The survey sought to understand who is using ART and how they are using it; understand how ART is currently performing; identify ways to improve the product and service delivery; and establish benchmarks to assess future performance gains.
KEY FINDINGS
Demographic Profiles:
- 55% of the respondents were female. The mean age is 36 – compared with the Arlington Profile, ART riders tend to be younger. The majority of riders are minorities – 31% Hispanic, 28% African-American, 9% Asian (27% White, non-Hispanic).
- 84% of Riders live in Arlington. 63% of riders work in Arlington.
- 13% are not employed and 21% are Students. 70% have annual household incomes below $60,000.
- This report also looks at comparisons of different riders segments: Spanish-speaking Riders, ART Commuters, Frequent Riders, Long-term Riders, Prime Riders (long term and frequent), and Choice Riders (those who choose to ride the bus over driving alone).
Use of ART:
- 58% say they ride ART buses 5 or more days a week.
- 67% of Riders have been riding the bus for less than 3 years and 31% have been riding for less than a year.
- Two thirds of riders live less than 3 blocks from a bus stop.
- 61% of riders transferred to or from Metrobus/rail on the trip where they were surveyed.
- 45% said they would take another bus if ART were not available, 10% would drive alone, and 7% would not make the trip at all.
- 74% use ART to get to/from work. Other popular uses are errands, dining and entertainment, and school.
- 31% say that the bus (not specifically ART) is their primary mode; only 7% drive alone.
Satisfaction with ART:
- Nearly all service attributes are rated as important – particularly safety and reliability. For the most part, ART gets high marks on those attributes, especially in terms of payment process, lighting, and safety.
- The areas that show the largest opportunity (using the SIR Opportunity Index) are short wait times, on time performance, and clean buses.
- Using multiple regression to determine what drives satisfaction with ART, 5 aspects were shown to be significant – Driver is courteous, Bus is clean, Wait time is short, Bus runs on time, and Bus is handicap accessible (this has a negative relationship). Driver courteousness and short wait time had particularly strong impacts.
- More than half of all Riders were aware of ArlingtonTransit.com, Bike on Bus, 228-RIDE, and ART Schedules for handhelds, but less than half were aware of ART Alerts and the ART Forum.
- 79% find ART Bus and Bus Stop information easy to understand, 76% fine the information useful, and 71% find the information up-to-date.
- Satisfaction with ART is high (85% gave a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5) and likelihood of recommending is even higher (87% gave a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5).
- Satisfaction varied slightly by route – 74 had the highest and 75 had the lowest (but the sample sizes were very small for some of the routes).
Advertising and Other Arlington Services:
- 27% recall seeing or hearing transportation advertising.
- ART Riders are familiar with many Arlington Services and some have used them.
METHODOLOGY
- Mode of Data Collection – Self-administered 4-page Onboard Paper Questionnaire; Interceptors rode the bus between 9/15/08 and 9/28/08; There were two different types of surveys labeled A and B where questions 8 through 11 differed; Both of these surveys were translated into Spanish and riders were given a choice; Respondents were offered a free bus pass for taking the survey; Quotas were set for each route based on ridership;
- Completed Surveys – 2,206 total surveys (700 of which were in Spanish)
- Survey Population – ART Riders
- Survey Instrument – Paper Questionnaire
- Criteria for Participation – Riding the bus
DOCUMENTS FOR DOWNLOAD
Technical Summary (PDF): SUMMARY – 2008 Arlington Transit (ART) Rider STUDY
Survey Questionnaire A (PDF): 2008 ART Rider QUESTIONNAIRE A
Survey Questionnaire B (PDF): 2008 ART Rider QUESTIONNAIRE B
Survey Questionnaire A in Spanish (PDF): 2008 ART Rider QUESTIONNAIRE A Spanish
Survey Questionnaire B in Spanish (PDF):2008 ART Rider QUESTIONNAIRE B Spanish
Data Tables (PDF): 2008 ART Rider DATA TABLES
Contact the ACCS Research Team for more information.