Why are our motorway service stations so awful?

From overpriced meals to strict limits on parking instances, there are several causes motorway services get on our nerves.

Are Britain’s service stations a source of national shame?

That seems to be the conclusion drawn by a new survey of motorists.

A study carried out by the RAC has discovered that virtually 9 in 10 motorway users feel our service stations offer you poor value for funds while a majority describe visiting services as “not a pleasurable knowledge”.

‘As little time and funds as possible’;

This follows the RAC’s current findings that drivers are calling for curbs on the costs charged by motorway solutions for petrol and diesel.

The organisation’s new study located that the typical expenditure at solutions was between £5 and £10 per particular person, with 71% of respondents saying they tried to commit as small time and funds there as attainable.

RAC head of external affairs Pete Williams says: “Millions of motorists depend on motorway service locations for a properly-earned rest.

“It is crucial for their safety and that of other road customers that they take regular breaks so they are not tired when behind the wheel.

Strict parking limits

“But motorists really feel they are becoming seriously let down by what they see as overpriced products and a lack of good service to match these premium costs.”

Williams adds: “For a family members of 4 to consume a fast, fairly fundamental meal with each other, the bill can effortlessly pass the £40 mark, and even then, motorists tell us that the food on provide in some cases just doesn’t meet the mark.”

The RAC discovered that respondents have been specifically unhappy with the reality that a lot of service stations imposed strict time limits on parking.

Far more than 8 in 10 said solutions need to permit cost-free extended-stay or overnight parking so that drivers could rest adequately.

Unhappy clients

A quantity of Confused.com readers have been also vital of Britain’s service stations following our current report on high motorway fuel prices.

One commenter, Michael, says: “Personally I believe the entire standard of service stations in the UK is appalling.

“I travel every day from Manchester to the West Midlands and they are all dirty, overpriced and past their sell-by date.”

Yet another commenter, Mark, adds: “Every thing about motorway services is made for the extraction of the maximum amount of funds from the users, not for their comfort and safety.

A far better way

“If they had been concerned about the security of the driver, they would not have a parking time limit of 2 hours.

“On the Continent, they count on you to stop and sleep if you begin to feel tired. Right here, they anticipate you to cease, commit your income and then bugger off.”

Williams at the RAC says that a great example has been set by the independent firm Westmorland Household, which has run the Tebay solutions on the M6 in Cumbria for several decades.

He adds: “They have taken a quite diverse approach, sourcing excellent top quality components from the local region, generating home-cooked meals which a lot of think about to give much better value for cash, as well as becoming a much better top quality and possibly healthier alternative.”

‘Food is the key’;

Sarah Dunning, Westmorland Family’s CEO, says “proper food” is the company’s USP.

Westmorland has this year opened a second service station on the M5 near Gloucester

“We have a excellent deal of repeat custom — and visitors to each Gloucester and Tebay are effusive in their praise, and that really assists to galvanise and inspire our staff to deliver both quality and service,” Dunning says.

But she adds that the method of taking more than a service station can be fraught with red tape.

“It was a very long journey to open Gloucester Services, resulting in a judicial evaluation.”

Probably this obstacle to competition is a cause why other operators can get away with failing to meet customers’ expectations.

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Why are our motorway service stations so awful?