Transit rider surveys

2270 Words5 Pages

Introduction

Often concerns over travel time and safety are cited as reasons people do not choose to ride transit; however, little has been studied about people’s real-time experiences on transit. It is important to understand the perceptions of a transit rider, including their emotional state before, during and after a transit trip. By fully understanding these perceptions, transit service providers can better plan for transit improvements. The question, therefore, is what is the best method for collecting this qualitative data? The most common data collection method to this point has been through surveys or questionnaires either on-board transit with paper surveys, or by telephone. These methods have been used consistently over the years, but are they the most reliable? What ‘checks’ do they have to confirm people’s responses? This project will seek to discover if smart phones can replace the traditional paper survey in order to collect in-situ data about transit riders’ perceptions before, during and after riding transit. This qualitative data can also be confirmed using the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in the phones. By combining both qualitative and quantitative research techniques, a more accurate picture of customer perceptions and evaluations of service quality can be obtained.

Literature Review

Transit users’ perceptions are a very important aspect in the study of transit ridership. Perceptions about travel time, distance to bus stops, wait times at stops, etc. are all factors that contribute to people’s willingness to take transit. Transit operators use this information to make improvements to their systems. It is also important to determine perceptions in order to determine future transit ridership, es...

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Utsunomiya, M., Attanucci, J., & Wilson, N. (2006). Potential uses of transit smart card registration and transaction data to improve transit planning. Transportation Research Record, 1971, 119-126. doi:10.3141/1971-16

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Yoh, A., Iseki, H., Smart, M., & Taylor, B. D. (2011). Hate to wait: Effects of wait time on public transit travelers' perceptions. Transporatation Research Record, 2216, 116-124. doi:10.3141/2216-13

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