Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency Practices (2018)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

86 This survey was administered online and had several interactive features. For example, many questions and pages in the survey had built-in branching logic (i.e., some questions and pages would only be shown based on answers to previous questions). The complete survey (all ques- tions and pages) is shown here. In addition, the layout of the survey on paper may not accurately reflect the layout of the survey online. Some explanatory information for readers is inserted in square brackets ([ . . . ]) to help interpret how the survey worked. A p p e n d i x A Survey Instrument

Survey instrument 87 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency Practices Survey Overview Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency Practices in Public Transit TCRP Project J-07, Synthesis Topic SB-29 Survey Quick Facts This survey is for North American transit agencies that either: Have a formal guarantee or promise of service quality. OR Report customer-focused performance metrics (for example, on-time performance) to the public. This survey should take around 20–30 minutes to complete. You can start and stop the survey at any time—the survey system will allow you to save your work and come back later to finish. More Information about the Research Project Project Purpose A growing number of North American public transit agencies have adopted “Service Guar- antees” (a.k.a. “Customer Charters” or “Passenger Bill of Rights”) as part of a customer-focused service strategy. Service guarantees describe the level of service customers can expect and the procedures they may follow if standards are not met. In addition, some North American transit agencies report their customer-focused performance metrics using online dashboards or report cards as part of a proactive communications strategy. Currently, there is little existing research on these practices and experiences among North American transit providers. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is leading a study sponsored by the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) to better understand the state of these customer-focused practices at North American transit agencies. The goals of the study are: To document the nature, prevalence, and state-of-the-practice among North American tran- sit providers regarding customer-focused service guarantees (e.g., promises that service will be on time) and customer-focused transparency practices (e.g., online dashboards or report cards containing customer-focused performance metrics). To identify benefits, challenges, and lessons learned through a literature review, survey of representative transit agencies, and documentation of selected case examples. Survey Purpose This survey is the first step in the study. The survey questions address the customer-focused practices at your transit agency, including the measurement of customer-focused performance

88 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices metrics, public reporting of performance, or adopting service guarantees. The survey also includes questions on the benefits, costs, and challenges related to these customer-focused practices. Even if your transit agency has limited experience in these practices or your agency has dis- continued these practices, please still take the survey. We also ask about your willingness to participate in a telephone interview if your agency is selected for a more detailed case study. If there is someone else in your transit agency that may have more information on the survey topics, please forward the survey link to them! Participation is Voluntary This study is completely voluntary and you have the choice whether or not to be in this study. If you choose to participate, you may decide to stop participating at any time. If you choose not to participate or to stop your participation in this study, there will be no negative consequences and no effect on your relationship with TTI or TCRP. Anonymity of Individuals Survey responses will not be attributed to individuals and your name and contact information will not be presented in the report or any publicly available data. (Contact information will only be used by the researchers to follow-up with you if they have any questions.) However, responses will be associated with the transit agency, and details of transit agency responses may be available in the final report. The Final Product The final report, to be published by the Transportation Research Board, will document the current state of the practice and provide an overview of notable practices and lessons learned to help transit agencies with their customer-focused initiatives. The report will be available free of charge on TCRP’s website. Researcher Contact Information If you want more information about the study or have any questions or concerns, contact the Principal Investigator, Michael J. Walk, at (512) 407-1135 or m-walk@tti.tamu.edu. For questions about your rights as a research participant; or if you have questions, com- plaints, or concerns about the research, you may call the Texas A&M University Human Subjects Protection Program office at (979) 458-4067 or irb@tamu.edu. Personal Information We may use your personal information to contact you if we have questions or to invite you to be one of the case example transit agencies. Responses to the survey will not be attributed to you and your contact information will not be used or published in the final report. 1) Your name:* First Name: __________________________________________________________________ Last Name: __________________________________________________________________

Survey instrument 89 2) Your email:* ___________________________________________________________________________ 3) Your phone number: Please include the area code. ___________________________________________________________________________ 4) Your title: ___________________________________________________________________________ Transit Agency Information 5) Transit agency full name: ___________________________________________________________________________ 6) Transit agency acronym or short popular name:* (We’re going to use this abbreviation in the rest of survey, so this is a required question.) ___________________________________________________________________________ 7) In which U.S. State or Canadian Province is your transit agency located? (If your agency is not a U.S. or Canadian agency, please select Non-U.S. and Non-Canadian Transit Agency.) ( ) Non-U.S. and Non-Canadian Transit Agency ( ) Alabama ( ) Alaska ( ) Alberta, Canada ( ) Arizona ( ) Arkansas ( ) British Columbia, Canada ( ) California ( ) Colorado ( ) Connecticut ( ) Delaware ( ) Florida ( ) Georgia ( ) Hawaii ( ) Idaho ( ) Illinois ( ) Indiana ( ) Iowa ( ) Kansas ( ) Kentucky ( ) Louisiana ( ) Maine ( ) Manitoba, Canada ( ) Maryland ( ) Massachusetts ( ) Michigan ( ) Minnesota ( ) Mississippi ( ) Missouri ( ) Montana ( ) Nebraska ( ) Nevada ( ) New Brunswick, Canada ( ) Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( ) New Hampshire ( ) New Jersey ( ) New Mexico ( ) New York ( ) North Carolina ( ) North Dakota ( ) Nova Scotia, Canada ( ) Ohio ( ) Oklahoma ( ) Ontario, Canada ( ) Oregon ( ) Pennsylvania ( ) Prince Edward Island, Canada ( ) Quebec, Canada ( ) Rhode Island ( ) Saskatchewan, Canada ( ) South Carolina ( ) South Dakota ( ) Tennessee ( ) Texas ( ) Utah ( ) Vermont ( ) Virginia ( ) Washington ( ) Washington, D.C. ( ) West Virginia ( ) Wisconsin ( ) Wyoming

90 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices 8) In which province, territory, and/or country do you provide service? ___________________________________________________________________________ 9) Please name the region you service (e.g., greater Austin, TX area): ___________________________________________________________________________ 10) Transit agency website: ___________________________________________________________________________ 11) What modes of service does your transit agency currently operate? Please include both directly operated and purchased transportation.* Please follow National Transit Database (NTD) mode definitions, if possible. For definitions of each transit mode, see pages 26-31 of the NTD Policy Manual. Note: Please exclude services operated exclusively to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (Check all that apply.) [ ] Bus [ ] Commuter Bus [ ] Bus Rapid Transit [ ] Heavy Rail [ ] Commuter Rail [ ] Light Rail [ ] Streetcar [ ] Aerial Tramway [ ] General Public Demand Response [ ] General Public Demand Response-Taxi [ ] Other - Please describe: ____________________________________________________ Service Guarantee Overview A customer service guarantee (or customer charter) is an official policy that guarantees a certain level of service or customer satisfaction. Service guarantees may offer refunds, credits, or provision of transportation alternatives if the guarantee is not met. Some examples of service guarantees are: • If your service is delayed by more than 30 minutes, we’ll give you a complimentary fare (Dayton RTA). • If your train arrival is delayed by 15 minutes or more, we want to credit what you paid for the trip (GO Transit). • If a passenger misses the scheduled Metrolink train due to an operational issue, Metrolink will make every attempt to secure alternative transportation for the rider. . . . (Metrolink). MBTA issued a customer bill of rights in which MBTA commits to provide customers with a safe, courteous, clean, dependable ride (as well as other commitments). In many cases, these guarantees may have certain limitations or provisions that limit when the guarantees apply (e.g., the guarantee does not apply in the event of extreme weather or circum- stances beyond the transit agency’s control).

Survey instrument 91 Definition of Customer Service Guarantee In this survey, the term customer service guarantee means any explicit transit agency commit- ment to a quality customer experience, regardless of whether the agency compensates or responds directly to individual customers in the event the guarantee is not met. (For the purposes of this survey, quality-of-service requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, are not considered a customer service guarantee.) 12) Does your transit agency currently have a customer service guarantee?* ( ) Yes ( ) No - Previously had a customer service guarantee ( ) No 13) In what year was your transit agency’s customer service guarantee first implemented? ___________________________________________________________________________ 14) In what year was your transit agency’s customer service guarantee discontinued? ___________________________________________________________________________ 15) Did your transit agency use another agency’s service guarantee as a model when develop- ing your transit agency’s service guarantee? ( ) No ( ) Yes - please provide agency name(s): ___________________________________________________________________________ ( ) Don’t know 16) What were the main reasons that your transit agency implemented a customer service guarantee? Please select and rank as many reasons that apply. ________To increase ridership (more passenger trips) ________To increase fare revenue ________To increase customer confidence ________To improve public perception ________The guarantee was part of a strategic plan or quality commitment ________External mandate ________To establish a formalized policy for handling refunds / compensations ________Temporary policy to address service problems ________Requested by board (or other oversight body) ________Requested by public Please describe any other reasons why your transit agency implemented a customer service guarantee that were not listed above. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

92 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices 17) Why was the service guarantee discontinued? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Financial concerns [ ] Public or political concerns [ ] Administrative burden of the program [ ] Concerns about fraud or “gaming the system” [ ] Other - Please describe: ______________________________________________________ 18) Has your transit agency considered implementing a customer service charter or guarantee? ( ) Yes ( ) No 19) Please describe the challenges or concerns that are causing your transit agency to not implement a service guarantee. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Service Guarantee Details Please provide some additional information about your agency’s current customer service guarantee. If your agency’s guarantee has been discontinued, please answer the questions based on the guarantee that was most recently in effect. 20) For which modes and service characteristics does your transit agency have customer service guarantees?* (Check all that apply.) [Agency mode #1] [Agency mode #2…] Customer experience (e.g., agency staff will be friendly) Connections (e.g., you will make your transfer) Cleanliness (e.g., your vehicle will be clean) Capacity (e.g., you will get a seat) Punctuality (e.g., no more than a 15-minute delay)

Survey instrument 93 21) What is the lateness threshold (or other event) that triggers the punctuality guarantee, or what promise related to punctuality is made? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 22) What event triggers the capacity guarantee, or what promise related to capacity is made? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 23) What event triggers the cleanliness guarantee, or what promise related to cleanliness is made? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 24) What event triggers the connection guarantee, or what promise related to connections is made? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 25) What event triggers the customer experience guarantee, or what promise related to the customer experience is made? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

94 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices 26) To the best of your knowledge, how has the customer service guarantee benefited your transit agency?* Please indicate your agreement with each statement below. St ro ng ly di sa gr ee Sl ig ht ly di sa gr ee N eu tr a l M od er at el y a gr ee St ro ng ly a gr ee N ot a pp lic ab le / D on 't kn ow ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The guarantee has increased ridership. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The guarantee has increased fare revenue. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The guarantee has helped your transit agency improve service quality. The guarantee has improved your transit agency’s employees’ commitment to customer service. The guarantee has improved your transit agency’s image with the media. The guarantee has improved customer satisfaction. The guarantee has brought new customers to the transit agency. The guarantee has improved your transit agency’s image with elected officials. The guarantee has improved your transit agency’s image with the general public. 27) What other benefits or positive outcomes has your transit agency experienced related to its customer service guarantee? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 28) What have been the negative impacts or challenges associated with your transit agency’s customer service guarantee?* Significant challenge Moderate challenge Not a challenge Not applicable / Don't know ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) Difficulty implementing guarantees for transit services provided by transportation contractors/providers. Financial expense of the guarantee (e.g., customer compensation, employee wages). Administrative burden of managing the guarantee (e.g., handling claims, dispute resolution). Lack of employee buy-in and support for the guarantee.

Survey instrument 95 29) What other negative impacts or challenges has your transit agency experienced related to its customer service guarantee? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 30) How does your transit agency promote or publicize its service guarantee to different audiences? (Check all that apply.) Transit riders General public Public officials Others A direct link or display on your transit agency’s homepage [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Press release(s) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] eMail or text message subscription lists [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] On fare media (e.g., tickets / SmartCards) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] On fare purchasing machines / at fare purchasing locations [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Inside transit vehicles [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] On the outside of transit vehicles [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 31) What type of agency actions are promised by your transit agency’s service guarantee when a customer’s trip does not meet the service guarantee’s standards? (Check all that apply.) [ ] The service guarantee does not promise an action [ ] A credit or refund toward a transit fare [ ] A credit or reimbursement for a 3rd party transportation provider fare (e.g., taxi, Uber/Lyft or similar) [ ] Your transit agency arranges a trip on a 3rd party transportation provider (e.g., a different transit agency, taxi, Uber/Lyft or similar) [ ] Other (please describe): ______________________________________________________ 32) What type of transit fare credit or refund is offered?* None / Not Applicable Partial Fare Full Fare More than Full Fare Discount (on future fares) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) Refund (on purchased fares)

96 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices 33) Describe what portion of the transit fare is refunded or discounted. If you can answer as a percentage, please do. Otherwise, describe in words. ___________________________________________________________________________ 34) What type of credit or reimbursement toward 3rd-party fares is offered?* Reimbursement (for paid fares) None / Not Applicable Partial Fare Full Fare More than Full Fare Discount (on future fares) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) 35) Describe what portion of the 3rd-party fare is reimbursed or discounted. If you can answer as a percentage, please do. Otherwise, describe in words. ___________________________________________________________________________ 36) Which 3rd party transportation providers can customers use and still be eligible for a credit or reimbursement? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Taxi [ ] Transportation network company (e.g., Lyft, Uber, or similar) [ ] Another public transit provider [ ] Other - Please describe: ______________________________________________________* 37) Which 3rd party transportation providers does your transit agency use when arranging trips for customers? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Taxi [ ] Transportation network company (e.g., Lyft, Uber, or similar) [ ] Another public transit provider [ ] Other - Please describe: ______________________________________________________* 38) How does a customer determine if a service problem triggers an action under the stipula- tions of the service guarantee? (Check all that apply.) [ ] The necessary data are publicly accessible (e.g., a dashboard or daily service digest) [ ] The agency notifies customers that their trip was eligible for an action [ ] Customers rely on their own knowledge or perceptions [ ] Other - Please describe: ______________________________________________________ 39) Do you have any analyses or reports that evaluate the customer service guarantee and its effects on your transit agency? For example, the research team is especially interested in whether customer service guarantees prevent ridership loss, increase ridership, increase revenue, or have other tangible positive (or negative) effects for transit agencies. ( ) Yes ( ) No

Survey instrument 97 40) If you’re willing, please upload a copy of the report(s). [Respondents could upload files.] 41) We would like to have the full-text policy that describes your transit agency’s service guarantee. We will accept a file (PDF, Word document, etc.), a webpage, or you can type the details yourself. How would you like to provide the details? ( ) Upload a document ( ) Provide a URL to a webpage ( ) Type the details myself 42) If you have a document that describes your customer service guarantee in detail, please upload it. [Respondents could upload files.] 43) Please provide the URL of an active webpage that describes your transit agency’s customer service guarantee. ___________________________________________________________________________ Customer Benefits Claims Details In a previous question, you indicated that your transit agency’s customer service guarantee includes a reimbursement, discount, or credit for individual customers whose trips did not meet the service guarantee standards. This survey will refer to these forms of compensation or discounts as a customer benefit. This page asks for details about the claims process by which customers can receive the benefits under the service guarantee. 44) What is the process for customers when a service guarantee is not met? ( ) Customer must file a claim to receive benefits ( ) The transit agency automatically detects the service issue and processes the benefit ( ) Other - Please describe: ______________________________________________________ 45) Please describe this process. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 46) How are claims (or reports of unmet service guarantees) accepted? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Online form [ ] Email [ ] Phone [ ] Mail [ ] Other - Write In: ___________________________________________________________

98 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices 47) Do customers pay a processing charge or administrative fee when they file claims or receive benefits under the customer service guarantee? ( ) No ( ) Yes - Please describe: ________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 48) To the best of your knowledge, how time much work time is spent PER CLAIM by your transit agency employees from the time a claim is received until the time it is resolved? Please provide your answer in minutes or hours (e.g., 30 minutes, 10 hours, etc.) ___________________________________________________________________________ 49) How many different employees work on service guarantee claims? (Either as a part of other duties or as fully dedicated to claim processing.) ( ) 0 employees ( ) 1 - 2 ( ) 3 - 4 ( ) 5 - 9 ( ) 10 or more ( ) Other - Write In: ___________________________________________________________ 50) What data sources are used by your transit agency to verify claims before issuing cus- tomer benefits? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Automatic vehicle location (AVL) or similar data [ ] Automatic passenger counter (APC), farebox, or data [ ] Operations reports or records [ ] Recorded video [ ] Other - Write In: ___________________________________________________________ [ ] No data sources are used - claims are processed without verification 51) Has your transit agency experienced any fraudulent or invalid claims? ( ) Yes ( ) No 52) What percentage of service guarantee benefit claims appear to be fraudulent or invalid? For example: the claimant did not actually ride the delayed trip or the trip was not actually delayed enough to trigger the guarantee. ( ) Less than 1% ( ) 1% - 2% ( ) 2% - 5% ( ) 5% - 10% ( ) More than 10% ( ) Don’t know

Survey instrument 99 53) Please describe how you arrived at your estimate above and what types of fraudulent or invalid claims occur. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 54) Please provide the values for your transit agency’s most recent complete fiscal year for claims received under the customer service guarantee, How many claims were received and processed?: ___________________________________________________________________________ How many claims resulted in customer compensation/benefit?: ___________________________________________________________________________ What was the monetary value of the provided customer benefits?: ___________________________________________________________________________ 55) What limits or exclusion criteria are placed on the customer service guarantee? (Check all that apply.) [ ] There are no limits or exclusion criteria. [ ] Causes outside of your transit agency’s direct control are excluded from the guarantee (e.g., extreme weather, labor strikes). [ ] There is a limit to how many times a given individual can file a claim over a certain period of time. [ ] Claims can only be made for trips on certain days of the week or times of the day. [ ] Other - Write In: ___________________________________________________________ 56) Does your transit agency guarantee the response time for processing claims? If so, what is the response time promised (e.g., 1 day, 3 days, etc.) ___________________________________________________________________________ Customer Service Guarantee Additional Details 57) Are there any additional details of your transit agency’s customer service guarantee that you can provide that have not been addressed in previous questions? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

100 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices Transparency Many transit agencies are reporting their performance metrics to the general public. Report- ing could be done in many different ways, from online, interactive dashboards to annual reports that are available by print and download. Also, the possible types of data to report are extensive, including finance, ridership, service quality, and customer satisfaction. The research team is interested in state-of-the-industry practices related to customer-focused transparency. That is, open reporting of performance metrics that reflect the quality of the cus- tomer experience. Definition of Customer-Focused Transparency For the purpose of this survey, we will define customer-focused transparency as reporting practices that meet the following three criteria: • Open and public: reports are available to any member of the general public without needing to make a special request. • Updated at least annually: There must be one year or less between updates to the reports • Reporting includes customer-focused metrics (i.e., the metric measures an aspect of the customer experience). Examples are provided below: – On-time performance – Headway adherence / reliability – Excess wait time – Missed, cancelled, or not operated trips – Percent of scheduled time in operation (for automated systems) – Distance traveled between mechanical failures – Passenger safety metrics (e.g., accidents, incidents, crimes) – Customer complaint rate – Customer satisfaction score – Customer call center metrics (e.g., average time on hold) 58) Based on the definition above, does your transit agency engage in customer-focused transparency practices?* ( ) Yes ( ) No - Previously had customer-focused transparency ( ) No 59) In what year was your transit agency’s customer-focused transparency program first implemented? ___________________________________________________________________________ 60) In what year was your transit agency’s customer-focused transparency program discontinued? ___________________________________________________________________________

Survey instrument 101 61) What were the main reasons that your transit agency implemented customer-focused transparency practices? Please select and rank the reasons that apply. ________To increase ridership (more passenger trips) ________To increase fare revenue ________To increase customer confidence ________To improve public perception ________The transparency was part of a strategic plan or customer commitment ________External mandate ________Temporary practice in response to service problems ________Requested by board (or other oversight body) ________Requested by public Please describe any other reasons why your transit agency implemented customer-focused transparency practices that were not listed above? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 62) Why were the customer-focused transparency practices discontinued? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Financial concerns [ ] Public or political concerns [ ] Administrative burden of the program [ ] Concerns about abuse or misuse of the data [ ] Other - Please describe: _________________________________________________ 63) Has your transit agency considered implementing customer-focused transparency practices? ( ) Yes ( ) No 64) Please describe the challenges or concerns that are causing your transit agency to not implement customer-focused transparency practices. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Customer-Focused Transparency Details This page asks you for details concerning your agency’s customer-focused transparency practices. If your agency’s customer-focused transparency practices were discontinued, please provide the details you can based on the most recent practices prior to discontinuation.

102 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices 65) What metrics are reported as part of your transit agency’s customer-focused transparency practices? (Check all that apply.) [Agency mode #1] [Agency mode #2...] On-time performance (i.e., schedule adherence) Headway adherence / reliability Excess wait time Missed trips (service not operated) Percent of scheduled time in operation (for automated systems) Distance traveled between mechanical failures Number of accidents Number of crimes (or crime rate) Customer commendations/complaints (or commendation/complaint rate) Customer satisfaction score (from survey or other source) Customer call center metrics (e.g., average time on hold) Trip denial rate (for demand-responsive) 66) How does your transit agency report and publish performance on the metrics selected above? (Check all that apply.) [ ] Hard copies of a report [ ] A board packet (or similar document for an oversight body) available for download [ ] A PDF or other static document available for download from a web page for performance reporting [ ] A static (not interactive) web page [ ] An interactive web page (e.g., users can export, drill-down, or filter data) [ ] Other - Please describe: ______________________________________________________ 67) Please provide an electronic copy of the latest version of your performance report. [Respondents could upload files.] 68) Please provide the URL for the webpage that displays the customer-focused performance data. ___________________________________________________________________________

Survey instrument 103 69) How frequently does your transit agency update and republish performance data? Select the most frequent option that applies. ( ) Daily ( ) Weekly ( ) Monthly ( ) Quarterly ( ) Every 6 months ( ) Annually 70) Does your transit agency provide quantitative context to help the audience understand performance data? For example, graphing current performance against a goal, an industry standard, or historical performance helps to provide context. ( ) Yes, for all metrics ( ) Yes, for some metrics ( ) No 71) To the best of your knowledge, how have customer-focused transparency practices benefited your transit agency? Please indicate your agreement with each statement below.* St ro ng ly di sa gr ee Sl ig ht ly di sa gr ee N eu tr al M od er at el y a gr ee St ro ng ly a gr ee N ot a pp lic ab le / D on 't kn ow The transparency has improved your transit agency’s customer satisfaction. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has brought new customers to the transit agency. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has increased ridership. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has increased fare revenue. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has improved your transit agency’s image with the general public. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has improved your transit agency’s image with the media. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has improved your transit agency’s image with elected officials. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has improved your transit agency employees' commitment to customer service. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) The transparency has helped your transit agency improve service quality. ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

104 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices 72) What other benefits or positive outcomes has your transit agency experienced related to its customer-focused transparency practices? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 73) What have been the negative impacts or challenges associated with your transit agency’s customer-focused transparency practices?* Significant challenge Moderate challenge Not a challenge Not applicable / Don’t know ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) Administrative burden of managing the program (e.g., managing data, updating reports). Lack of employee buy-in and support for the program. Financial expense of the program (e.g., cost of software, employee wages). Difficulty implementing transparent reporting for transit services provided by transportation contractors/providers. Requests for more data or metrics. Responding to inquiries regarding the data. 74) What other negative impacts or outcomes has your transit agency experienced related to its customer-focused transparency practices? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 75) Do you have any analyses or reports that evaluate the customer-focused transparency practices and their effects on your transit agency? For example, the research team is especially interested in whether transparency practices increase ridership, increase revenue, or have other tangible positive (or negative) effects for transit agencies. ( ) Yes ( ) No

Survey instrument 105 76) If you’re willing, please upload a copy of the report. [Respondents could upload files.] 77) How does your transit agency promote or publicize its customer-focused transparency to different audiences? (Check all that apply.) Transit riders General public Public officials Others A direct link on your transit agency’s homepage [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Press release(s) when data are updated [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] eMail or text message subscription lists [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Distributing hard copies at public meetings or other venues [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Almost Done 78) Would your transit agency be willing to be used as a case example to help researchers better understand the details of customer service guarantees or customer-focused trans- parency practices? ( ) Yes ( ) Maybe ( ) No Is there anything else you’d like us to know regarding your transit agency’s customer-focused service guarantees or transparency practices? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 79) Could you help us identify additional agencies that have either customer service guaran- tees or customer-focused transparency practices? Please provide the transit agency name(s) and contact information (if known) for a person who would be best to contact at that transit agency. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

106 Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency practices Thank You! Thank you for taking time to participate in our survey. We truly value the information you have provided. By participating in this survey, you are contributing to the transit industry and improving its focus on customers. The compiled results of the survey will be available when the synthesis report is published. The final report will be available for free from the Transit Cooperative Research Program. For more information about Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Transit Mobility Pro- gram, please visit http://tti.tamu.edu/group/transit-mobility/. If you have any questions about this or other research, please email me at or call at the contact information provided below. Thank you again for your time and input, Michael J. Walk Associate Research Scientist Texas A&M Transportation Institute Transit Mobility Program 512-407-1135 m-walk@tti.tamu.edu