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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND · What are effective ways of eliciting meaningful
responses on service quality issues?
Virtually all transit agencies conduct surveys on board buses · What response rates have been achieved?
and trains and often in transit stations as well. Agencies sur- · What techniques have transit agencies used to increase
vey their customers on a wide range of topics, from the response rates?
purpose, origin, and destination of their current trip to their · How long can surveys be without discouraging
satisfaction with the service and service improvements that participation?
would prompt them to ride more often. On-board and inter- · How often are survey results updated?
cept surveys are highly valuable to transit agencies as
a means of obtaining vital information and opinions from a These questions involve a broad range of methodological
cross section of their customers. issues that must be addressed in planning a given survey.
Should the survey be administered on board or in a station
As a description of survey methodologies, the terms
environment? Should self-administered questionnaires or
on-board and intercept are both distinct and overlapping.
personal interviews be used? For on-board surveys, how
"On-board" means surveys conducted on buses, subway
should a sample of routes be selected for surveying? How
cars, light rail cars, commuter trains, and sometimes para-
large a sample size is needed to ensure a satisfactory level of
transit vehicles. On-board surveys can be self-administered
accuracy? Should respondents be provided with incentives to
surveys that are distributed to customers after they board the
complete a survey? What question wording is most effective
bus or rail car. Riders are typically encouraged to complete
for a given survey purpose? How should surveys be intro-
the survey immediately, but may also be offered the option
duced and how should the questionnaire be formatted? In
of returning the completed questionnaire by mail. On-board
what order should questions be asked?
surveys can also be conducted as personal interviews, in
which case a survey worker asks riders a short series of ques-
Implementation of on-board and intercept surveys also
tions and records the answers.
raises a number of important questions. For on-board bus
On-board personal interviews are generally speaking surveys, should self-administered surveys be distributed by
intercept surveys; however, the term "intercept" can also be bus operators or by dedicated survey staff? How should
reserved for surveys in subway and rail stations, at transfer survey staff be recruited? What training, supervision, and
stations or terminals, and at bus stops. Surveys at these monitoring is needed to ensure successful completion of the
locations can be conducted as self-administered surveys or data collection? What factors affect response rates and how
personal interviews. can response rates be maximized?
The term "on-board/intercept surveys" used throughout Finally, what is the likely cost of an on-board/intercept
this report refers to self-administered surveys distributed on survey and what factors affect the overall cost?
board buses and rail cars and in stations, as well as interviews
conducted in these environments. They are distinct from tele- This report documents and summarizes transit agency
phone interviews, mail surveys, and on-line surveys, none of experiences with on-board and intercept surveys. Transit
which involve in-person interaction between surveyors and agency staff responsible for on-board and intercept surveys
transit riders. can use this report to learn from and compare their experi-
ences with the experiences of other agencies.
Transit agency staff that are responsible for on-board and
intercept surveys encounter a number of important issues in
METHODOLOGY
planning and conducting these surveys. These issues include:
Findings in this report are based on a literature review, a sur-
· What is the most effective way of obtaining a represen- vey of transit agencies, analysis of documentation submitted
tative sample of the target rider group or groups? by transit agencies, and interviews with transit agency staff
· What is the clearest way to word questions and elicit and other professionals involved in on-board and intercept
accurate responses? transit surveys.
