South-east Queensland train commuters are fed up with everything from cleanliness and affordability to the location of their station, as the rail fail prompts users to condemn all aspects of the beleaguered operator.
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One month after the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line, which led to ongoing cancellations due to a driver shortage - including more than 100 on October 21 - train commuters were surveyed on a range of aspects of their ride.
The results were not good.
Train commuters were the least happy users in every category they were surveyed on by TransLink in November - below bus and ferry commuters.
And every category suffered drops from the previous month, even seemingly unrelated aspects, such as "proximity" - convenience of available routes, distances from stops and stations and proximity of Go Card outlets - which was given a rating of 70 out of 100 in November. The previous month it was 74.
Satisfaction levels of 75 and above are considered "best practice", while 60 and above is considered "satisfactory".
Overall satisfaction for November received a score of 66 (down from 71 in October), safety and security was 74 (down from 79), reliability and frequency was 63 (down from 70), comfort was 65 (down from 70) and efficiency was 68 (down from 73).
Information – ability to understand on board and at-station information, timetable and journey planning information – dropped from a score of 73 in October to 64 in November.
Affordability sunk to a dismal score of 45 in November, from 50 in October.
Even ease of use – including understanding ticketing, using Go Cards, finding stops – decreased to 75 from 80 the month before.
It shows how Queensland Rail's failures in terms of train cancellations has led to an across-the-board perception problem.
QUT marketing expert Associate Professor Gary Mortimer said a crisis could make people overly sensitive towards other aspects of the business.
"Things are noticed and reported more sensitively, we become more sensitive towards every element if there's a level of criticism directed at an organisation," Dr Mortimer said.
But Dr Mortimer said time healed all wounds, even in PR disasters.
"They need to come out and clearly articulate the error of their ways, accept responsibility and put a program in place to resolve the matter," he said.
"The Queensland government and QR will fix the problems associated with the drivers, they'll bring more drivers on and the timetable will come back online and in six months' time, it'll be old news and no one will care."
Opposition Transport spokesman Andrew Powell said commuters were fed up.
"And now we have the data to prove it," Mr Powell said.
"Every single customer satisfaction rating for trains has fallen.
"Unfortunately for commuters, we're set for another two years of service cuts and packed trains."
Transport Minister Jackie Trad said the Palaszczuk government was focused on fixing the trains and delivering better services for south-east Queenslanders.
"We have committed to implementing all 36 recommendations of the Strachan Inquiry and have established a watchdog to oversee Queensland Rail's sweeping reforms," Ms Trad said.
Ms Trad said the government was serious about investing in jobs to ensure it had enough new drivers and guards to run the network.
"We have also rolled out Fairer Fares for commuters in January - slashing fares, reducing zones and making it more affordable for commuters to travel on public transport," she said.
