Delegates from across the bus and coach sector met at the inaugural CILT Busmark Member Meeting in London in November for presentations highlighting the value of benchmarking.

Busmark has been developed by bus and coach operators specifically for the industry. More than 28 operators have already joined and collectively, these companies operate more than 8,000 vehicles.

Austin Birks, chair of the CILT Bus & Coach Forum, said: 'When we launched in May we set a target of eight companies and now, as we approach 30 operators, this scheme is demonstrating the sector's desire to engage with and become involved in something that we haven't had before.

'Busmark is evolving and it is something that when the value starts to get realised you will really begin to feel that there is real strength in the sector.'

The results from Busmark's primary survey revealed:

  • 576 vehicles from the 27 fleets surveyed used hybrid, gas or fully electric power
  • Average age of fleet vehicle is incredibly low at just 6.1 years
  • Companies had an average of 89% customer satisfaction
  • 50% of companies have on board wi-fi and 25% offer mobile ticketing

Martijn Gilbert, CEO of Reading Buses, said: 'The development of Busmark will enable us to learn from the data provided and use those findings to not only make our own businesses better but also improve and innovate our sector.

'The beauty of Busmark is that it is relevant to our industry; it is the first bespoke, all-encompassing measuring framework that is relevant to our sector. This is an opportunity for operators to drive improvement as one, a chance for us all to get under the skin of things and ask how we can collectively work together to share and improve.'

The meeting took place at the London office of Busmark's gold sponsor Marsh, in Tower Hill. CILT chief executive Steve Agg said: 'I'd like to thank Marsh for sponsoring Busmark. Their commitment to Busmark will be a great help to us and enable the benchmarking scheme to be set up, established and maintained.'