1e

AC TRANSIT DISTRICT Board of Directors GM Memo No. 10-028 Meeting Date: February 10, 2010 Committees: Operations Commi...

0 downloads 174 Views 174KB Size
AC TRANSIT DISTRICT Board of Directors

GM Memo No. 10-028 Meeting Date: February 10, 2010

Committees: Operations Committee External Affairs Committee Board of Directors

Planning Committee Finance and Audit Committee Financing Corporation

SUBJECT: NextBus Usage and Survey RECOMMENDED ACTION: Information Only

Briefing Item

Recommended Motion

Fiscal Impact: No fiscal impact Background/Discussion: In April 2009, Marketing staff developed an online survey to explore rider use of and satisfaction with NextBus, AC Transit’s real-time arrival prediction system. AC Transit launched NextBus in 2003, and it is currently available on approximately one-third of AC Transit’s bus lines. Expansion to other lines is planned, so that soon about three-quarters of AC Transit’s weekday ridership will be able to take advantage of the system. Besides including NextBus as part of the marketing campaigns for the 72R and 1R rapid lines, AC Transit has done very little to promote the system. The only visibility given to NextBus has been at individual bus stops with NextBus electronic signs, display signs at the Fruitvale and Berkeley BART stations, and a minimal presence on the web site’s homepage under the Rider Information and Maps & Schedules pages. As transit agencies throughout the U.S. and the world embrace technology as a way to improve the rider experience, staff believes that the availability of real-time arrival information for AC Transit service will play an increasingly important role in building and maintaining ridership. For this reason, staff has been interested in more aggressively promoting NextBus so that more people will use it and contribute valuable feedback. Before moving forward with a formal campaign, however, staff wanted to gain a better understanding of how NextBus is working for riders and what they think of the system’s features. Staff selected the e-News subscriber base to survey on the assumption that NextBus users are more likely to be e-News subscribers and because it is relatively easy to invite participation in and administer an online survey. By the survey deadline of May 22, 2009, 529 e-News subscribers had responded; 398 of those respondents were qualified, meaning they were AC Transit riders who know about and use NextBus.

Rev. 1/10

GM Memo No. 10-028 Meeting Date: February 10, 2010 Page 2 of 3 Usage and Satisfaction Overview: According to the results of the survey, satisfaction with NextBus is relatively high (76% of respondents), and the system has, for the most part, improved riders’ experience with AC Transit. Results show – not surprisingly, given the limited marketing efforts up to this point – that riders primarily use the electronic signs and, to a lesser extent, the NextBus web site to access AC Transit arrival predictions. They have limited awareness, and thus usage, of the mobile Web site, text messaging, and programmed alert features of NextBus that are available on cell phones and computers. Those riders using these features tend to be in the younger age group. Regarding the benefits of NextBus, respondents agree that the system allows them to better plan trips and minimize wait times at the bus stop. Respondents indicate that NextBus is, for the most part, reliable and has reduced the uncertainty associated with catching the bus. Marketing Campaign: Since the survey results were compiled and presented to Executive Staff for discussion, it was decided that the Marketing Department would move forward on a modest outreach campaign to increase awareness, particularly of those features available on cell phones and computers. That campaign was launched in November 2009 and will continue through February 2010. Activities include the following: ad cards on buses; traffic sponsorships on Clear Channel radio stations; inclusion of NextBus information in new timetables and on the schedule pages of the AC Transit Web site; transit shelter posters in downtown Oakland, downtown Berkeley, and at the Ardenwood Park & Ride lot; take-one flyers for general use at outreach events; and e-News messages as new bus lines are added to the NextBus system. In addition, NextBus information on the AC Transit web site has been enhanced and staff has worked with NextBus to develop an AC Transit/NextBus co-branded prediction page. Prior to this, visitors to the AC Transit web site who wanted to access arrival predictions would be linked to a page hosted and branded by NextBus. Staff is recording weekly visits to the NextBus prediction and general information pages to determine the effectiveness of marketing efforts and to track overall usage trends. The core messages used in the campaign were developed to reflect the benefits riders indicated were most important to them. The ads also focus on the ability to access predictions via the computer and cell phone – features that, according the survey, are not well known and are underutilized. The expectation is that promotion of these features will increase usage among riders, and that greater overall usage will lead to more and better feedback on the system. As more lines are added to NextBus, the availability of this feedback will be critical to ongoing evaluation and improvement.

GM Memo No. 10-028 Meeting Date: February 10, 2010 Page 3 of 3 Prior Relevant Board Actions/Policies: None Attachments: NextBus usage and satisfaction survey report Approved by:

Prepared by: Date Prepared:

Mary V. King, Interim General Manager Jim Gleich, Deputy General Manager Jaimie Levin, Director of Alternative Fuels Policy & Marketing Victoria Wake, Marketing & Community Relations Manager Karen Bakar, Marketing Administrator January 29, 2010

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment

NextBus Usage and Satisfaction Survey Report AC Transit Marketing & Community Relations

August 2009

AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment In April 2009, The AC Transit Marketing Department developed an online survey to explore rider use of and satisfaction with NextBus, AC Transit’s real-time arrival prediction system. AC Transit launched NextBus in 2003, and it has grown to include predictions for 22 local lines, two transbay lines, and eight supplementary (school) lines. Expansion to other lines is planned, so that soon approximately three-quarters of AC Transit’s weekday ridership will be able to take advantage of the system. NextBus was originally promoted as part of the marketing campaigns for the 72R and 1R rapid lines that use leading-edge technology and unique on-street improvements to reduce travel time. Beyond these promotions, however, the only visibility given to NextBus has been at individual bus stops, with electronic signs, display signs at the Fruitvale and Berkeley BART stations, and on the Rider Information and Maps & Schedules pages of the AC Transit Web site. AC Transit is interested in more aggressively promoting NextBus, but before moving forward on a marketing campaign, we wanted to gain a better understanding of how NextBus is working for our riders and what they think of the system’s features. The e-News subscriber base was chosen for the ease of invitation and because we assume this group is more oriented toward communication technology and tend to be more frequent riders. On May 7, e-News subscribers were invited by email to participate in the online survey. We emailed a reminder on May 15, and by the cut off date of May 22, 529 subscribers had responded to the survey. Respondents were screened to ensure they were AC Transit riders who used NextBus. The results are based on 398 qualified respondents. Respondent characteristics: • • • • •

58% ride AC Transit five or more days a week 58% are female 70% are 35 years of age or older 53% have been bus riders for six or more years Most frequent lines reported: Line 51 (47%), Line 1R (35%), and Line 18 (33%)

The survey explored three key items: 1. Use of NextBus 2. Satisfaction with NextBus and its features 3. Impact of NextBus on AC Transit experience USAGE AND SATISFACTION OVERVIEW The NextBus system is frequently used by a majority of the respondents (54% “Frequently”). Just over three-quarters of the respondents are satisfied with the system (76%) and agree that the system has improved their AC Transit experience (78%). This seems to indicate that AC Transit riders who use NextBus perceive it as a value-added component. In fact, among riders who use NextBus, it is the most frequently used source of bus information (46%), beating out bus stop postings (41%), the AC Transit Web site (38%), the pocket timetable (30%), 511 information (25%), and AC Transit customer service phone (6%). AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment NextBus can be accessed by riders in several ways, and the survey looked at how much experience users have with the different features. How aware are NextBus users of the features offered by NextBus? Which features are used most often? The table below shows frequency of use for each of the NextBus features.

NextBus features Electronic signs NextBus website PDA/cell mobile website text messaging programmed alerts

Frequently Sometimes

40.4% 27.0% 17.7% 4.3% 5.3%

24.2% 18.4% 7.8% 4.3% 4.8%

Rarely

12.1% 18.2% 8.3% 7.1% 7.8%

Never

8.1% 24.0% 45.5% 59.6% 54.0%

N/A-Not enough experience to rate

15.2% 12.4% 20.7% 24.7% 28.0%

N= 396

100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

The electronic sign is the most frequently used feature, followed by the NextBus Web site. Twothirds of respondents are unaware of the PDA mobile Web site, and over four-fifths are unaware of text messaging and programmed alerts. Given the prevalence of cell phones and PDAs, as well as ubiquitous access to the Internet, it seems that some NextBus features other than electronic signs at bus stops are under-utilized. TIME OF DAY USAGE Riders make the most use of NextBus during the afternoon-evening commute. About one half of respondents make use of NextBus from the early morning until mid-afternoon. Use goes up to 80% during the afternoon and evening commute hours between 3:00 and 7:00 pm and drops to 41% after 7:00 pm. QUALITY OF FEATURES How do users rate the quality of the NextBus features? The tables below provide the ratings for each feature. The response category “N/A-not enough experience to rate” gives us an indication of which features the respondents use and don’t use. Again, we see that users have the most experience with electronic signs, followed by the NextBus Web site. In the second table we see the ratings for each service, but only among those who have had experience with that particular feature. Even though the number of respondents is small in some categories, it gives us an indication of quality. A majority rate the electronic signs and the NextBus website as “Excellent” or “Very Good”. The feature with the lowest favorability ratings (“Fair” or “Poor”) is text messaging. Not surprisingly, the ratings are lower for services that are least used. This could be because people had found out about the features on their own, have less experience with these features, and/or these features are more complicated to use.

AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment

Excellent

Electronic signs on Rapid bus lines or Fruitvale/Berkeley BART NextBus Web site as accessed by computer NextBus mobile Website as accessed by cell phone or PDA Text messaging information by cell phone Pre-programmed alerts sent to your computer or cell phone Electronic signs on Rapid bus lines or Fruitvale/Berkeley BART NextBus Web site as accessed by computer NextBus mobile Website as accessed by cell phone or PDA Text messaging information by cell phone Pre-programmed alerts sent to your computer or cell phone

Very Good

Good

Fair

Poor

N/A-not enough experience to rate Count

21%

25%

18%

7%

5%

24%

391

13%

18%

18%

6%

2%

42%

391

7%

10%

9%

5%

2%

68%

391

2%

4%

4%

4%

2%

84%

391

3%

4%

6%

2%

2%

83%

391

28%

33%

23%

9%

7%

296

23%

32%

32%

10%

3%

225

22%

30%

28%

14%

6%

127

10%

23%

28%

26%

13%

61

15%

24%

38%

14%

9%

66

PUBLISHED BENEFITS NextBus promotes its service with a variety of user benefit statements. In the survey, users were asked if their experience has been consistent with these published benefits. Strongly Agree or Agree 78% 66% 60% 58% 55% 44% 38%

Published Benefit Overall, NextBus real-time information has improved my AC Transit experience I can plan my trip from the comfort and safety of home, work or school I'm able to do other things because my wait time for the bus is minimized On average, the real-time information provided is accurate within two (2) minutes I don't "just miss the bus" as often anymore I am less concerned about bad weather at the bus stop because I spend less time waiting I am less concerned about safety at the bus stop because I spend less time waiting

Three-quarters of respondents agree that the NextBus system has improved their experience riding the bus. About two-thirds of respondents agree that trip planning from home, work, or school, and being able to do other things because they have less waiting time are the strongest benefits of NextBus. About half agree that the predictions are accurate within two minutes. Least important to users is the impact on feelings of safety or staying out of the weather.

AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment PROBLEM STATEMENTS Several “problem statements” were presented to respondents to estimate how frequently these problems occurred. The most frequent problem identified is the bus arriving later than predicted (16% “Frequently” and 54% “Sometimes”). Problems occurring less frequently relate to the NextBus website and text message, although, as mentioned before, these features are not yet widely known or used by AC Transit riders. We expect that the ratings will be more accurate when usage is higher and riders have more experience using the features. The results below are presented in two separate tables. In the second table, the respondents who indicated “N/A” are removed so the problem can be analyzed using the feedback of only those who actually use the features. Frequently Sometimes

Bus arrives LATER than prediction No arrival predictions are available Bus arrives EARLIER than prediction Electronic signs are not working NextBus Website is down NextBus does not respond to text request

16.4% 12.5% 9.7% 6.0% 3.1% 2.1%

54.6% 38.9% 35.2% 20.4% 8.4% 5.2%

Frequently Sometimes

Bus arrives LATER than prediction No arrival predictions are available Bus arrives EARLIER than prediction Electronic signs are not working NextBus Website is down NextBus does not respond to text request

17.8% 13.9% 10.6% 7.5% 5.0% 12.1%

59.2% 43.1% 38.8% 25.5% 13.3% 30.3%

Rarely

18.3% 26.9% 34.7% 31.6% 27.4% 4.7% Rarely

19.8% 29.8% 38.2% 39.5% 43.6% 27.3%

Never

2.9% 12.0% 11.2% 21.9% 24.0% 5.2% Never

N/A

7.8% 9.7% 9.1% 20.1% 37.1% 82.8% N/A

3.1% 13.3% 12.4% 27.5% 38.2% 30.3%

Count

383 383 383 383 383 383 Count

353 346 348 306 241 66

CROSS TABULATIONS Analysts can show how the answers to one or more survey questions break down according to the responses on other questions. This survey tool allows analysts to look for relationships observed in the breakdown. The following sections show the results of select cross tabulations. Ride Frequency and Satisfaction How does satisfaction with NextBus break down by how often respondents ride the bus? All groups are much more satisfied than dissatisfied, but the table below shows that those riding the bus 3-4 days a week are slightly more satisfied with the service, while those commuting on AC Transit more often (5-7 days a week) indicate greater dissatisfaction. This group is the largest respondent group, as well as the most active riding group, so they have more opportunity to experience problems. Very satisfied

5 - 7 days a week 3 - 4 days a week 1 - 2 days a week Once a month or less Overall

Satisfied

19.4% 27.7% 19.3% 25.0% 21.6%

AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009

54.4% 51.8% 57.9% 44.4% 53.4%

Very No opinion Dissatisfied dissatisfied

12.4% 10.8% 12.3% 16.7% 12.5%

12.9% 8.4% 8.8% 8.3% 10.9%

0.9% 1.2% 1.8% 5.6% 1.5%

Count

217 83 57 36 393

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment Frequent Problems and Satisfaction How does satisfaction break down by those who experience the problem stated “Frequently” or “Sometimes?” The table shows the combined percent responding “Very Satisfied or “Satisfied.” Problem experienced Bus arrives later than predicted No arrival predictions available Bus arrives earlier than predicted Electronic signs not working NextBus Web site is down No cell phone text message response

Percent Frequently or Sometimes 71% 51% 45% 26% 12% 7%

Very Satisfied and Satisfied 74% 72% 75% 72% 68% 75%

Despite the fact that problem frequency varies greatly, satisfaction level is high across the problem categories, suggesting that respondents’ overall positive experience outweighs difficulties with the system. Bus Lines and Satisfaction How does satisfaction break down for the top lines used? The following table shows the percent responding “Very Satisfied” and “Satisfied” sorted in descending order by satisfaction. Only lines with more than 50 respondents are reported. Looking at the table below, Line 50 down through Line 18 have satisfaction levels above the satisfaction level for the whole sample (76%). And, from top to bottom, the satisfaction level drops about 10%. A caveat: Respondents were not asked to rate satisfaction for each line separately; the satisfaction rating is based on respondents’ cumulative riding experience. Line

Very Satisfied & Satisfied

LINE 50

82.60%

LINE 1R

81.90%

LINE NL

81.90%

LINE 1

80.70%

LINE 51

79.70%

LINE 7

79.70%

LINE F

76.70%

LINE 72M

76.70%

LINE 18

76.50%

LINE 9

75.40%

LINE 72R

73.50%

LINE 72

72.50%

AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment Age Groups and NextBus Use The survey sample is not evenly distributed among age groups, with 50 to 64 year olds having the highest representation, as shown in the table below. Age group Under 18 18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 65+

Percent 1.4% 9.2% 19.5% 30.3% 32.2% 7.4%

The NextBus features are listed in charted columns below. The colored lines represent each age group and correspond to the percentages in the table beneath the lines. The lines peak where the percentage using that feature is highest and fall where frequency of use is lowest. All groups show high use of the electronic signs and low use of the programmed alerts. There is a big age divergence, however, for use of the NextBus Web site, with younger groups far exceeding the older groups in frequency of use. To a lesser degree, this is true for use of the PDA mobile website. While text messaging is not frequently used by any age group, the youngest group is more than twice as likely to use it.

Pct. of Age Group Using Feature "Frequently"

80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Electronic signs

NextBus website

PDA/mobile web-site

Text messaging

programmed alerts

18-24 (N=31)

45%

71%

32%

19%

13%

25-34 (N=64)

42%

48%

44%

6%

3%

35-49 (n=97)

45%

30%

19%

2%

3%

50-64 (n=98)

54%

19%

11%

3%

7%

AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009

GM Memo 10-028 Attachment

SUMMARY According to results of this survey, satisfaction with NextBus is relatively high, and the system has improved rider experience with AC Transit. Given our limited marketing efforts thus far, it is not surprising that riders primarily use the electronic signs and the NextBus website. They have limited awareness, and thus usage, of the mobile Web site, text messaging, and programmed alert features of NextBus. Respondents agree that NextBus allows them to plan trips and minimize waiting time at the bus stop. The system is their main source of bus information, superseding the published bus schedules. The critical two-minute accuracy seems to be reliable for a majority of the riders, and the system appears to have reduced much of the uncertainty of catching the bus. NextBus satisfaction will likely rise if system reliability can be improved. NextBus is not perfect, and respondents report that predictions are not always accurate or available. There is evidence that the use of the Web site, mobile Web site, and the text messaging features is appearing first among younger riders. These people have grown up with technology and are more comfortable using the features. This is not to say that older riders won’t use the features; however, they may need more introduction and training. Our expectation is that promotion of these features will increase usage among all age groups, and that greater usage overall will ultimately lead to more and better feedback.

AC Transit Marketing, confidential, 8/4/2009