Metro falling short on customer service

Numerous calls to the Metro system's helpline have not been responded to, particularly outside of office hours. Opposition Liberal Democrats have called on public transport operator Nexus to make a statement on how many calls using Metro station Help Points have gone unanswered in the last year.

The Lib Dems have turned a spotlight on the issue after recent reports of late night anti social behaviour and violent disturbances on the network, particularly on the St James - Coast service.

Many stations are not staffed, particularly in the evenings, leaving the Help Point system as the primary means of alerting staff to concerns, as well as provision of travel information.

Lib Dem transport spokesman Cllr Greg Stone said:

"We are concerned by reports from passengers that calls to the Help Points are often going unanswered. We believe this is a clear safety risk for passengers who may feel vulnerable at night from anti-social or criminal behaviour, and may also cause inconvenience for passengers who require travel information. We recognise it is not possible to staff every station at all times, but the Help Point system should be a fallback to ensure passenger safety at all times.

We call on Nexus and NECA's transport lead member Cllr Nick Forbes to confirm that they are aware of shortfalls in Help Point service cover, and we challenge them to set out what they are doing to address the situation. Allowing Help Point calls to go unanswered is in our view a dereliction of their responsibility to passengers."