On-board Survey of Bus and Light Rail Customers May 8, 2006 Transit Marketing, LLC CJI Research Corporation

On-Board Survey Pre-survey to identify key satisfaction factors 2312 Passengers Surveyed –1487 Bus –728 Light Rail –97 Neighborhood Ride Data weighted to reflect ridership Survey Administered by in –English –Spanish –Russian –Hmong –Vietnamese –Chinese Option provided for passengers with disabilities or those making short trips 2

Usage Characteristics

4 4 User Segments by Mode

5 5 Frequency of Use  Most riders are regular users.  81% ride 4+ days per week.

6 6 Duration of Ridership  45% of riders began riding RT between 2004 and 2006

7 7 Trip Purpose  72% of transit trips are work or school commutes  73% of rail-only riders were making work trips

Rider Demographics

9 9 Age  51% of riders are age 31 or younger  Rail-only riders are somewhat older

10 Age or RT Riders vs. Population  Heavy transit use among younger age groups is typical of transit systems nationally

11 Employment Status  88% of riders are commuters: either employed or students  83% of rail-only users are employed

12 Transit Dependence

13 Income  53% of riders have household incomes of $25K or less  34% of all riders but 65% of rail- only riders have HH incomes of $35K or more

14 Income of Riders vs. Population  Riders are lower income than the overall population  Relative youth and lower income of riders are related

Fares and Information

16 Fare Payment  33% of riders pay fare in cash  37% use a monthly or half- month pass  31% pay a student fare or use a college pass  10% receive an elderly/ disabled discount

17 Fare Preferences

18 Primary Information Sources  65% of riders have internet access at home or work  44% of riders have visited RT website

Customer Satisfaction

20 Customer Satisfaction: Overall 72% of riders rated RT positively (5 or above on a 7 point scale)

21 Customer Satisfaction: Top Box Scores Percent rating each aspect of service as excellent (7)

22 Ratings by Rider Type

23 Customer Satisfaction: Impact Scores

24  Rail-only riders are more impacted by other passengers, overcrowding, vehicle cleanliness and security. 24

25  Bus and Mixed mode riders are more concerned with on- time performance and hours of service 25

26 Ridership Retention  31% of RT riders expect or hope to stop using RT  Rail-only riders are most “loyal”

27 Rider Retention – A Closer Look  Loyalty increases with age  Young riders are most likely to “expect” to get a car and stop using RT

28 Conclusions Regional Transit services carry a diverse ridership population, with large components of work and school commuters. Most riders rate the system positively (5 or above on a 7 point scale) but there are distinct opportunities to improve satisfaction and rider retention. There are distinct differences in the demographics and concerns of users of different modes.