Busways has achieved International Customer Service Standard certification from the Customer Service Institute of Australia following a rigorous assessment process.

The International Customer Service Standard provides an independent benchmark of customer service maturity. The certification process included a review of evidence, policies, frameworks and performance data, followed by interviews with employees across different levels and functions of the business.

Leigh Shaw, Lead Assessor, Customer Service Institute of Australia, said “Busways has achieved remarkable things that many organisations struggle to build.

“The team showed a clear commitment to improving customer experience while continuing to deliver practical outcomes across the business. [Busways’] clear North Star customer experience vision, aiming to make every passenger feel safe, welcome, comfortable and impressed, is an absolute standout,” Ms Shaw added.

This independent assessment places Busways at the Integration stage of customer service maturity - the highest level of certification -  and awarded Busways one of the highest scores achieved in a first-time assessment.

It reinforces Busways’ focus on building customer experience into everyday operations, while providing a practical benchmark for improvement.

A key strength identified in the report was the way Busways has moved its customer service vision from a broad ambition into practical action. The assessment highlighted Busways’ 40 service quality levers that connect customer outcomes to practical roles, responsibilities and measures across the business.

It also highlighted Busways’ customer-focused culture and operational discipline. It noted that customer service is not treated as a separate function, but as part of how services are planned, monitored and delivered across depots, service delivery, customer service, maintenance and support teams.

The assessment gave high scores for areas including customer service strategy, feedback management, customer relationship strategy, risk management, service quality measurement, organisational alignment, human resources support and corporate social responsibility.

The report recognised Busways’ structured approach to feedback and complaint management, including evidence-based investigations, frontline employee support, school education programs, accessibility initiatives and customer privacy practices. It also identified innovation as a strength, with practical initiatives supporting accessibility, driver information and community engagement.

Donna Frith, Director, Corporate Affairs & Customer Experience, said, “Achieving the highest level of certification on our first assessment is a significant independent endorsement of the way we have built customer experience into our business - not as a standalone program, but as a shared operating discipline.

“More importantly, it recognises the contribution of people across Busways who understand that public transport is ultimately a service to people and communities. Every day, our teams make decisions that influence whether passengers feel safe, welcome, comfortable and confident in the service we provide,” Ms Frith said.

“We undertook the assessment to gain an objective view of where we are strong and where we could lift. This result gives us plenty to celebrate, but also a responsibility to keep turning what we learn into a better experience for our customers.”

Busways will use the findings from the certification to continue strengthening customer experience, including how customer needs are understood, how improvement opportunities are prioritised, and how practical service improvements are embedded across the business.