The coach industry needs to dismantle negative public perceptions if it is to gain a much greater share of the market for travel to and from airports. So says Transport Focus in research it has produced for Heathrow Airport and the Department for Transport to understand how the coach travel option is perceived by users and non-users and how airports could increase the proportion of air passengers using public transport.
‘Persuading more people to go to an airport by public transport will require a joined up strategy from airports and transport operators,’ it says. ‘Encouraging much greater use of coach will need a wider focus from governments and many others along with a significant change in public perceptions.’ The survey sought the opinions of 5,009 air passengers using 12 airports across England, five of them around London. Of these, 53% said they either drove their car or were dropped off by car on their last airport trip, while only 4% used a scheduled coach, making this an extremely niche product at present.
The five factors most likely to determine which mode they choose are 24hr availability, reliability, comfort, convenience and value for money. The price of airport parking is one of the bi…
