek redress. The Department partnered with the charity Scope to support their production of Right to Ride a one-stop transport rights guide that covers all land based public transport that operates in Great Britain including train, bus, coach, taxi and private hire vehicles. The Department will undertake further work to explore how complaints processes and escalation routes could be simplified through internal review and collaboration with relevant bodies. It is intended that this work will focus on how it may be possible to improve signposting people to the right channels and reduce the burden on individuals in having to navigate complex systems. This work presents an opportunity to consider how improved complaints systems may also benefit operators through more efficient processes and complaints handling, supporting a virtuous circle of transparency, efficiency, and accountability. The Department has begun work to assess the efficacy of current bus complaints pathways, and it is our intention to engage Transport Focus and other relevant complaints and dispute resolution bodies to map complaints processes and identify potential areas to achieve better efficiencies, including how data use and transparency can be captured, collated and published to promote accountability.