Are You Being Served?

The second Transport Focus annual survey of motorway service areas found that truck drivers are distinctly less happy with them than other road users. So what could – or should – be done about it?

- Dan Parton

For drivers on the M25, Thurrock Services, between junctions 30 and 31, is a familiar landmark, but not always for the right reasons. The motorway service area (MSA) was recently voted worst in the country in a poll of drivers by transport watchdog Transport Focus.

The poll took in the views of more than 9500 MSA users – not just truck drivers – at 111 of the 112 MSAs across England.

Thurrock Services’ operator, Moto, also owns the MSA voted the second-worst in this year’s survey (see box), although the company points out that both were undergoing refurbishment when the poll was being carried out and would score better if it was carried out now.

At the other end of the spectrum, Norton Canes services, on the M6 Toll, came out on top of the survey, with customers giving it a 100% satisfaction rating.

Overall, MSAs had a 92% satisfaction rate from customers. In particular, 89% of visitors were satisfied with the cleanliness of toilet facilities across all of the sites, while just 66% believed the available food and drink was good value for money.

Satisfaction rates among professional drivers were up by 4% year-on-year to 88%, but the group remains the least happy with the facilities of all users. The highest rated of these aspects was the ability to rest in their vehicle, which 70% of respondents said were very good or fairly good. The lowest-rated aspect was value for money of the parking package – rated very or fairly good by only 50% – although this was 3% up on last year.

Other perennial problems for truck drivers were also highlighted, such as showers. Only 66% said their cleanliness was very or fairly good, while just 57% rated the number of showers as very or fairly good. One respondent to the survey said: “Need to cater more for women lorry drivers. Some services don’t have showers for women.”