Public Transit Rider Origin–Destination Survey Methods and Technologies (2019)

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A-1 A P P E N D I X A Survey Questionnaire

A-2 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is preparing a synthesis of current practices on Origin and Destination Survey Methods and Technology. This is being done for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The synthesis will provide practical information and guidance for transit agencies of all sizes in profiling innovative and successful practices, lessons learned, and gaps in information. This survey questionnaire is being distributed to those responsible for designing and conducting origin destination surveys at 67 transit agencies and MPOs throughout the United States. If you are not the appropriate person at your agency to complete this survey, please forward it to the correct person. Please compete and submit this survey questionnaire by February 15, 2018. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our principal investigator, Andrew Zalewski at: azalewski@foursquareitp.com. Thank you very much for participating in this survey! QUESTIONNA RI E INSTRUCTIONS: 1. To view and print the entire questionnaire, Click on the following link and print using "control p". 2. To save your partial answers, or to forward a partially completed questionnaire to another party, click on the "Save and Continue Later" link in the upper right hand corner of your screen. A link to the partially completed questionnaire will be emailed to you from SurveyGizmo. To return to the questionnaire later, open the email from SurveyGizmo and click on the link. To invite a colleague to complete part of the survey, simply click on the "Save and Continue" link and enter your colleague's email address. Please note that the questionnaire can be saved and passed around multiple times, but respondents must use the link emailed from SurveyGizmo. We suggest using the “Save and Continue Later” feature if there will be more than 15 minutes of inactivity while the survey is opened, as some firewalls may terminate due to inactivity. 3. To view and print your answers before submitting the survey, click forward to the page following the final question. Print using “control p”. 4. To submit the survey, click on "Submit" on the last page.

Survey Questionnaire A-3 For the purposes of this study questionnaire, an origin-destination survey is defined as a survey that: Intercepts passengers while they are onboard a transit vehicle or at a transit stop, either through self-administered surveys or personal interviews. These methods may be used in conjunction with “seat-drop” questionnaires mailed back to the agency at a later date, or follow-up interviews. Is primarily conducted to collect a statistically representative sample of rider origin- destination travel patterns and demographics. Is conducted at a large scale in order to gather data for an entire transit system or transit mode. Surveys of individual transit routes are not a concern of this study unless the surveys were conducted as part of a larger systematic origin-destination survey effort. Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Leave blank any questions which you are unable to respond to or do not apply. Research staff may contact you to follow-up on your responses. Agency Contact Information Page description: Please provide your contact information and agency information. This information will be used to help us reach out if we have any questions.

A-4 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies Survey Prevalence and Frequency Page exit logic: Skip / Disqualify Logic IF: #3 Question "About how often does your agency conduct an origin-destination survey? " is one of the following answers ("Never") THEN: Jump to page 16 - Thank You! 1. Your Name: * Agency/Organization: * Email Address: * Phone Number * 2. In what year did your organization last complete a transit intercept or on-board origin-destination survey? What was the official name of this survey effort?

Survey Questionnaire A-5 Coordination with Other Agencies 3. About how often does your agency conduct an origin-destination survey? On an ongoing or rolling basis Annually Every 2 to 5 years Every 6 to 10 years Less often than once every 10 years. Frequency: Other, Explain: Never 4. Was the last survey coordinated with other transit agencies, or a regional planning agency? Yes No If yes, which agencies were involved and what aspects of the survey were coordinated?

A-6 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies Use and Justification 5. Select any organizations which utilize data from the most recent origin destination survey: Check all that apply Transit agency Regional planning organization (e.g. MPO) Local governments State agencies Other 6. What was your organization’s primary justification for conducting an origin- destination survey?

Survey Questionnaire A-7 7. For what purposes have survey data been used? Check all that apply Route planning Schedule planning Long-range planning Modeling or Forecasting Title VI Planning Federal or state grant requirements Other: Other:

A-8 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 8. Has your agency had difficulty justifying the need for and/or cost of origin- destination surveys to decision makers (e.g. board members, internal agency stakeholders, elected officials)? Yes No If yes, what ultimately convinced decision makers to move forward with the survey? 9. What was the funding source used to complete the survey? Describe source: (e.g. general fund, federal grant, MPO grant)

Survey Questionnaire A-9 Comments Survey Characteristics Page description: For the following questions, please respond based on your agency’s most recently completed on-board survey. 10. Does your region utilize an activity-based/tour-based regional transportation model? Yes No Not Sure 11. What topics were addressed in the survey? Check all that apply. Trip purpose Means of access and egress Type of fare used Frequency of transit use Rider demographics Customer satisfaction Rider support for policy and planning proposals Other:

A-10 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 12. How many questions were in the survey? 13. Were the survey questions drawn from a standardized format or another agency’s on-board survey? Yes, questions from the Transit Performance Monitoring System (TPMS) Yes, questions from another agency’s on-board survey were used Yes, questions drawn agency’s previous on-board survey Yes, questions from other existing source used. Explain: No, questions written specifically for this on-board survey 14. If yes to the above question, did your organization make modifications to the standardized survey? Yes; Describe: No 15. If a customer’s one-way trip included a transfer, did the survey capture the location of transfers? No, only the locations where the first boarding and final alighting occurred Yes, all stops where boarding and alighting occurred during the trip Other, elaborate:

Survey Questionnaire A-11 Survey Distribution Page exit logic: Skip / Disqualify Logic IF: #16 Question "What survey method(s) were used? " is not one of the following answers ("Tablet Survey: Hand out tablet survey, self-administered and returned to survey staff","Tablet Survey: Interviews administered by survey staff (e.g., read aloud) and recorded on tablets","Other:") THEN: Jump to page 10 - Response Rates 16. What survey method(s) were used? Paper Survey: Staff hand out survey, self-administered and returned to survey staff Paper Survey: Hand out paper survey, self-administered and mailed back Paper Survey: Seat drops (paper surveys left on seats and mailed back or returned at designated location) Paper Survey: Interviews administered by survey staff (e.g., read aloud) and recorded on paper Online Survey: Hand out invitation to online survey (with URL), self- administered and submitted Online Survey: Seat drop invitation to online questionnaire (with URL), self-administered and submitted Tablet Survey: Interviews administered by survey staff (e.g., read aloud) and recorded on tablets Tablet Survey: Hand out tablet survey, self-administered and returned to survey staff Two Step Survey: Short on-board survey followed by self-administered web survey Two Step Survey: Short on-board survey followed by staff administered survey over the phone Other:

A-12 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies All Time Periods Only Peak and Midday Only Peak Periods Only Peak Periods in Peak Direction Other (describe) Weekday Saturday Sunday 17. Which transit modes were surveyed in your most recent origin-destination survey? Select all that apply Local Bus, including Electric Bus and Trolley Bus Streetcar or Light Rail Bus Rapid Transit Heavy Rail (subway, metro, rapid transit) Ferry Commuter Rail Commuter Bus Paratransit or Demand-Response Service Other: 18. Select which days and time periods were surveyed: Check which best apply

Survey Questionnaire A-13 19. If surveys were handed out, were they distributed on all scheduled trips during the above time periods? Check all that apply Yes, distributed on all trips on-board the vehicle Yes, distributed continuously but at station/stop instead of on-vehicle No, only distributed on a select number of trips No, surveys only distributed at certain stations/stops No, other: 20. If the tablet or interview method was used, how were the transit riders selected for recruitment? Check one that best applies All adult riders on a surveyed trip approached to take survey Adult riders selected for survey on a random basis (e.g. every 5th passenger to board a vehicle) Adult riders selected based on some other basis. Explain: Not applicable 21. What efforts were made to include riders under the age of 18?

A-14 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies Tablet Survey Methods Page description: If Tablets were used, please answer the following questions: 22. For what reasons did your agency decide to conduct your most recent survey using tablets? Check out all that apply Improved data quality due to automated validation of responses Shortened wait period between the completion of field survey and availability of data for analysis Reduced labor and materials costs related to printing and paper handling Reduced labor costs related to data cleaning and analysis Enable a new approach to survey design Other: *

Survey Questionnaire A-15 23. Did using tablets reduce costs relative to paper-based survey methods employed by your agency? Lower costs per completed survey Higher costs per completed survey Same cost per completed survey I do not know Provide any additional relevant details: 24. In which ways were tablet survey responses validated as the respondent completed the survey? Check all that apply Addresses were validated Stop locations were validated Consistency of responses was validated (e.g., transit route used was consistent with stops used) Reasonableness of responses was validated (e.g., number of vehicles available in household less than 20) Responses were required for each question (e.g., to prevent missed questions). No automatic response validation

A-16 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 25. If your agency used both tablet and paper survey methods in a single survey, or switched from paper to tablet methods, did your agency experience challenges comparing or combining these data sources? Yes; Please elaborate: No 26. Which of the following tablet operating systems were used in the survey? iOS (i.e. Apple iPad) Android OS Microsoft Windows (including Windows Mobile and Windows RT) Other: 27. Which statement best describes the tablet survey app used by your organization? Third-party app Custom app developed in-house by my organization Custom app developed by a hired consultant or survey firm Other:

Survey Questionnaire A-17 Response Rates 28. How many tablets were used to conduct the survey? Number of tablet devices: Do not know 29. How did you measure the base used to calculate the survey’s response rate? Select one Number of surveys distributed Number of persons approached by interviewers Passenger counts Other:

A-18 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 30. What was the minimum standard applied to determine if a record was usable enough to incorporate into the survey results? Check all that apply Origin and destination locations could be geocoded accurately Boarding and alighting stops identified Access & egress mode was collected Trip purpose was collected Route sequence (for trips that included a transfer) was collected Respondent’s demographic information was collected All questions completed Other: Do Not Know

Survey Questionnaire A-19 Survey Method: Survey Response Base: Number of Surveys Returned: Number of Complete or Usable Surveys Returned: Response Rate (%): Method 1: Method 2: Method 3: Method 4: Method 5: Total: 31. Please provide the following figures (by survey method if possible) to the best of your ability: “Usable” is based on your agency’s own definition in the previous question, and "Response base rate" is defined by your agency’s own definition in the question before that. If information is not available by survey method, please provide at least total value and/or response rate. 32. What was the approximate time required (in minutes) to complete the surveys? Include complete responses only, to the extent possible

A-20 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 33. Describe efforts your agency took, if any, to capture the responses of customers taking short transit trips: 34. Did you offer incentives to induce higher response rates (e.g., free transit fares)? Yes, non-fare monetary incentive (e.g. gift card) Yes, free or discounted fares Yes, other. Describe: No 35. What languages were the surveys offered in? English Spanish Chinese French Others: 36. How many surveys were returned in a language other than English?

Survey Questionnaire A-21 37. Did you hire surveyors to administer the survey in foreign languages? Yes No 38. What steps were taken to accommodate disabilities? Click all that apply Surveyors were trained on how to interact with people with disabilities Proxy respondents were provided for those that could not complete surveys on their own Adaptive technology was used for surveys administered on tablets Online versions of the survey were compatible with screen reader technology None Other:

A-22 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 39. To the best of your knowledge, please identify any groups of riders you feel were under-represented in the sample based on how the survey was deployed: Non-English speakers Particular ethnic or racial groups Transit dependent riders Riders with disabilities Low-income riders Persons with limited literacy Persons under the age of 18 Short transit trips Riders during times of day surveyed (e.g. PM peak vs AM Peak ridership) Other: Other: Please describe any attempts to address the under-sampling of groups identified above:

Survey Questionnaire A-23 40. What was the approximate cost of conducting the on-board survey? Please provide your best estimate if exact costs or hours are not known Consultants/Contractors (in dollars): In-house Professional Staff (in dollars or hours): In-house field staff (in dollars or hours): Survey equipment (e.g. tablets) (in dollars): Incentive Costs (in dollars): If a detailed breakdown of costs is not available, please provide your best estimate of Total Cost including consultants, contractors, and agency staff (in dollars): Survey Cost

A-24 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 41. Which of the following were used to create expansion factors for survey responses? Check all that apply Census data Boardings by route Boardings by route and direction Boardings by time-of-day Boardings by stop or segment On and off counts (via stop/station level data such as APC or turnstile counts) Route-level ridership (via farebox counts or other sources) Other travel survey results (e.g., regional travel survey across all travel modes) Other: Other: None I do not know Sampling and Response Expansion

Survey Questionnaire A-25 42. What was the smallest geography that the survey returned usable results for analysis? Select one which best applied Only for an entire mode of service Certain-higher ridership routes as well as the entire mode Route-level (can exclude lower ridership routes were achieving a statistical significant sample would be impractical) Route-segment level Stop-level 43. Since your most recent origin-destination survey was conducted, has your organization re-expanded the results based on newer data? No Yes If yes, please elaborate on why:

A-26 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies 44. Which of the following examples of “Big Data” does your organization utilize? Check all that apply Third-party data services (e.g. StreetLight Data) that provide travel flow based on passively-collected geospatial information such as cell phone or GPS location. Third-party data on rider characteristics and demographics. Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) and Automatic Passenger Counter (APC) data Fare-box and fare card data GTFS data Video analytics (e.g. facial recognition software) Other: Other: None Impact of Big Data on Surveys

Survey Questionnaire A-27 45. Which of the following best describes how these data sources are impacting how your agency conducts on-board surveys? Check all that apply Improve sampling strategy Refine expansion factors applied to survey results Reduce the scope and scale of traditional on-board surveys Eliminate entirely the need for on-board surveys Not currently impacting the survey process Other: 46. What are some challenges your agency faces in utilizing big data to support or supplement on-board surveys? Check all that apply Lack of in-house knowledge to fully use and process data sources Lack of quality data related to transit ridership Concerns that certain groups of riders are under-represented Concerns that utilizing big data will not comply with regulatory requirements such as Title VI Cost of acquiring data Other: Other:

A-28 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies Page description: The following questions ask you to compare your most recent major origin-destination survey effort to its preceding origin-destination survey effort. 47. Which of the following ways has your most recent survey differed from preceding origin-destination surveys? Check all that apply New mode of survey (e.g. tablet); List newly introduced mode(s): Utilize new practice for survey expansion; Describe: Change in length of survey; Describe: New sampling strategy; Describe: Change in survey questions; Describe: No change Comparing Survey Practices

Survey Questionnaire A-29 48. How much did the cost change between your most recent survey effort and its predecessor? Little to no change (i.e. +/- 10% change) Cost increased with most recent survey (>10% change) Cost decreased with most recent survey (<-10% change) Do Not Know If costs changed substantially, please elaborate on reasons why you think that was the case (e.g. vendor, survey mode, survey methodology) along with the change in cost if available. 49. How much did the survey sample size (number of riders approached) change from your most recent survey effort and its predecessor? Little to no change (e.g. +/- 10% change) Response rate increased Response rate decreased If available, please provide the change in sample size:

A-30 Public Transit Rider Origin-Destination Survey Methods and Technologies Closing Comments Thank You! Thank you for taking our survey. Your response is very important to us. Action: Review New Review 50. If needed, please provide any additional comments relevant to your previous on- board survey not already addressed in the questions above: Accepts 1 file. Allowed types: png, gif, jpg, jpeg, doc, xls, docx, xlsx, pdf, txt, mov, mp3, mp4. Max file size: 500 KB 51. Please attach a copy of the survey instrument used in your most recent survey, or send to azalewski@foursquareitp.com Browse... VALIDATION