Abra Services win commuters satisfaction, 14% increase reported

"The survey took place during the period from the first of April up to the end of June 2008. Customer satisfaction was measured through live interviews made with the public, applying key indicators to measure customer satisfaction with the service"

said Husain Ali Al Saffar, Director of Operation & Maintenance at RTA Marine Agency.

"These standards are based on the smoothness of data collection, employee performance & attitudes, service efficiency & quality, overall appearance of the abra, cleanliness of the station, and waiting seats, as well as security, health & safety measures in place."

"The key result highlighted in this survey is that the current satisfaction rate reached 74% compared to 60% achieved in last year 2007. Customers satisfied with motorized abra service hit 88%; a trend which reflects the improvement of service & employee performance and contributes to the overall satisfaction with the service.

"The survey also revealed that 91% of commuters, who use abra at difference frequencies during the week, are among the permanent users of this service; a matter which adds greater credibility to their views and reflects to a large extent customer satisfaction in real terms. Around 66.5% of satisfied customers surveyed in the sample said that the main underlying factor of their satisfaction is the efficiency & effectiveness of the service. In particular, this included the short time span taken to board the boat, the service is worthy of the fare paid, easy access to seats, short waiting time, and the thrill & fun in transit.

"Key suggestions made by commuters included increasing the number of life jackets, introducing a ticketing or transit card system, providing suitable sunshades, providing & organizing toilets & seating at stations, improving abra night lights, banning smoking in transit, increasing the number of Friday trips, and widening the alighting walkway of passengers.

"The survey covered 82% male and 18% female commuters. Asian nationalities topped the list and accounted for 72% of all users (754 users), followed by Arab nationalities: 11% (116 users), western nationalities: 9% (95 users), other nationalities: 7% (74 users), and UAE nationals: 1% (11 users).

"The main purpose for using the abra varied among users. Some of them cited the need to go to work: 32% (340 passengers), others reported various reasons such as: go home: 25% (259 passengers), private business: 14% (147 passengers), shopping: 8% (89 passengers), and tourists: 7% (70%).