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Appendix B
Survey
AGENCY OVERVIEW
1. Contact information
First Name: ____________________________________________
Last Name: ____________________________________________
Title: ____________________________________________
Agency Name: ____________________________________________
Street Address: ____________________________________________
Apt./Suite/Office: ____________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________
State/Province: ____________________________________________
Postal Code: ____________________________________________
Country: ____________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________
E-mail Address: ___________________________________________
_
Fax Number: ____________________________________________
Mobile Phone: ____________________________________________
Website: ____________________________________________
2. Describe your agency's service area.
( ) Large urbanized area (population over 200,000)
( ) Small urbanized area (population 50,000200,000)
( ) Rural or non-urbanized area (population under 50,000)
3. Which modes does your agency either directly operate or operate using a contractor?
Check all that apply.
[ ] Bus/trolleybus
[ ] Heavy rail/subway
[ ] Bus rapid transit
[ ] Light rail/streetcar
[ ] Commuter rail
[ ] Demand response
[ ] Vanpool
[ ] Ferry
[ ] Other:
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4. What was your agency's total ridership for the most recent year? Indicate annual unlinked
trips and specify the year.
Annual unlinked trips Year
2010 2009
Agency ridership ___ ( ) ( )
SOCIAL MEDIA APPLICATIONS
5. What social media applications does your agency use? Check all that apply.
[ ] Agency blog
[ ] Facebook
[ ] Twitter
[ ] YouTube
[ ] MySpace
[ ] Flickr
[ ] LinkedIn
[ ] Foursquare
[ ] GoWalla
[ ] SecondLife
[ ] Other (specify):
6. Indicate the type of information your agency provides and the social media application(s)
used for each. Check all that apply.
Blog Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn N/A
Service info (static) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Service alerts (real- [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
time)
Meeting and event [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
notices
Agency news [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Other news [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Job listings [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Press releases and [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
statements
Contests and [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
promotions
Feature stories [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Public hearing [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
comments
Other (specify below) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
List other types of content and identify the application(s) used.
________________________________________________________________________
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7. How often does your agency update the following?
A few
More than Once a times a Once a A few times Once a
once a day day week week a month month or less N/A
Service info (static) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Service alerts (real- ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
time)
Meeting and event ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
notices
Agency news ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Other news ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Job listings ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Press releases and ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
statements
Contests and ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
promotions
Feature stories ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Public hearing ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
comments
Other (specify below) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
List other types of content and indicate frequency for updates.
________________________________________________________________________
8. Who is responsible for generating content? Check all that apply.
[ ] Senior management
[ ] Marketing/communications staff
[ ] Information technology staff
[ ] Administrative staff
[ ] Planning staff
[ ] Operations/maintenance staff
[ ] Customer service staff
[ ] Intern
[ ] Volunteer
[ ] Consultant
[ ] Automated
[ ] Other (specify):
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AGENCY CONSIDERATIONS
9. Following are some commonly identified goals for using social media. Indicate how
important each goal was to your agency's decision to use social media.
Not important at Slightly
all important Important Very important Not Applicable
Communicate with ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
current riders
Distribute general ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
information (static)
Distribute real-time ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
service information
Improve customer ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
satisfaction
Improve agency image ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strengthen community ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
support
Recruit and keep staff ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Increase ridership ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Obtain feedback on ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
projects
Reach potential riders ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Save money ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Other (specify below) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Describe other agency goals for using social media and indicate their importance.
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Indicate how effective your agency's social media activities were in achieving each of the
following goals.
Not effective at Slightly
all effective Effective Very effective Not Applicable
Communicate with riders ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Distribute general ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
information (static)
Distribute real-time ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
service information
Improve customer ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
satisfaction
Improve agency image ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strengthen community ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
support
Recruit and keep staff ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Increase ridership ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Obtain feedback on ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
projects
Reach potential riders ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Save money ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Other (specify below) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Describe the effectiveness of social media in achieving other agency goals.
________________________________________________________________________
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11. How does your agency evaluate the effectiveness of its social media activities? Check all
that apply.
[ ] Track application statistics (e.g., followers, subscribers, fans)
[ ] Use third-party statistics (e.g., Google Analytics)
[ ] Conduct surveys
[ ] Informal feedback
[ ] No evaluation
[ ] Don't know
[ ] Other (specify):
13. Which social media applications does your agency use to reach the following groups?
Check all that apply.
Blog Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn N/A
Everyday riders [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Students [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Young adults [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Seniors/older Americans [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
People with disabilities [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Low-income [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
communities
Minorities [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Tribal communities [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Agency employees [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
External stakeholders [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
14. How effective are your agency's social media activities in reaching the following groups?
Rate effectiveness Describe your
Not effective Slightly Very experience
at all effective Effective effective Not applicable
Everyday riders ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Students ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Young adults ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Seniors/older ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Americans
People with ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
disabilities
Low-income ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
communities
Minorities ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Tribal communities ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Agency employees ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
External ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
stakeholders
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15. Are your agency's social media activities integrated with other agency activities and/or
information distribution platforms, like real-time alerts or service advisories? Check all
that apply.
[ ] Marketing and communications plan
[ ] 511 (traveler information)
[ ] 311 (citizen information)
[ ] 211 (human services information)
[ ] Real-time arrival alerts
[ ] Service advisories
[ ] Other (specify):
16. Does your agency have a social media policy?
( ) Yes
( ) No
( ) In development
( ) Don't know
17. If possible, please upload a copy of your agency's social media policy.
CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION
18. Following are some commonly identified barriers to using social media. Indicate how
important each factor was in your agency's decision to use social media.
Not important Slightly
at all important Important Very important Not Applicable
Social media apps require ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
support from IT staff
Posting updates takes too ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
much time
Traditional ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
communications methods
are the best way to reach
our riders
Social media exposes our ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
agency to computer
viruses
Agency managers did not ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
see the benefits of social
media
People with disabilities ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
cannot access social media
Our riders do not have ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
access to technology
Seniors do not use social ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
media
People will use social ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
media to criticize my
agency
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Staff will waste time ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
updating their personal
pages
Using social media creates ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
concerns about user
privacy
There's no good way to ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
archive social media posts
Social media is not a good ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
way to reach minorities
No staff available to ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
manage social media
activities
19. Identify any other barriers your agency identified when considering use of social media.
________________________________________________________________________
20. Are your agency's social media sites accessible to people with disabilities?
( ) Yes, completely accessible
( ) Partially accessible
( ) No, not accessible
( ) Don't know
21. What accessibility features does your agency use? Check all that apply.
[ ] Provide captions and text descriptions for photos and images
[ ] Provide captions for videos
[ ] Use audio CAPTCHA feature
[ ] Use accessible Twitter
[ ] None
[ ] Other:
22. Has your agency encountered cyber-security issues because of its use of social media?
( ) Yes
( ) No
( ) Don't know
23. If yes, what issues did your agency encounter and what actions did your agency take to
address them?
________________________________________________________________________
24. Is your agency required to archive social media posts and communications?
( ) Yes
( ) No
( ) Don't know
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25. If yes, describe how your agency archives messages. Indicate technology used (if any), how
long messages are saved, and relevant legal or regulatory references.
________________________________________________________________________
26. How has your agency addressed other barriers to using social media identified in this
section? These may include concerns about negative publicity, allowing employee access to
social media sites, and addressing a digital divide.
________________________________________________________________________
27. While social media applications are usually free of charge, setting up and maintaining them
can incur costs to agencies. If known, estimate the number of labor hours that individuals
in the following categories spend on social media activities each month.
_______Senior management
_______Marketing and communications
_______Information technology
_______Administration
_______Planning
_______Operations/Maintenance
_______Customer service
_______Legal/Procurement
_______Human resources/Training
_______Intern
_______Consultant
_______Other (specify):
AGENCY COSTS AND RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS
28. If known, estimate costs in dollars to create and to support your agency's social media
applications.
Initial Costs (start-up) On-going costs (annual)
N/A N/A
Software ___ [ ] ___ [ ]
Staff ___ [ ] ___ [ ]
Training ___ [ ] ___ [ ]
Licenses ___ [ ] ___ [ ]
Hardware ___ [ ] ___ [ ]
Consulting ___ [ ] ___ [ ]
Other ___ [ ] ___ [ ]
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29. Has your agency considered any potential revenue streams from social media applications?
Check all that apply.
[ ] Advertisements
[ ] Location-based advertisements
[ ] Partnerships with outside organizations
[ ] Other (specify):
[ ] None
[ ] Don't know
LOOKING AHEAD
30. Please describe any lessons learned that would benefit other transit agencies using social
media.
________________________________________________________________________
31. What developments in social media do you or your agency anticipate over the next few
years?
________________________________________________________________________
THANK YOU!
Thank you for completing this survey and contributing to this important research.
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Abbreviations used without definitions in TRB publications:
AAAE American Association of Airport Executives
AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials
AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
ACINA Airports Council InternationalNorth America
ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act
APTA American Public Transportation Association
ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers
ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials
ATA American Trucking Associations
CTAA Community Transportation Association of America
CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program
DHS Department of Homeland Security
DOE Department of Energy
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FHWA Federal Highway Administration
FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FRA Federal Railroad Administration
FTA Federal Transit Administration
HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials
NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program
NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program
NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NTSB National Transportation Safety Board
PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration
SAE Society of Automotive Engineers
SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act:
A Legacy for Users (2005)
TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program
TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998)
TRB Transportation Research Board
TSA Transportation Security Administration
U.S.DOT United States Department of Transportation
