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Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
UK's worst motorway service station ranked by drivers who give it brutal review
Which?'s latest poll reveals the best and worst motorway service stations in the UK, with one site standing out for all the wrong reasons and receiving the lowest score of all Motorway service stations are rarely hotspot destinations in themselves, but they do offer a vital pit stop for food and fuel, as well as a much-needed break for tired travellers. However, not all rest areas are created equal, as the latest Which? survey of nearly 90 UK motorway service stations reveals. Based on the experiences of thousands of drivers, the poll highlights a stark divide between the best and worst stops on the road. At the very bottom of the rankings, one site stands out for all the wrong reasons — Bridgwater Services on the M5, which has been named the UK's worst motorway service station. Located on the M5 at junction 24 and operated by Moto, Bridgwater Services received a customer score of just 23%, reflecting a service station that is failing to meet the most basic standards expected by modern travellers. Feedback from drivers who stopped at Bridgwater was brutally honest, with one describing the station's cramped facilities as as looking and feeling "filthy", while another said the toilets "smelt of stale urine". The limited range of shops and food outlets was also heavily criticised, with customers finding the available options overpriced and underwhelming. Bridgewater Services is run by Moto, the UK's largest service area operator — the company runs nine of the 10 service stations to be found at the very bottom of Which?'s list. To put Bridgwater's score in perspective, the best-rated service station in the UK, Gloucester Services on the M5, achieved an impressive 85% customer score and was praised for its cleanliness, facilities and locally sourced food options. Moto told Which?: "We have invested £55m refurbishing our service stations and building new sites over the past two years. "A Transport Focus study, conducted in the summer of 2023, revealed that 94% of respondents were either satisfied or fairly satisfied with their experience at Moto's sites. This study had seven times more respondents than Which?. "Our refurbishment programme is extensive and focused on older MSAs, and has achieved some key targets such as 75% of our toilets being revamped in the last five years. Bridgwater scored 88% in the Transport Focus study, and has been upgraded in the past two years, since the Which? panel respondents started visiting our sites." If you are heading in that direction but wish to avoid the UK's 'worst motorway service station, Which? suggests going to: "Gloucester Services, the UK's best service station is an hour's drive north of Bridgwater. "If you are not going that way, Sedgemoor South Services, 15 minutes north of Bridgwater — scored 52% overall, and where Bridgwater scored just one star for cleanliness, facilities, convenience and the range and quality of food and drink and shops on offer, Sedgemoor South scored three. A significantly better services."
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Delay-ridden South Western becomes first train company to be renationalised under Labour's 'new dawn for railways' - but don't expect any cheaper tickets
Delay-ridden South Western Railway has become the first train company to be renationalised by Labour. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander hailed it as a 'new dawn for railways' as she stepped on board the first train under Government control. But she stopped short of promising lower ticket prices despite passengers saying all they wanted was 'cheaper fares'. The carriages were the first to be adorned with Great British Railways livery with the Department for Transport now responsible for the service. SWR was recently voted one of the worst rail operators coming third bottom in a recent study by watchdog Transport Focus. The operator was previously owned by FirstGroup and MTR Corporation. Two other rail firms - C2C and Greater Anglia - will be brought under public control later this year. A further seven other companies will be renationalised by 2027 with Labour previously saying simplifying the rail network would save taxpayers £2.2billion. Boarding the 6.14am service from London Waterloo to Shepperton in Surrey, Ms Alexander said: 'Today marks a new dawn for our railways. 'Moving away from 30 years of inefficiency, delayed services and failing passengers, and moving confidently into a new era - the era of Great British Railways. 'That's why I was so adamant I had to be here at Waterloo this morning, alongside all these other excited passengers and rail aficionados, for what really is a watershed moment. 'Most rail users don't spend much time thinking about who runs the trains, but they do want them to work, and that's why there's a genuine excitement here today at the generational opportunity we have to completely transform train travel in this country. 'As the 6:14 service leaves Waterloo, I'll be sat on it with a sense of pride but also a determination to get this right and deliver a railway Britain can be proud of again.' But some passengers weren't even aware the service had be renationalised as they boarded trains. Maggie Smith, from Wokingham, told the BBC: 'I haven't heard any information at all and I haven't been given any information about what the impacts might be.' While John Major told the corporation that he thought it was a 'dreadful' and feared it the service would no longer be reliable. 'British rail were a standing joke and stand-up comedians thoroughly enjoyed British rail,' he said. All other services run by private companies will be renationalised as contracts reach the end of their minimum terms. Britain's railway services were privatised in the mid-1990s. Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures show the equivalent of 4 per cent of services in Britain were cancelled in the year to April 26. For SWR, the figure was 3 per cent. Renationalised services will be integrated into Great British Railways (GBR), a new public sector body which will also oversee rail infrastructure. Legislation to enable the creation of GBR is expected to be introduced in Parliament later this year. Shadow GBR has been established to ensure closer collaboration within the industry. Richard Bowker, former boss of the Strategic Rail Authority, which was a public body providing direction for the industry between 2001 and 2005, said it is 'quite easy to be sceptical' about the overhaul but he believes there is 'real potential here for things to get better'. Mr Bowker, who presents rail podcast Green Signals, went on: 'It has become overly complex, and I think bringing together track and train more now is a pragmatic and sensible thing to do. 'The key with this will not really be who owns it. Are the people that are going to be running it day to day... going to be genuinely empowered to make the right decisions to run the railway? 'We've got plenty of very, very able managers, but over the last five years - particularly since Covid when franchises effectively went bust and national rail contracts were put in place - there has been a huge amount of centralised control, and it's quite stifling.' Johnbosco Nwogbo, of public ownership campaign group We Own It, said: 'Today is a great day for passengers because our railway is finally beginning its journey back to putting us, our communities and our planet before the profits of private shareholders. 'But the job is not yet done. The Government still has to get public ownership right, so that it really delivers for people.' Analysis by PA news agency found the renationalisation of SWR means a third of journeys are on publicly owned services. That is based on passenger journey data for 2024 from the ORR. Operators that were already under public ownership are LNER, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express. GBR branding has been added to one SWR train. It features part of a Union flag, the double arrow symbol that is synonymous with Britain's railways, and the words 'Great British Railways coming soon'. More trains will be given the branding over the coming months and years. But the DfT said publicly owned services 'will need to meet tough performance standards to be rebranded Great British Railways'. These standards will cover factors such as punctuality, reliability and the experience of passengers. The DfT said its renationalisation policy will save taxpayers up to £150 million per year in fees previously paid to private companies that ran services. The first SWR service under public ownership was a rail replacement bus. After the implementation of renationalisation at 2am, passengers travelling on the 5.36am service from Woking to London Waterloo had to change to a bus at Surbiton because of engineering work.
Scottish Sun
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
10 best service stations across Britain revealed with cheapest fuel & great food options – is there one near you?
A ranking called the Dream Service Station report has looked at 95 service stations nationwide, awarding each a score out of 100 STOP & STAY 10 best service stations across Britain revealed with cheapest fuel & great food options – is there one near you? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A GROUP of experts have revealed the UK's highest rated service stations - loved for their choice of food, value fuel and charging points. Whether it's commuting to work or you've set out on a road trip, millions of drivers make regular stops during their journeys each day - meaning service station essentials are as important as ever. 4 Worcestershire's Strensham Roadchef has been rated the best service station in the UK Credit: Alamy 4 It boasts a plethora of much-loved restaurants and fast food chains - including a 24/7 McDonald's Credit: Alamy 4 Leigh Delamere, along the M4, is ranked second best Credit: Alamy 4 Reading comes in third, Credit: Alamy New analysis from car buying service WeBuyAnyCar has looked at 95 service stations nationwide, awarding each a score out of 100 based on the number of food options, facilities, charging points and Google review ratings. By using these ratings, they were able to create a ranking of the best motorway stops - known as the Dream Service Station report. Their data found that Worcestershire's Strensham Roadchef is the best-rated service station in the UK, scoring an impressive 80.6 out of 100. Located between Worcester and Tewkesbury on the M5 Southbound, between junctions 7 and 8, it features a 24/7 McDonald's as well as a Costa Coffee, LEON, Coco Di Mama, Chozen Noodle, Fresh Food Cafe, SPAR and a WHSmith. Naturally, it also offers two hours free parking and EV charging. Indeed, it is the only service station to achieve a score of above 80 - closely followed by Leigh Delamere (79.4) and Reading (74.5). Leigh Delamere, located on the M4 near Chippenham, boasts all the favourites, including Burger King, Chow, Costa Coffee, Greggs and KFC. Third-place Reading, meanwhile, once boasted a 100% satisfaction score for the Westbound services and 96% for the Eastbound building, according to Transport Focus. Of the top 10, three of the services can be found on the M1 motorway; Toddington, Woodall and Newport Pagnell. It's worth noting that Moto Rugby, located on the M6, Junction 1, has the highest rating in terms of Google review score. McDonald's Minecraft Taste Test - Sam Walker However, the location has limited options available, which sadly impacted its performance in the rankings. At the other end of the table, Bothwell Motorway Services, found just outside Glasgow, was the lowest ranked service station in the UK, scoring only 4.8 out of 100. According to WeBuyAnyCar's findings, people spend an average of 16.5 minutes in a service station when they visit. They also found that, curiously, Marks & Spencer is the nation's preferred service station chain, followed by Greggs. Richard Evans, head of technical services at WeBuyAnyCar, said: 'While some variation in the quality of service stations is to be expected, the findings do show an inconsistency in UK service stations. 'For people who travel long distances, it's important to have service stations with good facilities available to them. 'Taking regular breaks on long journeys is crucial for safety and well-being purposes, helping to prevent fatigue and keep drivers focused. 'Central to this safety approach is having the appropriate rest points where drivers actually want to stop and take a break.'
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bus satisfaction in England increases after ‘positive changes'
Passenger satisfaction with buses in England outside London increased last year after 'positive changes', according to a survey. Watchdog Transport Focus said overall satisfaction in 2024 was 83%, up from 80% in 2023. It said 'significant' investment' as part of bus service improvement plans and a fares cap 'appears to be having an impact'. Both policies were introduced under the Conservative government. Passengers in the Derby City area were the most satisfied with their journey, with a score of 92%. Those in West Yorkshire were for the least satisfied (77%) for the second year in a row. East Sussex and Warrington were two of the most improved areas, both up eight percentage points to 87% and 85% respectively. Transport Focus surveyed 41,000 passengers across 39 areas in England outside London, covering issues such as the onboard experience, punctuality, value for money and journey times. Louise Collins, director of Transport Focus, said: 'The positive changes seen across bus services in England have boosted overall passenger satisfaction. 'The changes show how Government funding, hard work from local authorities and operators, and listening to what passengers want can improve journeys. 'The wide variation in scores at a local level in the survey shows that some passengers still aren't getting the bus service they should.' Local transport minister Simon Lightwood said the survey shows that 'councils are putting bus service funding to good use'. He went on: 'Our Bus Services Bill will hand control back for local leaders to operate services, and it's great to see areas like Nottingham where councils operate their own services, scoring higher than average satisfaction rates. 'Alongside nearly £1 billion to enhance service frequencies, improve bus stop infrastructure and boost the comfort and accessibility of services, we're backing our buses like never before, and I'm excited to see how this will continue to grow customer satisfaction and make our bus services even more attractive.' Graham Vidler, chief executive of Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents bus and coach operators, said: 'It's fantastic to see bus passenger satisfaction on the rise – a testament to the excellent partnerships between bus operators and local authorities in many parts of the country and the dedication of everyone working in the industry. 'We want every passengers to be satisfied with their journey and with significant changes ahead for the bus industry, including the Bus Services (No.2) Bill and the impact of Government spending decisions, we urge policymakers to prioritise passengers, ensuring even greater satisfaction and better services in the year ahead.' The Labour Government increased the cap on single bus fares in England from £2 to £3 on January 1. Funding for bus services comes from many different pots of money, including some available for operators and others set aside for local authorities.
