High customer satisfaction with the services of viadonau
The high value of reliable maintenance measures is all the more evident when the river shows its less shipping-friendly side. Therefore, viadonau’s proactive maintenance, which ensured that the shipping channel remained navigable throughout the 2018 low water period, are particularly popular with users of the waterway.
This was also shown by the most recent viadonau customer satisfaction survey on the Danube. For example, around 95 per cent of respondents rated the quality of the maintenance of the fairway in Austria as excellent or good. The labeling of the fairway was also rated very positively with 93 per cent rating it excellent or good, thus reaching a new record (2017: 86%).
With 85 per cent of top marks, the locks were also able to convince the users. According to the majority of respondents, locking along the Austrian Danube is carried out safely, friendly and competent.
A solid basis for a safe waterway is reliable and complete information. Around 91 per cent of respondents agree: the information services provided, such as DoRIS, DoRIS App and electronic water cards, deserve top marks. Data on shallow points and route availability as well as the news for inland shipping are used by more than 90 per cent of respondents.
While the traffic-related services receive a generally good certificate, potential for improvement has been identified against the backdrop of the extended low-water period of 2018, especially in terms of level forecasting. The specialists from viadonau took up the matter and, after several months of revision, made forecasts for the Kienstock and Wildungsmauer levels available again from the beginning of 2019.
Many customers saw a lot of catching up on the waterway when it came to berthing areas. It was noted, for example, that in Vienna and Linz there were hardly any public berths for passengers or too few offers for pleasure boating.
The results of the survey once again made it clear that service quality on the Austrian Danube is a model. This was especially evident in the assessment of the maintenance of the Danube. While the traditionally high level was maintained in Austria with 95 per cent of positive assessments, only about 60 per cent of respondents awarded top marks for the maintenance of the entire Danube, despite the upward trend. The customers’ wishes are clear: Austrian know-how along the entire Danube.