Concessionary Travel - Customer Feedback Research Year Two Report

APPENDIX 2: FOCUS GROUP TOPIC GUIDE

Concessionary Travel Focus Group Discussion Guide

Year Two

90 minutes

Introductions (5 minutes)

Facilitator introduces research and reminds participants about confidentiality and anonymity. Ask all participants to introduce themselves and give brief intro to their Concessionary Travel Card history.

  • Name
  • Local to the area?
  • How long had a Concessionary Travel Card?
  • What type of card they hold

1. Current use of Concessionary Travel Card (20 minutes)

Facilitator to find out the types of usage of the Concessionary Travel Card and the circumstances in which a Concessionary Travel Card is used.

  • Where do you use your card? (bus, ferry, etc)
  • How frequently are you using the card? (daily, weekly, less often?)
  • When are you travelling? Daytime? weekends? evenings?
  • When using your card is it mostly for Social/Pleasure/Business?
  • What sort of distances are you travelling when you use the card? Is it travelling in your local area, or do you use it to travel further away?
  • Have you ever experienced any problems when using your card to access transport? (Probe fully - including photos on card, reader not working, issues with drivers?)

2. Administration and management (5 minutes)

  • How did you find out about the Concessionary Travel Card scheme?
  • Describe the process of getting your first NEC card? Any issues?

3. Misuse (15minutes)

  • Have you come across examples of anyone abusing the concessionary travel scheme - this can be cardholders, bus operators or anyone else?
  • In what circumstances were people misusing the scheme? What should the punishments be?
  • What is the scale of the fraud? Is it widespread or isolated incidents?
  • Does anyone have more than one NEC card? (Probe fully - why?)
  • (If no examples - do you think the card scheme is open to misuse? Why/why not?)
  • Are you aware you can report misuse to Transport Scotland through their hotline? (probe if anyone used this hotline? Aware of it? Would you use it?)
  • What do you think Transport Scotland do when misuse is reported?

4. Value of the Concessionary Travel Card (25minutes)

  • What are the benefits of using the card? What are the most important aspects for you?
  • What difference has the card made to you? (physical health, quality of life, financial savings, etc)
  • Without this scheme, what would your circumstances be? (would you still be able to get out of the house/work, etc. Probe fully)
  • Has having a NEC card changed the method of transport you use to travel?
  • Without the card do you think you would.....? (probe: make more use of other public transport, of taxis, take the car more, rely on friends and family, go out less often).

(Activity) - Ask participants to establish the important elements of the concessionary travel card scheme and to rank them in order as a group, using flash cards (if appropriate) For example: What are the important elements of the scheme? Which is the most important to you? Rank in order of importance...e.g.., allows independence, saving money.....

5. Satisfaction with the Scheme (15 minutes)

  • How satisfied are you overall with the Concessionary Travel Card scheme? (ask open and probe fully...why do you say that?)
  • (Activity) - ask participants to rate on a scale of one to five, where one is poor and five is excellent, their satisfaction with the following aspects of the scheme:
    • Applying for a card
    • Information on Local Authorities website
    • Your experience of using the card for bus travel generally
    • Your experience of using the card for train or ferry travel generally
    • Your experience of using the card for other leisure and culture services
    • (Other - based on findings from discussion)
  • Do you have any suggestions for ways the scheme could be improved in the future?

6 Thank and Close (5 minutes)

  • Any other final comments from participants.

Facilitator to thank participants and remind them their comments will remain anonymous. Remind participants this information will be aggregated with other focus group participant comments to inform a report for Transport Scotland.

Concessionary Travel Focus Group Discussion Guide

Year Two

Epilepsy Scotland

90 minutes

Introductions (5 minutes)

Facilitator introduces research and reminds participants about confidentiality and anonymity. Ask all participants to introduce themselves and give brief intro to their Concessionary Travel Card history.

  • Name
  • Local to the area?
  • How long had a Concessionary Travel Card?
  • What type of card they hold

1. Administration and management (5 minutes)

  • How did you find out about the Concessionary Travel Card scheme?
  • Describe the process of getting your first NEC card? Any issues?

2. Current use of Concessionary Travel Card (20 minutes)

Facilitator to find out the types of usage of the Concessionary Travel Card and the circumstances in which a Concessionary Travel Card is used.

  • Where do you use your card? (bus, ferry, etc)
  • How frequently are you using the card? (daily, weekly, less often?)
  • When are you travelling? Daytime? weekends? evenings?
  • Does anyone travel with you when you're out? (mum/dad/support organisation?)
  • What sort of distances are you travelling when you use the card? Is it travelling in your local area, or do you use it to travel further away?
  • Have you ever experienced any problems when using your card to access transport? (Probe fully - including photos on card, reader not working, issues with drivers?)

Draw me a picture of you on the bus, using your card.

3. Misuse (15minutes)

  • Have you come across examples of anyone abusing the concessionary travel scheme - this can be cardholders, bus operators or anyone else?
  • In what circumstances were people misusing the scheme? What should the punishments be?
  • What is the scale of the fraud? Is it widespread or isolated incidents?
  • Does anyone have more than one NEC card? (Probe fully - why?)
  • (If no examples - do you think the card scheme is open to misuse? Why/why not?)
  • Are you aware you can report misuse to Transport Scotland through their hotline? (probe if anyone used this hotline? Aware of it? Would you use it?)
  • What do you think Transport Scotland do when misuse is reported?

4. Value of the Concessionary Travel Card (25minutes)

  • What are the benefits of using the card? What are the most important aspects for you?

Activity - draw or write on a post it the best thing about the concessionary travel card.

  • What difference has the card made to you? (physical health, quality of life, financial savings, etc)
  • Without this scheme, what would your circumstances be? (would you still be able to get out of the house/work, etc. Probe fully)
  • Has having a NEC card changed the method of transport you use to travel?
  • Without the card do you think you would.....? (probe: make more use of other public transport, of taxis, take the car more, rely on friends and family, go out less often).

(Activity) -For example: What are the important elements of the scheme? Which is the most important to you? Rank in order of importance...e.g.., allows independence, saving money.....

5. Satisfaction with the Scheme (15 minutes)

  • How satisfied are you overall with the Concessionary Travel Card scheme? (ask open and probe fully...why do you say that?)
  • (Activity) - ask participants to rate on a scale of one to five, where one is poor and five is excellent, their satisfaction with the following aspects of the scheme:
    • Applying for a card
    • Information on Local Authorities website
    • Your experience of using the card for bus travel generally
    • Your experience of using the card for train or ferry travel generally
    • Your experience of using the card for other leisure and culture services
    • (Other - based on findings from discussion)
  • Do you have any suggestions for ways the scheme could be improved in the future?

Activity - what score would you give the card scheme out of ten? Draw your number on a post it.

6 Thank and Close (5 minutes)

  • Any other final comments from participants.