National Academies Press: OpenBook

On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques (2005)

Chapter: Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires

« Previous: Chapter Three - Planning On-Board and Intercept Surveys
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Four - Developing Questionnaires." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2005. On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13866.
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Questionnaires are at the heart of the survey effort, with survey questions the means by which the desired information is obtained from respondents. However, perhaps less obviously, questionnaires also convey the purpose of the survey, its impor- tance, and the attitude of the sponsor toward respondents. In developing on-board and intercept surveys, transit agency staff must choose the questions to be asked that will cover the topics identified in the survey planning and accordingly design the questionnaire. Staff must write the questions and answer choices and the text that introduces the survey to riders. The wording of introductions, questions, and answer choices and the formatting of the questionnaire affect the quality of data collected. A well-written introduction and well-designed layout encourages transit users to partici- pate in the survey, thus minimizing nonresponse error. Well-written questions, appropriate answer choices, and an easy-to-follow questionnaire design help respondents to understand the questions, provide accurate responses (thus minimizing measurement error), and answer all questions (minimizing item nonresponse). Transit agency practices and relevant findings in the liter- ature are discussed for each aspect of questionnaire drafting and design. QUESTIONNAIRE INTRODUCTIONS On-board and intercept transit surveys generally include a short introduction that explains the purpose and use of the survey and requests the recipient to complete the ques- tionnaire. Introductory scripts used in personal interviews are similar to written introductions in self-administered questionnaires. Introductions typically request cooperation, convey that the survey will help to improve transit service, and provide instructions on where to return the questionnaire. Stating the purpose of the survey and how the survey supports “group values” (e.g., improving bus and rail service) serves to moti- vate participation (Dillman 2000). By content and tone, introductions also convey a respectful attitude toward respondents, requesting their cooperation and assuring them that their answers will be taken seriously. 18 Examples of introductions are: • “The Big Blue Bus [Santa Monica, California] needs your help to provide improved bus service. Please com- plete this survey and return it to the surveyor.” • “The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) wants YOUR help to improve transit services by completing this questionnaire and placing it in the return box at the rear exit before leaving the vehicle.” • “Dear Customer: Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your answers will be used in evaluating [Greater Cleveland] RTA services. When you leave the vehicle, return the survey to the person collecting them or drop it in any mailbox. No stamp is needed. Thank you for taking time to complete this survey, and enjoy your ride.” • “Dear Bus Rider: The Citizens Area Transit (CAT) is conducting a survey to improve bus services in Las Vegas. Please complete this form and drop it in the envelope by the bus door. Thank you for your cooperation.” • “CTA would like to know more about your travel needs, in order to serve you better. Please fill out this brief sur- vey, and return it to the person who gave it to you.” • “Dear Bi-State Rider: Thank you for using Bi-State Transit [St. Louis] services. In order to improve our ser- vices, we are conducting a short survey of Metrolink and bus riders. Please take the time to complete this questionnaire, and when you are done, simply follow the folding instructions and place it in the mail. We will pay for postage. Your input will help us to serve you better. Thank you for your help. Tom Irwin, Executive Director.” In sum, introductions are short and focused on motivating response. Information relating to specific questions is placed with the question to which it applies rather than in the introduction. TOPICS AND QUESTION WORDING On-board and intercept transit surveys are conducted for a range of purposes and the results are used in a wide variety of ways within transit agencies. Questions on the survey and response choices naturally need to serve the goals and objec- tives of the survey project. Therefore, it is useful to begin by CHAPTER FOUR DEVELOPING QUESTIONNAIRES

19 considering how survey objectives translate into specific survey questions. Figure 1 schematically diagrams the relationships between agency needs, research questions, and survey ques- tions. Agency needs relate to the goals and objectives dis- cussed earlier. Each agency need results in one or more research questions. For example, agency marketing efforts can generate a variety of research questions ranging from who uses transit to how ridership can be increased. In some cases, translating research questions into survey questions is straightforward. Transit users can be profiled in terms of gender, age, income, etc., common topics for survey questions. In other cases, considerable thought needs to be given to how to translate research questions into survey ques- tions. An example is the question of how ridership can be increased. As discussed here, in practice a variety of survey questions are used to address this issue. This section is organized around the six research ques- tions: 1. Where and when do customers use transit? 2. Who uses transit? 3. How satisfied are the customers? Customer communications Travel modeling Where and when do customers use transit? Agency needs Research Questions Long-range and areawide planning Route planning and scheduling Marketing Who uses transit? How satisfied are customers? Why do customers use transit? How can ridership be increased? How effective are agency communications? Origin and destination Trip purpose, fare payment, other trip characteristics Frequency of transit use; how long use transit Customer satisfaction Vehicles available to HH; for trip Alternative mode Rider demographics Survey Questions Reasons to use transit Awareness, web use, etc. Needed improvements FIGURE 1 Translating agency needs into research questions and survey questions.

4. Why do customers use transit? 5. How can the agency attract increased ridership? 6. How effective are agency communications? Question wording for each topic is discussed in the follow- ing sections. Where and When Do Customers Use Transit Many on-board and intercept transit surveys are primarily designed to obtain detailed information about each respon- dent’s current trip. Survey results form a profile of where and when customers use transit services. The substantial body of O&D surveys reported by transit agencies reflects the use- fulness of on-board and intercept surveys to capturing travel behavior information. On-board and intercept surveys are well suited to this purpose. Because the surveys are con- ducted during customers’ actual trips, on-board and intercept surveys are able to cover the entire universe of riders. By inquiring about the current trip, surveys are able to minimize errors that arise from recalling past trips (as can occur in tele- phone, Internet, or mail surveys). The most common travel behavior questions in question- naires provided by transit agencies for this study concern specific aspects of “this trip.” • Origin, • Destination, • Purpose (work, shopping, return home, etc.), • Access mode (e.g., walk, auto, bus, train), • Egress mode (e.g., walk, auto, bus, train), • Duration of access/egress trips, • Waiting time for bus or train on this trip, • Other routes used on this trip today, and • Method of fare payment. Trip Purpose and Access and Egress Modes The wording of trip purpose, access, and egress questions was standardized through the Transit Performance Monitor- ing System (TPMS). TPMS was designed to collect data on transit customers through the use of on-board surveys using standardized questions. The program was funded through a cooperative agreement between FTA and APTA. From 1996 to 2003, the program collected survey results from approxi- mately three dozen transit agencies (McCollom Management Consulting 2002, 2004). Table 9 shows TPMS questions and response categories for trip purpose, access, and egress. Trip purposes were asked in terms of O&D activities. Trips from home to work, for example, were classified as work trips, as are trips from work to home. 20 O&D Questions The most comprehensive O&D surveys obtain four locations for each trip: origin, boarding, alighting, and destination (OBAD). Each location is geocoded for further analysis and modeling. For riders who transfer between routes or modes, the surveys usually ask place of boarding the first bus or train and where the rider will alight from the final bus or train, as well as the route numbers for each segment of the trip. Although some O&D surveys use the full set of OBAD loca- tions, others use boarding and alighting locations only. O&D questions are a challenging type of question to for- mulate and present on the questionnaire owing to the detailed nature of the information and the nonintuitive character of the concepts employed in the questions; in particular, the concept of a one-way trip. For modeling purposes, transit planners precisely define what they mean by a trip and each segment of the trip, start- ing from when travelers leave one activity site to when they arrive at the next activity site. Transit users are generally not familiar with this concept and may not think in these terms. Activity at origin 1) Where did you come from before you got on this bus/train?  Work/work-related  Home  College/other school  Shopping  Medical services  Social, religious worship, personal business  Other________________ Access mode 2) How did you get to this bus/train?  Walked  Drove my car  Dropped off by someone  Rode my bicycle  Rode a bus/train  Rode with someone who parked Activity at destination 3) Where are you going now?  Work/work-related  Home  College/other school  Shopping  Medical services  Social, religious worship, personal business  Other________________ Egress mode 4) When you get off this vehicle, how will you get to your final destination?  Walk  Drive my car  Get picked up by someone  Ride a bus/train  Ride my bicycle  Ride with someone who parked Source: McCollom Management Consulting 2004. TABLE 9 ACTIVITY-BASED ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SURVEY QUESTIONS FROM TRANSIT PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

21 Thus, respondents may not understand the distinctions between origin and boarding, or between alighting and des- tination. For some trips, of course, the origin and boarding locations are the same and it may seem redundant to the respondent to be asked about both locations. In other cases, respondents view the trip to begin at the boarding location; so again, the origin appears to be redundant even though, by the intended definition, it is not. Customers also may not understand how to report trips involving a transfer or stops along the way (linked trips, in the planner’s parlance). Sacramento Regional Transit District reports that customers transferring from light rail fre- quently report the transfer point as the end of the trip. Respondents may not even correctly identify the start and end of the trip; some respondents provide round-trip information—what appears to be a home-to-home trip, for example—rather than a one-way home-to-shopping trip. Another difficulty is that respondents simply may not know the address or intersection information. Transit staff report that riders who do not drive, in particular, may not know the street names at intersections, and therefore can- not report the intersection where they boarded the bus. Even when they know the exact address, riders may be reluctant to report the specific address, particularly for their place of residence. Even when precisely reported, location information can pose data processing challenges, as when street names repeat in multiple cities within an agency’s service area (i.e., two or more “Main Streets”). These problems are reported uniformly across O&D sur- veys. Although survey design, instructions, use of examples, and other measures may reduce the incidence of problems with the data, no agency reported having completely sur- mounted these challenges. Transit agencies seek to overcome these problems by asking riders to narrate their trip, usually from beginning to end. This approach takes advantage of the linear nature of transit trips. A typical sequence of OBAD questions is shown in Appendix C from a survey conducted for TARC. (Note that the survey was printed on 17 in. by 11 in. paper so that the two pages appear opposite each other in the version used in fieldwork.) The question sequence is: 1. “Where were you before riding this bus (beginning location)?” Answer choices are “My home,” “My work,” “Visiting friend or relative,” etc. 2. “What is the name of this place/building where you began this trip?” Boxes are provided to fill in the name of a place; an example of a bank is provided. 3. “What are the nearest cross streets or intersection of that place?” Boxes are provided for two street names. 4. “What is the exact street address of that place?” Boxes are provided for street number, street name, city, and zip code. 5. “Where did you board this bus?” Boxes are provided for cross streets and city. 6. “What time did you board this bus?” 7. “How did you get from the beginning location to the bus stop where you boarded this bus?” Response cate- gories are provided for “Walk,” “Shuttle/vanpool,” “Rode with someone who parked,” etc. Comparable information is asked for alighting location, destination location, and activity. Surveys for TriMet, CTA, and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (known as Metrolink) follow similar question sequences (see Appendix C). The concept behind this sequence of questions is that rid- ers will most readily be able to report their trip by starting with their last activity and continuing sequentially. The sur- vey communicates the idea of the start of the trip by asking, simply, “Where were you before riding this bus?” The survey communicates the definition of a one-way trip without using the word “trip” and without needing to explain what is meant by a one-way trip. Most O&D questionnaires provide several ways to report each location: as a landmark, cross streets, or address (with city and zip requested to avoid problems with duplicate street names). In the experience of transit agency staff, providing all three ways to present location information produces more usable locations than providing only one or two ways. The formatting of answer spaces for this information varies. Some surveys provide separate spaces for landmark, intersection, and address, as shown in the TARC survey in Figure 2. In practice, respondents typically complete only portions of the landmark/intersection/address section—hope- fully reporting enough information for geocoding purposes. Other surveys consolidate spaces for all three types of location information. For example, a TriMet survey provided blanks for the street name, nearest cross street, city, and zip code. (The full survey is in Appendix C.) TriMet staff believes that a simpler format is less intimidating to riders than the more extensive formats they used in earlier O&D surveys. Even more simply, a SMART survey asked for the corner of two streets; instructions were under the lines specifying, “Address, street name, or landmark” and “Street name,” respectively (Figure 2). Some agencies have experienced difficulty with the “street 1” and “street 2” terminology. CTA reports that these

words elicited O&D streets from some respondents in its West Side survey (see Appendix D). The CTA Douglas Line survey asked for intersection, address, and landmark in one space, as shown in Appendix C. CTA staff believes that this approach is easier on field staff (because the questionnaire is simpler for respondents), although more labor intensive for coding staff. In the view of CTA staff, a more complex ques- tionnaire would need more highly trained field workers. Regardless of these wording and formatting choices, transit agencies uniformly report at least some difficulties with obtaining accurate and logical descriptions of riders’ trips. Some agencies have experimented with reordering the questions. The CTA West Side Customer Travel Survey begins by asking, “What bus route are you riding now?” That question is followed by questions on alighting loca- tion, transfers, and origin activity (home, work, school, etc.) and origin location. The concept is to begin with a very well-defined question (current bus route) and work back- wards to boarding and origin locations. CTA staff believes that there is merit to this approach, although respondents continue to have difficulty with the “Where are you coming from?” language. Metrolink also asked for the boarding station as the first question for a survey of commuter rail riders, but found little difference in data quality from sequences that started with the “where came from” question. 22 Overall, it appears that avoiding the use of trip and one- way trip terminology is more effective than attempting to define or explain the meaning of these words. Multisegment trips involving transfers also create confu- sion for respondents. Agencies marked by high transfer rates have used various approaches to improve the transfer infor- mation provided to them. For example, a Lane Transit Dis- trict survey first asked whether the rider was using one bus or more than one bus on this trip, and if the latter, to specify the route number(s) (see Appendix C). Lane Transit District staff believes that overall this approach worked well, although there was some confusion about multisegment trips. Surveys sometimes include examples of answers. The experience appears to be that providing example answers (as in the TARC survey) is effective, whereas examples of the meaning of instructions can be counterproductive. The CTA West Side survey that illustrated the meaning of one-way trips with a home to work example was taken to mean by some respondents that only home to work trips should be reported (see Appendix D). Fare Payment An important aspect of each trip is how the fare is paid. Agencies typically list fare payment options and ask respon- dents to check the one that applies to this trip. The list of FIGURE 2 TARC (top) and SMART origin questions.

23 payment options can be quite extensive for agencies that have various passes and different rates for seniors, persons with disabilities, and students. One approach is to present the options in a matrix format, as illustrated on the TriMet ques- tionnaire in Appendix C. Although there is reason to avoid matrix formats (as will be discussed later), the format appears to be workable for fare payment. Who Uses Transit? On-board and intercept transit surveys are widely used to profile characteristics of transit users. Transit agencies reported that information on customer characteristics is highly valuable for planning and marketing purposes and of keen interest to upper management. Rider profiles help pro- vide a picture of who is using bus and rail services, without which it is difficult to think concretely about how to provide or market the services. Profile information can be categorized as travel behavior (going beyond describing the current trip) and demographic information. General Travel Questions General travel questions used on questionnaires provided by transit agencies include: • Frequency of using transit, • How long the respondent has been using transit, • Vehicles available to the household, and • Alternative modes. Frequency of transit use shows the degree to which riders are regular versus occasional users. Particularly when ana- lyzed by trip purpose and time of day of travel, the frequency question can show what portion of riders’ overall travel is served by transit, and suggest areas for potentially attracting current riders to use transit more often. Duration of transit use is valuable information to show the turnover rate among riders. Some agencies find relatively high turnover among riders. TPMS found that nearly one- half of riders in small and large systems have been using tran- sit for less than one year. However, the results are not uniform: a survey in Denver found that only 14% of RTD bus riders were new riders (less than one year). It would be important to investigate the factors causing rapid turnover, where present, which could well lead to prescriptions to retaining riders and thus growing overall ridership. Wording of the frequency and turnover questions varies, as shown in Table 10. Frequency of transit use can be asked on a days per week (or month) basis, or trips within a defined time period (usually a week or month). The latter approach has the advantage of reflecting differences in the number of trips per day and not simply the number of days transit is used. Capturing trips per day is most relevant for transit systems that are often used for more than one round trip per day. However, some surveys have found that an inordinate number of riders report using transit for five trips per week. Many of those responding in this way are presumably mean- ing 5 round-trips per week, or 10 one-way trips. The days per week wording sidesteps the problem of respondents not understanding the concept of trips. For questions about the duration of transit ridership, ques- tion wording may or may not specify a threshold frequency of use. Thus, Pace Suburban Bus asks simply, “When did you begin riding Pace?” TPMS wording specifies “How long have you been a regular transit rider” and defines regular as at least once each week. CTTransit (Hartford, Connecticut) defines regular as at least once each month. Defining frequency works to ensure a uniform interpretation of the question. The number of vehicles available to a household shows whether the rider may have an automobile available for the current trip. Table 10 shows wording used by several transit agencies and in the 2001 National Household Travel Survey and 2000 U.S. Census Bureau long-form questionnaire. Transit surveys often use trip-specific questions in addition to, or instead of, the household vehicle question, as discussed later in this chapter. A standardized TPMS question, widely adopted, concerns the alternative mode for the current trip. If transit service were not available, would the respondent make the trip by car, walking, riding with a friend, taxi, bicycle, or not make the trip at all? The number that would not make the trip shows the degree to which transit provides basic mobility for riders. The number that would use an automobile documents transit’s role in reducing traffic congestion, although the “ride with a friend” response does not indicate whether the friend is already making the trip. Demographic Questions Demographic questions can provide insight into travel behavior and customer attitudes. Demographic data can also be useful in assessing which markets transit is tapping and possible untapped or underdeveloped markets. Demographic questions used on questionnaires provided by transit agencies cover the following topics: • Gender, • Age, • Race and ethnicity, • Have driver’s license, • Household income, • Household size, • Employment status,

24 TPMS How often do you use transit?  7 days a week  6 days a week  5 days a week  4 days a week  3 days a week  2 days a week  1 day a week  Twice a month  Once a month  First time riding National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) In the past two months, about how often have you used public transportation such as buses, subways, streetcars, or commuter trains?  Two or more days a week [11+ times]  About once a week [5–10 times]  Once or twice a month [2–4 times]  Less than once a month [one time]  Never Pace (suburban Chicago) How many days per week do you ride Pace?  Less than 1 day  1 day  2 days  3 days  4 days  5 days  6–7 days LYNX (Orlando) How often do you ride the bus?  5–7 days a week  2–4 days a week  Once a week  Once or twice a month  Less than once a month Frequency of transit use TriMet (Portland, OR) How many trips have you taken on a TriMet bus/MAX/streetcar in the last month? (Count each direction as one trip.)  0 or 1  2 to 6  7 to 12  13 to 29  30 or more RTD (Denver) How many one-way trips did you take on any RTD bus last week? (A round trip counts as two trips.) Please do not include trips you may have taken on the 16th Street Mall Shuttle or to events like the Rockies games. (Put “0” if none.) One-way bus trips last week__________ How long a transit user TPMS How long have you been a regular transit rider— at least once a week?  Less than a month  1–6 months  7–12 months  1–2 years  3–4 years  More than 4 years Pace (suburban Chicago) When did you begin riding Pace?  Less than 1 year ago  1 to 2 years ago  2 to 3 years ago  3 to 4 years ago  4 to 5 years ago  5 to 7 years ago  7 to 10 years ago  More than 10 years ago CTTransit (Hartford, CT) How long have you regularly—at least once a month—been riding transit?  Less than a month  1–6 months  7–12 months  1–2 years  2–4 years  More than 4 years TABLE 10 SURVEY QUESTIONS RELATED TO WHO USES TRANSIT

25 Vehicles available to household NHTS How many vehicles are owned, leased, or available for regular use by the people who currently live in your household? Please be sure to include motorcycles, mopeds, and RVs. ___ 2000 Census How many automobiles, vans, and trucks of one- ton capacity or less are kept at home for use by members of your household? ____ TARC (Louisville) How many vehicles are in running condition and available for use by your household?  None  1  2  3  4+ Sun Tran (Tucson) How many working vehicles (autos, trucks, motorcycles) are available in the household where you live or where you stay in the Tucson area?  0  1  2  3  4 or more LYNX (Orlando) How many cars or trucks are in your household? ___ Choice of mode were current mode not available TPMS If transit service were not available how would you make this kind of trip?  Use a car  Walk Ride with a friend  Use a taxi  Bicycle  I would not make this trip TARC (Louisville) If bus service was not available, how would you make this trip?  Drive  Ride with someone  Taxi  Walk  Bicycle  Would not make this trip  TABLE 10 (Continued)

• Home ZIP code, and • Internet access. Question wording is relatively straightforward for these questions, and often standardized. Table 11 shows TPMS wording for demographic questions included in the TPMS project, and wording used by agencies for selected questions. How Satisfied Are Customers? Customer satisfaction and attitudinal sections of on-board and intercept surveys address the basic question, “How are we doing?” These questions reveal riders’ level of satisfac- tion and experience with bus and rail services. However, the questions do not necessarily show why riders use transit or where agencies should focus their resources. Questionnaires provided by transit agencies typically ask for a rating of overall service and ratings for various attri- butes. The surveys use a variety of scales for these ratings. An alternative approach is to query riders’ direct experience with transit rather than rating service attributes. Attribute Ratings The most common approach to measuring customer satis- faction is to ask respondents to rate overall service and rate a series of attributes. The overall rating may be obtained as one item on the list of attribute ratings or as a separate question. The number of service attributes presented—and the level of detail—varies widely. In questionnaires provided by tran- sit agencies, the number of attributes ranged from 5 (Sun Tran, Tucson, Arizona) to 24 (CATS). Studies of customer satisfaction in transit have included as many as 48 attributes (Morpace International 1999). Extensive attribute lists can include very specific aspects of service, such as posted signs on bus stops (CATS) and cleanliness of train interior (Metrolink) (Table 12). These attributes are of direct relevance and interest to operational divisions of the respective agencies and thus provide specific and timely feedback to operating personnel. Lengthy attribute lists increase the length of the survey. Whether the amount of information collected is greater than for a shorter list is open to question, given that ratings for attributes touching on similar aspects of service are often highly correlated. The high level of correlation could reflect a similar level of performance across different attributes— for example, agencies that keep the trash emptied may keep stations and railcars clean as well. On the other hand, strong correlations between attributes may reflect a limit on how many different aspects of the transit user experience riders perceive. In a subway station environment, for example, users may perceive the station to be “clean and well lit” 26 without making distinctions between litter on the floor, over- flow of trash cans, or brightness of the lighting. It is possible to develop a concise attribute list that captures the different aspects of the user experience and thus reduces survey length. Studies that use qualitative methodologies such as focus groups or advanced statistical methodologies such as factor analysis and structural equations have found that the user experience can be distilled into 7 to 10 service attributes (Strategic Marketing & Research 1997; Stuart I. Brown Associates 1997; Stuart et al. 2000; Weinstein 2000; Miller et al. 2002; Zhou et al. 2004) Although the wording of the attributes varies between transit systems, they generally cover the following areas: • Timely service (frequency of service, predictability of bus or train arrivals), • Speed of service, • Cleanliness (on board and in station), • Safety/police presence, • Comfort, • Driver courtesy and friendliness, • Crowding, • Cost/value, and • Information availability and ease of use. Interestingly, the studies identified crowding as an issue among larger agencies but not smaller agencies, whereas driver courtesy and friendliness was highlighted only by the smaller agencies. LYNX and TriMet surveys illustrate attribute lists that reflect these basic aspects of service (Table 12). Ratings Scales Ratings of attributes may employ either a verbal or numeric scale. Commonly used verbal scales include 5-point scales ranging from “Very satisfied” to “Very dissatisfied” or from “Strongly agree” to “Strongly disagree.” These scales have the advantage that each point on the scale is clearly positive or negative, with a neutral point in the middle. Another common verbal scale uses the short, easily under- stood words, “Excellent,” “Good,” “Fair,” and “Poor”; how- ever, whether “Fair” is a positive or negative rating can be open to interpretation. Numeric scales are also commonly used. Such scales typically range from 1 to 5, 1 to 7, or 1 to 10. Numeric scales are easily fit on the page. Scores can be averaged and the aver- age can be easily tracked over time. On the other hand, scores can be difficult to interpret; is a “5” a satisfactory score? Agencies sometimes combine numeric and verbal scales. For example, questionnaires may use a 1 to 5 scale but

27 Gender TPMS I am…  Male  Female Age TPMS My age is:  Under 15  15 to 18  19 to 24  25 to 34  35 to 49  50 to 64  65 or more Income TPMS What is your total household income?  Under $20,000  $20,000–$29,999  $30,000–$39,999  $40,000–$49,999  $50,000–$59,999  $60,000–$79,999  $80,000 or greater RTD (Denver) Which one of the following categories best describes the total annual income, before taxes, for all persons in your household?  Under $15,000  $15,000–$24,999  $25,000–$34,999  $35,000–$49,999  $50,000–$74,999  $75,000–$99,999  $100,000 or more Sun Tran (Tucson) What do you estimate was the combined total annual income (before taxes) in 2003 for everyone who lives in that household?  Below $5,000  $5,000–$9,999  $10,000–$19,999  $20,000–$29,999  $30,000–$39,999  $40,000–$49,999  $50,000–$59,999  $60,000–$74,999  $75,000 or more TARC (Louisville) What was your estimated total household income (in 2003) before taxes?  <$20,000  $20,000–$39,999  $40,000–$59,999  $60,000–$79,999  $80,000–$99,999  $100,000+ Household size TPMS Including yourself, how many people live in your household? ____ NHTS Including yourself, how many people live in your household? Please do not include anyone who usually lives somewhere else or is just visiting, such as a college student away at school.  ___ Sun Tran (Tucson) Including yourself, how many people live in the household where you live or where you stay in the Tucson area?  1  2  3  4 or more Internet access NHTS During the last 6 months, did you have access to the Internet or world-wide web?  Yes  No CTTransit (Hartford, CT) Do you have Internet access?  Yes  No TARC (Louisville) Do you have access to the Internet at any of the following locations? (Mark all that apply.)  At home At work   At school  At the local library  I don’t have access to the Internet  Other places (specify) Pace (suburban Chicago) Do you have access to the Internet at home?  Yes  No at work?  Yes  No TABLE 11 DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY QUESTIONS

28 TriMet (Portland, OR) Please read the following statements and answer using the 5-point rating scale.  Cleanliness inside bus  Safety while on-board  Reliability of service  Frequency of service  Overcrowding  Overall service Scale: 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) Sun Tran (Tucson) Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?  Transit services operate on time.  I feel safe when riding the bus.  Drivers are helpful and friendly.  Route/schedule information is easy to use.  Buses are clean and well-maintained. Scale: Strongly agree, Agree, No opinion, Disagree, Strongly disagree LYNX (Orlando) Evaluate LYNX services:  Routing  On time  Safety  Cleanliness  Operator courtesy  Fare  Frequency  Hours of operation  Overall service Scale: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Very poor, Don’t know Pace (suburban Chicago) Please indicate your level of satisfaction with Pace service on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is Very Satisfied and 1 is Very Dissatisfied.  Overall satisfaction with Pace  How driver obeys and enforces rules  Accuracy of route information  Availability of route information  Driver courtesy  Posted signs at bus stop  Personal safety on bus  Ease of fare payment  Cleanliness inside buses  Total travel time  Service connections  Personal safety at bus stops  Responses of telephone representatives  Service when and where desired  Reliability of equipment  Buses running on time  Drivers safe driving  Value of service for fare paid  Availability of bus shelters  Notification of service changes Scale: 1 (very satisfied) to 5 (very dissatisfied) Metrolink (Los Angeles area) Please rate each feature associated with traveling on Metrolink trains.  Travel time on Metrolink vs. car  On-time arrivals  Connecting transit buses at station  Availability of free unreserved parking at station  Availability of paid and reserved parking at station  Availability of seating on the train  Cleanliness of train interior  Safe operation of trains  Personal security on the train  Personal security at the station  Trains free of defects (heat, doors, etc.)  Ease of purchasing tickets  Courtesy of Metrolink conductors  Cost of a Metrolink ride CATS (Charlotte, NC) Rate how well CATS performs in each area.  Buses are on time  Bus passes are sold at convenient locations  Travel time on the bus is reasonable  Buses are clean inside  The Transit Center is clean and well maintained  It’s easy to get bus information on the phone  The transit system serves all parts of the city  Buses begin running early enough in the morning  Buses continue to run late enough at night  There is frequent bus service on weekdays  There is frequent bus service on Saturdays  There is frequent bus service on Sundays  Bus fares are reasonable  You feel safe from crime at the Charlotte Transit Center  You feel safe from crime on the bus TABLE 12 SURVEY QUESTIONS RELATED TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

29 anchor the “1” and “5” as “Very satisfied” and “Very dissat- isfied,” respectively. Simple “Yes” and “No” scales may be also be used where appropriate, as when asking whether the respondent would recommend transit to others. See Appendixes C and D for examples of ratings scales in sample questionnaires. Direct Experience with Transit Another approach to relating the customer experience to agency performance is to ask riders specific questions about their user experiences, either for the current trip or overall experience. A good example is presented in a CTTransit on- board survey. The survey asked respondents whether buses arrive within 5 min of the scheduled time “Always,” “Some- times,” “Most times,” or “Not very often.” Similar questions pertained to the courteousness of bus operators, bus cleanli- ness, availability of timetables and notices, and helpfulness of telephone center representatives. (See Appendix D for the full questionnaire.) Similarly, a GCRTA survey asked riders to “grade RTA’s services for this trip.” Attributes included GCRTA arriving at the stop as scheduled, GCRTA driver being courteous, GCRTA seating comfort, and if the GCRTA shelter is clean. Why Do Customers Use Transit? A key objective of many on-board and intercept surveys is to understand why riders use transit. What are the key drivers that prompt members of the traveling public to choose the bus, subway, light rail, or commuter rail over alternatives that range from automobiles to walking? Questionnaires provided by transit agencies show a wide variety of approaches to surveying on this topic. One approach is to focus primarily on the availability of an auto- mobile as the primary alternative mode, with some surveys simply asking whether the respondent had an automobile available for this trip. People who have a car available for the trip are viewed as “choice” riders, who are using transit because of the quality of service or other factors. Individuals who do not own a car or do not have a car available for this trip are classified as “transit dependent” or “captive.” They are assumed to use transit for lack of an alternative. Whether riders that do not have an automobile available are truly captive is open to question. National surveys show that people living in zero-vehicle households still make far more trips by private automobile (34%) than by transit (19%) (Pucher and Renne 2003). Survey results from 18 transit agencies, reported through the TPMS program, show that one-quarter of riders surveyed would “ride with someone else” if transit were not available for the trip, whereas 20% would walk or bike and 11% would take a cab (McCollom Management Consulting 2004). Thus, even riders who, based on lack of automobile ownership appear to be captive appear to have several means of transportation available to them. Some surveys take a more nuanced approach to the auto- mobile availability question. TriMet, for example, has four categories (results from 2000 survey are in parentheses): • I do have a car but prefer to use TriMet (43%). • I don’t have a car because I prefer to use TriMet (14%). • I don’t have a car available for me to use (28%). • I don’t drive or don’t know how to drive (15%). These categories acknowledge that the availability and quality of transit service may encourage some riders to forego buying a car (or a second car) even though they could afford to do so. In a sense, they choose to be captive riders. Other on-board and intercept transit surveys look not only at automobile availability but also to other factors that affect mode choice. Table 13 shows examples from several surveys that ask why respondents are using transit for this trip, or why they use transit generally. Variation in the wording of answer choices reflects different local conditions, but answer choices can be summarized as: • Do not drive, • No car available (or allows someone else to use the car),  Communication of schedule changes  Communication of delays  Schedule convenience  Ease of getting information at 800-371-LINK Scale: 1 (dissatisfied) to 5 (satisfied). Also asked for importance on 1 to 5 scale  Taking the bus is relaxing  The bus ride is comfortable  Bus drivers are courteous  Bus drivers are knowledgeable  Bus drivers are safe drivers  Bus drivers are sensitive to the needs of passengers  Bus drivers greet you  Complaints/suggestions get a quick response  The system provides a valuable service to the community Scale: 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent). Also asked for importance on 1 to 5 scale TABLE 12 (Continued)

30 VTA (San Jose, CA) What is your main reason for using transit in Santa Clara County?  Have no other way  Better use of time  Costs less  Faster than driving  Allows someone else to use the car  Fewer problems than using car  Car in shop  Good for the environment  Other (specify) Pace (Chicago area) Why did you use Pace today instead of another way of traveling?  Don’t drive  No car available  Reduces pollution  Prefer transit  Can read or relax  Unavailable parking  No license  Cheaper than driving  Expensive parking  Other Bi-State Development Agency (St. Louis) What is the main reason you use Bi-State transit services?  Cheaper than driving  Faster than driving  I don’t drive  No car available  Traffic is too bad  Parking is too expensive  More relaxing than a car  Friends use transit  Employer helps pay fare  Better for the environment  Other (specify) TriMet (Portland, OR) What is the major reason you are using the bus for this one-way trip? (Check one best answer.)  I do have a car but prefer to use TriMet.  I don’t have a car because I prefer to use TriMet.  I don’t have a car available for me to use.  I don’t drive or don’t know how to drive. Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica, CA) What are the most important reasons you are riding the bus today?  I do not own a car  Someone else has the car  The bus is faster than walking  Parking is expensive  I do not like to drive in traffic  The bus is faster than driving  To help the environment  I do not have a driver’s license  My employer pays for bus fare Reasons for using transit Metrolink (Los Angeles) Please think about when you first started riding Metrolink. What was the single most important reason that made you take Metrolink? (Choose one.)  I had moved to a new residence and needed a new way to commute  I got a new job or job location and needed a new way to commute  My employer gave me a free Metrolink ticket  My employer paid for part of my Metrolink pass  A family member, friend, or co-worker told me about Metrolink  I have seen advertising for Metrolink and was curious  The MTA strike forced me to find alternate transportation  I took the train to a special event  I was traveling in a group  My car was being repaired  My car was being used by another family member  I could not drive my car for medical reasons  The high cost of gas  I served on jury duty and received a free Metrolink ticket  I received an offer in the mail  Other (please specify) Availability of auto for this trip TPMS Do you have a car or other personal vehicle that you could have used to make this trip?  Yes  No SANDAG Did you have a car that you could have used today instead of the bus?  Yes  No DART Do you have a car available to you to make this trip?  Yes  No VTA (San Jose, CA) Was an auto available to you for this trip?  Yes  Yes, but with inconvenience to others  No TABLE 13 SURVEY QUESTIONS RELATED TO WHY CUSTOMERS USE TRANSIT

31 • Faster than driving, • Avoid driving in traffic, • Better use of time (e.g., read and relax), • Cost of driving and/or parking, and • Environmental considerations (reduces pollution). This list is consistent with transit research findings that mode choice is largely driven by the cost and availability of park- ing, travel times (especially out of vehicle time), price, com- fort and convenience (Charles River Associates 1997; Dueker et al. 1998; Schaller 1999; Miller et al. 2002). How Can an Agency Attract Increased Ridership? Closely allied to the issue of why people use transit is the question of how to attract additional ridership. Although related, the two issues are quite distinct. Some riders use tran- sit for most work trips; for example, to avoid parking costs or avoid the stress of traffic, but take the automobile on days when they will come home later in the evening. In this exam- ple, the reasons for using transit (parking and traffic) are dif- ferent from actions that would attract increased usage, which might be more frequent evening service. As another exam- ple, some riders use transit for work but not shopping trips, owing to buses not conveniently serving trips to the mall. Transit questionnaires tend to take a straightforward approach to assessing ways to increase ridership. Question- naires provided by transit agencies ask what the agency “could do to improve bus service” (Broward County Tran- sit), what “would motivate you the most to continue riding or ride more often?” (Pace Suburban Bus), or use similar word- ing. The surveys then provided a list of possible service improvements. Respondents are instructed to check the one to three most important service improvements (Table 14). Broward County (FL) Transit Please tell us three things that we could do to improve bus service. Please check only up to three:  More bus routes  Fewer transfers  Park & ride lots  More information  More frequent bus service  Express buses  More evening and weekend service  More comfortable buses  Better on-time performance  Bus stop shelters/benches  Other (specify) RTD (Denver) What is the single most important area, if any, in which RTD should make improvements to its’ bus service?  Cost  Comfort  Convenience  Customer information  Travel time  Park-n-ride  Bus driver performance  Telephone information center (TIC)  Security/safety  None Needed improvements Pace (suburban Chicago) What is the ONE item listed below that would motivate you the MOST to continue riding or to ride more often?  Reduce fares  Provide stops closer to my home  Run buses more often  Change the schedule  Reduce travel time  Run express service more often  Serve more destinations  Improve on-time performance  Improve safety while driving  Improve safety while waiting  Make transit information more accessible  Provide a more convenient connection to final destination  Run service from free parking lots to busy Metra stations  Other (please specify)  Nothing—will not consider riding or riding more often  Does not apply—I ride as often as I can LYNX (Orlando) What bus service improvements are most needed? (Check top three.)  Frequency  New routes  Night and weekend service  Shelters  Pre-paid fare cards  Free transfers  Additional transfer locations  Other___________________ TABLE 14 SURVEY QUESTIONS RELATED TO IMPROVING TRANSIT AND ATTRACTING INCREASED RIDERSHIP

Responses to these questions can be enlightening. Among the 11 choices provided by Broward County Transit, responses clustered around three improvements related to more service (more frequent bus service, more bus routes, and more evening and weekend service), and two other improvements (better on-time performance and bus stop shelters and benches). Agency staff felt that the results demonstrated opportunities to increase ridership among cur- rent riders. The results thus provided clear direction toward providing additional service for existing customers rather than adding routes in lower density areas, which had been done previously. Similarly, a LYNX survey found that night and weekend service, and more frequent service, to be the service improve- ments that riders felt were most needed. Lists of service attributes may pose a substantial respon- dent burden because respondents must compare each answer choice with the others and then make a selection (Dillman 2000). The respondent burden can be reduced in two ways. First, it is important that response choices be as concrete as possible and mutually exclusive. Second, respondents can be asked to choose the most important (or three most important) items rather than be asked to rank the items. Ranking is a more difficult task. The Broward County Transit and LYNX surveys illustrate questions that follow these guidelines. Choosing from lists of service attributes requires that respondents be thoughtful and reflective about the reasons that they use transit and other modes. Responses are subject to rationalizations and a desire by some respondents to answer in a socially acceptable manner. An alternative approach, illustrated by questions devel- oped from focus group research in New York and Chicago, is to ask respondents to simply report their experience of using transit. Focus groups in these cities found that riders choose the mode that presents the fewest or least severe problems in terms of travel time, on-time reliabil- ity, safety, cost, comfort, etc. The focus groups also found that different types of trips (e.g., work and non-work, peak, and non-peak) encounter different types of problems (Schaller 1999). Survey questions were designed to measure the incidence of problems with transit service. In a CTA on-board survey, riders were asked to indicate how often problems occurred for “the type of trip you are making today, considering the reason for the trip and your destination.” Survey results identified strengths and weaknesses of CTA service for work and non-work trips for different geographic areas. From this information, the agency was able to assess alter- native strategies to capture a greater share of total travel (Miller et al. 2002). 32 How Effective Are Agency Communications? Finally, on-board and intercept surveys on occasion measure awareness of advertising or agency websites, providing feed- back to the agency marketing and public information depart- ments. As illustrated in Table 15, questions in this topic area may include recall of agency advertising and media used, channels used to obtain service information, and visitation to the agency’s website. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN AND LAYOUT Questionnaire design is a critical element of survey devel- opment. Although Dillman (2000) reports that mail survey clients often overlook the importance of design, surveys provided by transit agencies display considerable care in question ordering, lay out, font selection, and other design aspects. Transit staff surveyed cited the use of short question- naires and simple, carefully worded questions as keys to successful on-board and intercept surveys. Surveys pro- vided by transit agencies are often one to two pages long. They typically employ a simple, consistent, linear flow of questions that clearly defines the desired navigation path through the questionnaire. Questions on the same topic are grouped together. Questions are usually numbered sequen- tially, with few if any skips. Instructions are kept to a mini- mum and placed within the question to which they apply. Notably, Dillman (2000) advises following these same design principles in mail surveys. Question Ordering Question ordering is a key aspect of questionnaire design. Dillman (2000) recommends that the first question be easy to answer, apply to all respondents, be interesting, and be clearly connected to the purposes and topic of the survey. Nearly all transit O&D surveys begin with questions about the current trip, usually with a question about where the trip began. Transit staff starts with O&D questions pri- marily to be sure to obtain the trip information, even if respondents do not complete the rest of the survey. This approach appears to be consistent with Dillman’s advice to start with questions that apply to all and are clearly connected with the survey topic and purposes. On the other hand, trip questions may be of relatively less interest to riders and are not necessarily easy to answer. Dill- man suggests starting with attitudinal questions, which are likely to have high salience with respondents, rather than fac- tual questions of less interest. However, it has not been tested whether starting transit surveys with attitudinal questions would increase response rates.

33 Communications Pace (suburban Chicago) Do you recall any advertisements about Pace service during the past 2 months?  Yes—go to 26A.  No—skip to 29.  Not sure—skip to 29. Where did you see, hear, or read them? (Mark all that apply.)  TV (specify)  Radio (specify)  Newspaper (specify)  Other (specify) CTTransit (Hartford, CT) Where do you receive bus information?  On bus  Telephone  Sales outlet  Work  Online  At bus stop (Guide-a- ride) LYNX (Orlando) How do you get information about LYNX?  On the bus  Mail  Work  Phone  Internet  Word of mouth  Newspaper/magazine  Shopping center/ convenience store  Other __________ VTA (San Jose, CA) What are the best ways for VTA to get information to you? (Check up to three.)  VTA Take One  VTA website/e-mail  Inside bus advertising  VTA telephone customer service  Downtown customer service center  Mail  Information at stops/stations  Radio (which station?)  Newspaper (which newspaper?)  Other (specify) Website visitation CTTransit (Hartford, CT) Have you visited the CTTRANSIT website at www.cttransit.com?  Yes  No RTD (Denver) Have you ever used RTD’s website to obtain bus trip information?  Yes  No TABLE 15 SURVEY QUESTIONS RELATED TO AGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION

Non-O&D transit questionnaires typically begin with fac- tual questions about ridership frequency, trip purposes, or customer attitudes about service. The ordering of attitudinal questions should take into account biases that may be introduced by the order in which questions are asked. One source of bias is from the tendency of respondents to make their answers to each question con- sistent with answers to previous questions. In an example from the literature, a study of happiness found that for mar- ried persons, a question on general happiness received more positive responses when asked after a question about marital happiness than did the general happiness question by itself. This result suggested that “asking the marital question first tended to increase positive responses to the general question by causing it to be defined in terms of marital happiness” (Schuman and Presser 1996). In survey research parlance, this is known as a part–whole question combination in that one question is more general and in some sense contains part of the more specific question. Analogous transit survey questions pertain to satisfaction with service overall and with specific aspects of service. To avoid biases, it is advisable to obtain a rating for overall ser- vice before ratings questions for reliability, speed of service, routing, etc. Another consistency effect can occur when respondents answer questions in light of an earlier answer on a different but related topic. An example in the literature showed slight changes to respondents’ self-classification of their subjec- tive social class (upper class, middle class, working class, or lower class) depending on placement of a question on their education and occupation (Shuman and Presser 1996). It is possible that respondents answered the social class question to conform to their educational and occupation levels when the education and occupation questions were asked before social class. This possible effect can be avoided if the “objective” questions are asked after other questions or, at minimum, if the questions are separated on the survey by other topics. An application to transit surveys would suggest putting automobile ownership and availabil- ity questions after questions about alternative modes for this trip. Navigation Guides Questionnaire layout and formatting provide visual clues to guide respondents in navigating from one question to the next and properly marking answers to each question. Most on-board and intercept surveys provided by transit agencies use simple, clean-looking layouts. The question- naires typically use black type on white or other light-colored paper, and there is minimal use of shading in most question- 34 naires. Agencies rely on several simple formatting devices to aid navigation: • Questions begin in the upper left corner; • Vertical one or two-column formats; • Sequential questionnaire numbering from beginning to end; • Bold questions and light answer choices to clearly dis- tinguish questions from answer; • Check-off boxes used to indicate answer choices; and • Minimal use of lines between columns or sections of the questionnaire, thus avoiding visual clutter. These practices are consistent with Jenkins and Dillman (1993) and Dillman’s recommendations for mail surveys (2000). Transit agencies sometimes use shading to highlight answer spaces. A Sun Tran O&D survey used dark shading for questions, light shading for the background to answers, and white boxes for answer choices (see Figure 3 for a por- tion of the Sun Tran questionnaire). However, write-in answer spaces for addresses and open-ended questions were shaded. The practice of other carefully developed question- naires, such as the 2000 U.S. Census, is to use shading for questions and white space for all answer areas including any fill-in answers (U.S. Census Bureau 2000). Two areas that show a range of different transit practices involve the layout of answer choices and use of matrixes. Answer Choices: One, Two, or Three Columns? As Dillman (2000) notes in the context of mail surveys, designers of transit surveys sometimes decide to save space by listing answer choices in two or three columns, particu- larly when a large number of choices are involved. Surveys provided by transit agencies frequently adopt multi-column formats or list choices horizontally on the same line. Ques- tions 13 to 15 in Figure 4 (taken from a GCRTA survey) provide examples of both horizontal and multi-column answer formats. Although multi-column or horizontal formats save space, they also interrupt the vertical flow of the questionnaire. These practices tend to increase the burden of the respondent, which tends to increase item nonresponse. In addition, respondents may overlook answer choices in the second or third column. The order of choices may therefore influence the results of the survey. The degree to which results are affected by format in transit surveys has apparently not been tested; however, the possibility of an effect certainly exists. The issue is whether these costs in respondent burden and impact on results are worth the gain in reducing questionnaire

35 length. This may be less of a trade-off than it first appears, for two reasons. First, length should be viewed as the number of questions rather than the number of pages in the question- naire. Dillman (2000) reported that squeezing a given number of questions into fewer pages does not improve response rates to mail surveys. Second, a number of transit agencies have achieved remarkable response rates with rather long surveys. RTD, Metrolink, and Metra (Chicago area) successfully fielded questionnaires of four to seven pages. Spacing questions over a larger number of pages may necessitate a booklet format for the questionnaire. Once a sur- vey goes over two pages (which can be printed front and back), the questionnaire is easier to open and close if printed as a booklet on oversize paper. GCRTA and TARC surveys used 11 in. by 17 in. paper, folded to letter pages in booklet style. Work School Shopping College/University Home Medical Social/Church/Personal Other Where are you GOING TO NOW? Mark One How did you GET FROM that place to the FIRST bus you used for this trip? Walked # Blocks Bicycled Dropped off by someone Drove my car and parked Cross Streets Name the cross streets of the nearest corner OR name of the transit center or park and ride. Street 1 Street 2 Transit center or park and ride Where will you GET OFF the bus you are riding now? Location of the bus stop. BANKexample: Name the address OR the cross streets of the nearest corner. Address Street # Direction (N,S,E,W) Street Name In the City of Zip Code if known What is the name of the PLACE or BUILDING you are GOING TO? Cross Streets Street 1 Street 2 What is the address or location of the place where you are GOING NOW? Yes, I will transfer to Sun Tran Route Please give the bus route # To Cat Tran Will you transfer to ANOTHER bus on THIS trip to where you are going NOW? No, I will not transfer to another bus. What was the FIRST bus you used for THIS TRIP? This is my first bus on this trip. Cat Tran I transferred from Sun Tran Route TICET Please give the bus route # Cross Streets Name the cross streets of the nearest corner OR name of the transit center or park and ride. Street 1 Street 2 Transit center or park and ride Where did you GET ON the bus you are riding now? Location of the bus stop. To TICET & & & FIGURE 3 Sun Tran questionnaire with white boxes for answer choices.

Matrix Formats The primary exception to linear question sequences in sur- veys provided by transit agencies is an occasional use of matrix formats. Rather than having a question and list of answer choices, the questions and choices are arranged in some type of grid. Transit agencies most often use matrix-type formats for O&D questions. An example is shown in Figure 5. There appears to be a natural logic to using a matrix for O&D questions because each question used for the origin is repeated for the destination. Questionnaires in a matrix- type design can align the comparable O&D questions. A matrix format might also convey the meaning of a one- way trip. 36 Transit agencies reported mixed success with matrix for- mats, however. Although more logical to some respondents, the matrix formats produce a large block of type at the top of the survey. Intended navigation is also less clear, because respondents are expected to jump from the bottom of the left part of the matrix to the top of the right part, then down and to the left to continue with the survey. The experience of the U.S. Census Bureau is relevant to this issue. Before 2000, the Census Bureau used a matrix for- mat for long-form questions about each household member. Based on testing, it replaced the matrix format for the 2000 Census. In 2000, the agency asked all the questions about one person in the household in a linear format before moving on to the next person. The new approach lengthened the ques- tionnaire from 20 to 28 pages but, in testing, improved the response rate by 3 to 4 percentage points (Dillman 2000). FIGURE 4 Excerpts from GCRTA (top) and Metrolink surveys with skip questions. GCRTA survey also illustrates multi-column and horizontal answer layouts.

37 TriMet moved from a matrix format for O&D questions in its 2003 and earlier Ridership Surveys to a vertical format in the 2004 survey (see Appendix C). In pretests, TriMet found that the vertical format produced a better response rate. On the other hand, Metrolink has been satisfied with a similar format for its O&D section. It is possible that the favorable conditions of a commuter rail line (long trips, good lighting, an upscale demographic) contribute to this positive experience. Aside from O&D questions, transit agencies have used matrix formats successfully for attitude and fare payment questions. Customer attitude questions are often formatted in matrixes with service attributes down the left column and the ratings scale repeated horizontally (see the LYNX Question 16 in Appendix D). This format saves space and has proven easy to complete. Dillman (2000) noted that the format encourages respondents to place each item in a comparative framework. Respondents think about their rating for on-time arrivals, for example, relative to their rating for cleanliness. Often, this is exactly the intention of survey designers. If not intended, questions should be asked separately. The increasing complexity of many transit agencies’ fare structures has led some to use matrices for fare payment questions, largely to save space. TriMet reports that cus- tomers have become accustomed to this format in the agency’s annual survey. Ease of responding is probably helped because respondents are being asked to check only one box and by showing the price of each fare option next to each box. Branching and Skips Although transit surveys tend to ask respondents to answer every question, occasionally the need arises to ask a follow- up question to a subset of riders, based on their answer to a previous question. This need introduces the challenge of asking respondents to follow instructions for skipping cer- tain questions. For example, Metrolink asked customers who accessed a Metrolink station by bus to report bus company and bus line information. GCRTA asked an open-ended question of respondents who currently use transit less often than they did a year ago (see Figure 4). The difficulty with skips is that respondents may not read the instructions or follow the arrows. Therefore, respondents who rode the same amount or more often than they did a year earlier answered the GCRTA skip question, as well as those who ride less often. In the analysis, GCRTA filtered out the first two groups and focused on open-ended answers from only the “ride less” group. In this way the agency was able to achieve its research objective. Use of Other Languages Transit agencies often serve a multi-ethnic population that has varying proficiency in the English language. A number of agencies take for granted that customer communications should offer customers a choice of English and other lan- guages, primarily Spanish. In the survey of transit agencies, 43% reported using both English and Spanish in the survey COMING FROM GOING TO 1a. Where did you come from on this one-way trip? (check one best answer) 01 Home 05 Personal business 08Visiting friends/relatives 02 Work 06 Shopping 09 08 09 Medical appointment 03 01 02 03 01 02 03  School 07 05 04 06 05 04 06 05 06 07 Other: ________________________________ 04 01 02 03 04 Recreation: ______________________________________ 1b. Where was that located? Fill in: • a street address and the city OR • a street with the nearest cross street and the city OR • a landmark with specific location details, for example, John’s Grocery on Hawthorne. (circle one) NE SE NW SW Street: N S E W __________________________________________ Nearest Cross Street: __________________________________ City: __________________________ Zip Code____________ 2. How did you get to the stop/station for this bus/MAX? (check one) Walked _______# blocks Transferred from MAX Drove and parked Dropped off by someone Transferred from bus #: _____ Other: ______________ 3a. Where are you going on this one-way trip? (check one best answer) Home Personal business Visiting friends/relatives Work Shopping Medical appointment School Other: ________________________________ Recreation: ______________________________________ 3b. Where is that located? Fill in: • a street address and the city OR • a street with the nearest cross street and the city OR • a landmark with specific location details, for example, John’s Grocery on Hawthorne. (circle one) NE SE NW SW Street: N S E W __________________________________________ Nearest Cross Street: __________________________________ City: __________________________ Zip Code____________ 4. How will you get to that location from this bus/MAX? (check one) Walk _______# blocks Transfer to MAX Drive Be picked up by someone Transfer to bus #: _____ Other: _________________ FIGURE 5 TriMet 2000 O&D survey using matrix formatting.

38 Agency Survey Project Completed Surveys Completed in Spanish Percentage Completed in Spanish Completed in Other Languages (no. and percentage) Metro (Los Angeles) 2004 On-Board Customer Satisfaction Survey 14,265 5,125 35.9 Santa Monica (CA) Big Blue Bus Line-by-Line Analysis 4,709 895 19.0 CTA (Chicago) Douglas Branch Blue Line Passenger Survey 1,756 319 18.2 VTA (San Jose) 2000 On-Board Survey 18,351 2,953 16.1 Vietnamese 40 (0.2%) CTA (Chicago) West Side Customer Travel Survey 5,200 398 7.7 Polish 6 (0.1%) CTTransit (Connecticut) Bi-annual passenger survey 4,500 300 6.7 TriMet (Portland, OR) Origin Destination Survey—Systemwide 2000 81,100 4,000 4.9 TriMet (Portland, OR) Annual Fare Survey 15,179 594 3.9 LTD (Eugene, OR) 2004 Origin/Destination Study 5,528 185 3.3 RTD (Denver) Customer Satisfaction Survey 3,654 120 3.3 Metrolink (L.A. area) 2004 Onboard Survey 13,470 323 2.4 Pace Suburban Bus (Chicago area) CSI/User Study 7,937 160 2.0 TARC (Louisville) Project Gobility 4,211 85 2.0 TABLE 16 RESPONDENT USAGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE OPTION

39 questionnaire. Included in this figure is 5% of agencies that used English, Spanish, and a third language, either Vietnamese (in Orange County and Santa Clara County, California) or Polish (in Chicago). The remaining 57% of the questionnaires used English only. For the most part, a large majority of riders complete sur- veys in English. For surveys in which transit agencies reported the breakdown of returned surveys by language, one-half reported that fewer than 5% of respondents chose the Spanish option. The use of Spanish questionnaires can be quite high in certain cities, however: Los Angeles (36%), Santa Monica (19%), Chicago (8% in one survey, 17% in another survey), and San Jose (16%) (Table 16). Use of the Vietnamese and Polish languages options was 0.2% or less. The layout of multilanguage questionnaires takes essen- tially two approaches. One approach is to reproduce the same questionnaire in both (or all three) languages. The alterna- tives may be presented side-by-side on one page, on the front and back of the same sheet of paper, or by using separate sheets of paper. The specific choice depends largely on the length of the questionnaire. The advantage to this approach is a cleaner visual appear- ance for each language. The disadvantage is that respondents may overlook the version of the survey in their preferred lan- guage in the case of front-and-back printing. Some agencies have observed that some passengers, if they look at the “wrong” side of the questionnaire first, simply set it aside rather than flipping it over. In situations where separate sheets of paper are used for different languages, survey workers need to determine which version to give riders. This need can introduce awkwardness or, at minimum, creates an additional step in the distribution of questionnaires. The alternative approach is to include Spanish text immedi- ately after the English text. The O&D TARC questionnaire in Appendix C illustrates this approach, which avoids the problems mentioned above and may reduce space requirements. How- ever, it also appears more cluttered, which could possibly affect response rates, item nonresponse, and/or accuracy of answers. Surveying Respondents Who Cannot Read Although some respondents can complete a questionnaire in Spanish (or another language) but not English, another problem that arises involves riders who are not able to read in any language. AATA (Ann Arbor, Michigan) reported that some of its riders cannot read. Although survey workers assist these riders, AATA staff believes that this portion of AATA’s customer base is underrepresented in the survey. Another issue that arises concerns persons with visual impairments. TriMet provides Braille cards that ask the per- son to call a phone number and be interviewed on the phone. TriMet also provides large-font surveys and, time permitting, surveyors administer surveys verbally on-board. PRETESTING QUESTIONNAIRE Pretesting is a standardized step in questionnaire develop- ment. The objective is to determine how well the question- naire is working before commencing the fieldwork and to make any needed changes for clarity of questions, naviga- tion, etc. Surveys can be pretested in the field using actual survey procedures. Surveys can also be pretested using a conve- nience sample such as nearby office workers who use tran- sit, but are not familiar with the purposes and details of the survey. In either case, respondents are asked to complete the survey as they would in the fieldwork phase. If possible, it is useful to ask for verbal feedback from respondents on any questions that are unclear. Finished questionnaires can be checked for completeness, consistency, and any apparent accuracy problems. Pretesting is critical for new surveys and complex ques- tions or question sequences. Pretesting may not be necessary if essentially the same questionnaire is used from a previous survey. For surveys reported by transit agencies, pretesting was conducted in 45% of the cases.

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TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 63: On-Board and Intercept Transit Survey Techniques examines transit agencies’ experiences with planning and implementing on-board and intercept surveys. On-board and intercept surveys include self-administered surveys distributed on board buses and railcars, and in stations, as well as interviews conducted in these environments. The report provides an overview of industry practices and covers a broad range of issues addressed in planning a given survey.

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