2001 On Board Origin and Destination Survey

Executive Summary

Beginning in late January 2001 and ending in early March 2001, LKC Consulting Services, Inc. (LKC), under contract to WestGroup Research (WestGroup), conducted an On Board Origin and Destination Survey for all Valley Metro fixed route transit services.

Survey Objectives

The purpose of the on-board survey was to provide transit data for computer modeling and network simulation for air quality forecasting and long range planning provided by Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the Metropolitan Planning Organization. The surveys also provided necessary documentation for the Title VI triennial update. The survey identified travel patterns, demographics, and opinions on the transit services provided. LKC developed a survey design, sampling plan, and survey execution plan to provide route level data with reasonable accuracy and confidence. A selection of trips was chosen from the population of all bus trips to meet confidence, accuracy, and distribution requirements as defined in the sampling plan. In all, 1,025 bus trips were surveyed (853 Weekday, 90 Saturday, and 82 Sunday).

This executive summary highlights findings from the Final Report. A more in-depth analysis and additional details are available in that report and in the complementary Tabular Report.

Data Processing and Analysis

Data processing and analysis included editing, data entry, geocoding, factoring, and calculation of de facto statistical confidence and accuracy.

Every assignment was edited prior to data entry. Surveys were determined to be either valid or invalid. For the purposes of this survey, a valid survey was defined as one that was complete for the first ten questions. Valid surveys underwent a further editing process called address auditing. During address auditing, editors updated the origin, destination, boarding, and alighting addresses, intersections, and landmarks that were provided by respondents so that they would match the street naming conventions that LKC would later use to geocode these points.

Following the editing process, valid surveys were entered into a Microsoft Access database. A separate database contained all of the trip information for each assignment. The survey assignment database was linked to the survey database so that every survey distributed could be tied to an assignment, route, day of week, and service provider (by serial number). The data entry process also involved a second editing process in which data entry personnel re-checked the surveys for validity.

During geocoding the separate data pieces of each address were joined together to form a complete address. Each complete address was geographically pinpointed using ArcView GIS. Following the geocoding of each address, an ArcView GIS script was used to calculate trip lengths.

Factoring was the final step of data processing. Factoring is the process by which passenger responses are extrapolated to total riders and total boardings.

Table 1 below reflects the actual (de facto) statistical accuracy and confidence levels that were achieved for the 2001 On Board Origin and Destination Survey as compared to previous years. More detailed information regarding the targeted statistical confidence and accuracy levels can be found in the Final Report.

Table 1: Confidence and Accuracy by Day of Week and Type of Service 1995 vs. 2001

*Weekday Total achieved a confidence and accuracy of 95% +/- 1%

Demographic Characteristics

Data profiling the demographic characteristics of Valley Metro fixed route transit riders in 2001 are compared to similar data collected in previous origin and destination surveys. These indicators included average age, average education, gender, employment status, ethnicity, and annual household income. The surveys include separate profiles for local, express, and shuttle riders.

One trend identified by comparing the 2001 survey results to the 1976, 1980, 1986, 1991, and 1995 results is the increase in the percent of surveyed riders who are employed full-time, which grew from 39 percent in 1976 to 57 percent in 2001.

The average age of transit riders in 2001 is 34 years, a modest increase over the average age of 33 years in 1995 and 1991, and 32 years in 1986.

The percentage of surveyed riders for each level of educational achievement has remained steady from year to year. The average number of years of education in 2001 is 13.1 years, as compared to 12.8 years in previous survey years 1995 and 1986, and 13.2 in 1991. The average education of transit riders by local, express, and shuttle riders differs. The numbers for 2001 are an average of 13 years for local routes, 15.1 for express, and 14.8 for shuttle routes.

The greatest shift evidenced by comparing the 2001 survey results to those of the years 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991 and 1995 is the decrease in riders who are both students and employed, from 40 percent ridership in 1976 to 7 percent in 2001.

Historically, the largest race/ethnic group of riders surveyed has been white. This percent is steadily decreasing, whereas the percent Spanish/Hispanic/Latino has been increasing, from 15 percent in 1976 to 29 percent in 2001.

Although the year 2001 average income for surveyed bus riders for local routes has increased since the 1991 and 1995 survey years, local riders have the lowest reported income in comparison with express and shuttle riders. The local rider average income in 2001 is $26,600 compared to $49,600 for express riders and $34,500 for shuttle riders.

Trend data regarding household size show that the number of one-person households has increased over the years, from 17 percent in 1976 to 19 percent in 2001. The average household size for riders surveyed is 2.8 people in 2001, a decrease from 3.3 people in 1995.

The average number of running vehicles per respondent household is 0.9 vehicles in 2001, 1995, and 1991. The average number of vehicles per respondent household in 1986 was 1.1. In 2001, 44 percent of surveyed riders reported zero running motor vehicles, and 32 percent reported one running vehicle.

The survey identified the number of years riders have been riding the bus for local, express, and shuttle routes. Survey results show that shuttle riders are generally new to the service, with half of all surveyed riders reporting using the service for less than one year. Express and local riders, however, have been using the service for many years. Twenty-one percent of local riders surveyed, and 25 percent of express riders surveyed reported riding the bus for two to five years. Thirty-two percent of local riders surveyed, and 34 percent of express riders surveyed reported riding the bus for more than five years.

The survey also asked riders to indicate whether or not they have cable television. Just over half of all riders surveyed have cable television. Shuttle riders surveyed had the highest percentage of riders with cable television at 60 percent.

Access and Egress

Questions on access and egress were asked with regard to the rider's current trip. These characteristics were then compared to similar data collected in previous origin and destination surveys.

Most local riders, 71 percent, accessed their current trip by walking, and a large percentage of riders transferred from another bus. While express route riders surveyed also indicated that walking is the most popular mode for accessing their current trip, 48 percent of express riders in 2001 indicated that they accessed their current trip by driving to it. Shuttle riders also access routes by walking and driving. Forty-seven percent of shuttle riders surveyed accessed their current trip by walking, and 31 percent accessed their current trip by driving.

For each survey year, the majority of survey respondents indicated they walked to their destination after their current bus trip. A large percentage of riders also transferred from another bus to access their current trip, with percentages ranging from a low of 19 percent in 1976 to a high of 39 percent in 1995. In 2001, 55 percent of local riders, 88 percent of express riders, and 78 percent of shuttle riders egressed their current trip by walking.

The average bus trip length overall was 5.3 miles and the total trip length was 8.3 miles. The average bus trip and total trip lengths were longest for express trips (14.9 bus; 17.6 total) and shortest for shuttle trips (1.9 bus; 5.1 total). The average bus trip length for the local route trips was 5.2 miles and the total trip length was 8.2.

Fare Payment

Questions on fare payment method and type of fare (i.e., full, youth, disabled, or senior) were asked with regard to the rider's current trip. Fare payment options included cash, monthly pass, transfer, bus card plus, ten-ride ticket, token, All-Day Pass, student semester pass, credit card, paid no fare/free, or other. These characteristics were then compared to similar data collected in previous origin and destination surveys.

Results indicate that token use has declined from 1976, dropping from 21 percent in 1976 to 1 percent in 2001. Surveyed riders also report little to no use of the All-Day Pass. The most frequent method of fare payment is cash (50 percent) for local routes, and the Bus Card Plus (69 percent) for express routes.

Trip Characteristics

Trip characteristics included profiling frequency of use, number of buses used, trip origins, and trip destinations. Trip origin and destination options included; home, work, middle/high school, shopping, personal/recreational, medical appointment, college/university, or other.

The survey results indicate that most riders (42 percent) use the service six or seven days a week. Forty-four (44) percent of local riders use the service six or seven days a week, and 67 percent of express riders use the service five times per week.

Statistics on the number of buses used to complete a trip has remained the same over the years. The average rider in both 1995 and 2001 needed 1.9 buses to complete a trip. Local riders surveyed required the highest number of buses to complete their current trip, requiring and average of 1.9 buses in 2001, 2.0 in 1995, and 1.8 in 1991. Shuttle riders surveyed required an average of 1.3 buses to complete their current trip. Express riders needed the fewest number of buses to complete their current trip. Express riders required 1.2 buses to complete their trip in all three survey years.

For all service types for all survey years, the largest percent of surveyed riders indicate home as their trip origin. In 2001, 68 percent of local riders, 96 percent of express riders, and 42 percent of shuttle riders indicate home as their trip origin. Local riders, the second largest percent of surveyed riders, indicate work as their trip origin, with 15 percent in 2001. For shuttle routes, surveyed riders often indicate college or a university as their trip origin, with 29 percent.

The 2001 destinations with the highest percentage of local and express riders surveyed are home and work. Because only AM express routes were surveyed in 2001, the results for home and work are skewed and reflect only the AM side of a commute trip. College/university is the most popular destination for shuttle riders surveyed, with 43 percent of riders. Personal/recreational trips on local routes have increased, growing from 3 percent in 1991 to 9 percent in 2001.

Satisfaction Questions

Riders were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with regard to bus cleanliness, on-time performance/reliability, temperature inside the bus, overall satisfaction with the buses, satisfaction with driver safety, driver friendliness, driver helpfulness, and overall satisfaction with drivers. Customer satisfaction data for 2001 were then compared to similar data collected in previous origin and destination surveys.

The percentage of riders who are very satisfied with bus cleanliness declined from 63 percent in 1991 to 47 percent in 2001. In addition, the number of riders who are somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied has risen from previous years.

There has been a decline, from 55 percent in 1991 to 46 percent in 2001, in the number of riders who are very satisfied with on-time performance. Shuttle routes had the highest percentage of riders who are somewhat or very dissatisfied, a total of 21 percent.

Overall, surveyed riders are satisfied with bus temperature, with 56 percent of surveyed riders in 1991, 52 percent of surveyed riders in 1995, and 53 percent of surveyed riders in 2001 very satisfied with the temperature inside the bus. By type of service, shuttle riders expressed the highest level of satisfaction, with 71 percent indicating that they are very satisfied and 25 percent indicating that they are somewhat satisfied. Local riders are more satisfied than express riders, with 54 percent of local riders and 32 percent of express riders indicating that they are very satisfied with the temperature inside the bus. Nearly half (47 percent) of express riders indicated that they are only somewhat satisfied with the temperature inside the bus.

In each survey year, roughly half of surveyed riders were very satisfied with the buses overall. However, the percentage of those very satisfied has declined from 55 percent in 1991 to 44 percent in 2001. Shuttle riders expressed the highest level of satisfaction, with 58 percent indicating that they are very satisfied, and 37 percent indicating that they are somewhat satisfied with buses overall. Local and express riders are somewhat less satisfied than shuttle riders, with 44 percent of local riders and 40 percent of express riders indicating that they are very satisfied with buses overall. Nearly half (49 percent) of express riders indicate that they are only somewhat satisfied overall.

Satisfaction questions regarding driver safety indicate that the percentage of riders who are very satisfied with driver safety has declined from 78 percent in 1991 to 68 percent in 2001. Seventy-eight percent of shuttle, 75 percent of express, and 68 percent of local riders surveyed in 2001 indicate that they are very satisfied with driver safety.

Riders surveyed were asked to rate their satisfaction with driver friendliness. In 2001, express riders showed the highest level of satisfaction, with 67 percent indicating that they are very satisfied with driver friendliness. Local and shuttle riders are somewhat less satisfied, with 61 percent of local riders and 65 percent of shuttle riders indicating that they are very satisfied with driver friendliness.

Surveyed rider attitudes about satisfaction with driver helpfulness are compared with those of previous survey years. Overall, surveyed riders are very satisfied with driver helpfulness, with 68 percent of surveyed riders in 1991, 66 percent of surveyed riders in 1995, and 62 percent of surveyed riders in 2001. However, there has been a decline in the percentage of riders very satisfied, from 68 percent in 1991 to 62 percent in 2001. In 2001 express riders show the highest level of satisfaction, with 64 percent indicating that they are very satisfied with driver helpfulness. Local and express riders are somewhat less satisfied, with 62 percent of local riders and 63 percent of shuttle riders being very satisfied with driver helpfulness.

Overall satisfaction with drivers for the 2001 survey was compared to surveys conducted in previous years. In general, surveyed riders are satisfied with drivers, with 69 percent of surveyed riders in 1991, 67 percent of surveyed riders in 1995, and 63 percent of surveyed riders in 2001 very satisfied with driver safety. However, there has been a decline in the percentage of very satisfied riders, from 69 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2001. In 2001, shuttle riders expressed the highest level of overall driver satisfaction, with 100 percent indicating that they are either somewhat satisfied or very satisfied with driver helpfulness. Local and express riders are only slightly less satisfied, with 94 percent of local and express riders indicating they are either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with drivers overall.

Attitudinal Questions

Attitudinal questions included reasons for riding the bus, primary source of information about bus schedules, helpfulness of 602-253-5000 employees, bus book satisfaction, alternative modes, bus safety, service changes impacting frequency of bus use, and bus service improvements.

A question regarding reasons for riding the bus indicates a higher level of transit dependency than in the past. The percentage of surveyed riders reporting that they do not own an automobile as the primary reason for riding the bus has increased each survey year, growing from 22 percent in 1986 to 58 percent in 2001.

The survey assessed rider preference for source of information about bus schedules, and found that for more than half of surveyed riders, the Bus Book is very easy to understand and individual bus schedules are not preferred over the Bus Book.

Most surveyed riders indicate that the Bus Book is either somewhat easy to understand or very easy to understand, with 87 percent of surveyed riders in 1995 and 92 percent of riders in 2001. In addition, the number of riders that felt that the Bus Book is very easy to understand has increased from 53 percent in 1995 to 63 percent in 2001. Overall, surveyed riders in all categories found the Bus Book to be either somewhat easy or very easy to understand, with 93 percent of local riders, 83 percent of express riders, and 100 percent of shuttle riders surveyed rating the Bus Book as either somewhat easy or very easy to understand.

Surveyed riders were asked whether or not they would prefer individual schedules to the Bus Book. Overall, survey riders indicated that they would not prefer individual schedules, with 75 percent of surveyed riders indicating "no". Seventy-five percent of local and 83 percent of express riders indicated that they would not prefer individual schedules, but shuttle rider preferences are more evenly split, with 40 percent preferring individual schedules and 60 percent preferring the Bus Book.

Surveyed rider attitudes on the helpfulness of Valley Metro customer service information line shows that overall, surveyed passengers rated these as either good or very good, with 80 percent of surveyed riders in 1991, 74 percent of surveyed riders in 1995, and 78 percent of surveyed riders in 2001.

Surveyed riders were asked, "If you couldn't take the bus for THIS trip, how would you make the trip?" Rider responses varied greatly, but over the three survey years, the following four responses were selected by most riders: carpool, drive alone, don't go, and walk. In 2001, 22 percent of riders said they would carpool, 13 percent said they would drive alone, 19 percent said they would not make the trip, and 15 percent said they would walk.

Overall, for each survey year, riders have rated bus safety as either somewhat safe or very safe, with 98 percent of riders in 1991, 96 percent of riders in 1995, and 96 percent of riders in 2001. However, the percentage of riders who felt that buses are very safe has declined from 69 percent in 1991 to 61 percent in 2001. In 2001, express riders gave bus safety the highest rating, with 81 percent of riders rating bus safety as very safe.

For service changes impacting frequency of bus use, customers were asked, "Which one of the following would have the greatest impact on your decision to ride the bus more frequently?" Response choices included: more frequent service, improved safety, more direct service to the place you go, bus stops closer to your home and/or destination, or none of the above. Overall, surveyed riders indicate that more frequent service would impact their decision to ride the bus more frequently. Sixty-seven percent of local riders and 64 percent of express riders selected this option. Few riders indicate that improved safety would affect their decision to ride the bus more frequently. Some local and express riders indicate that more direct service or closer bus stop locations would also affect their decision to ride the bus more frequently. Sixteen percent of express and 11 percent of local riders selected the closer bus stop locations option.

Surveyed riders were asked to respond to the question "Which one of the following would provide the greatest improvement to bus service?" Overall, rider responses are split fairly evenly among the proposed service changes, with 22 percent of riders selecting ticket vending machines, 25 percent selecting automated schedule and route information, 31 percent selecting expanded hours on the customer service information line, and 22 percent indicating improved signage. The survey results for local route riders closely mirrors the percentage for riders overall, because the majority of responses are from local riders. Surveyed express route riders showed a preference for improved signage (44 percent) and expanding hours for the information line (30 percent).

Riders were asked to specify the one specific place they or someone in their household would be more likely to go if bus service were available or convenient. Common locations include: malls and shopping centers, MetroCenter, schools, Central Library, Avondale, casinos, 19th Ave & Pinnacle Peak Rd, and the Fort McDowell Reservation.

Linked and Unlinked Trips

For comparative and trend analysis purposes, un-factored data serves as the general basis for the data included in the Final Report. However, to present an accurately weighted reflection of some data, it must be presented as factored data. Factored data for riders (linked trips), boardings (unlinked trips), and access and egress distances are summarized below.

Linked trips for weekday, Saturday, and Sunday riders are broken down by service type and day of week. Over 91 percent of weekday riders ride local routes. Because express services are not offered on weekends and because weekend shuttle service is limited on weekends, the majority of weekend riders use local routes.

Unlinked trips for weekday, Saturday, and Sunday boardings are broken down by service type and day of week. Saturday boardings are approximately 60 percent of weekday boardings, and Sunday boardings are approximately 45 percent of Saturday boardings.

For those reported access and egress modes where distance could be measured (walk, bike, drive), trip distances. Over half of 2001 egressing riders walk one block or less, with the average egress trip being 2.1 blocks. Nearly half of 2001 accessing riders walk one block or less, with the average access trip being 2.4 blocks. This is similar to results collected in 1986 and 1991. In 2001 a large percentage of accessing (77 percent) and egressing (75 percent) boarders bike one mile or less. When compared to previous years it appears that those biking to and from the bus are traveling shorter distances than in previous years.

Forty-eight percent of those accessing the bus by driving travel four or more miles, and over half (56 percent) of those egressing by driving travel four or more miles. When compared to previous years it appears that those driving to and from the bus in 2001 are driving longer distances than in previous years.

Nearly half (47 percent) of boarding passengers travel between four and nine miles on the bus portion of their trip. Total trip distance is greater than four miles for 78 percent of boarding passengers. Half of those boarding local buses travel between four and nine miles on the bus. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of those boarding express buses travel more than 10 miles on the bus. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of those boarding shuttle buses travel one mile or less on the bus. For more than half of those boarding local buses, total trip distance is between four and nine miles. Ninety-two percent of those boarding express buses have a total trip distance of greater than 10 miles. Shuttle boarders most often have a total trip length of one mile or less.

Validation Survey

As part of the On Board Origin and Destination Survey, WestGroup Research completed 1,006 telephone surveys with riders who completed the Origin and Destination (O&D) Survey. The primary purpose of the telephone surveys was to evaluate the overall validity of the O&D surveys. A few additional questions were asked of the riders as well.

WestGroup was able to confirm survey validity with 97 percent of the respondents contacted. Only 3 percent of respondents were unable to confirm completion of the survey or accurately validate the answers reported on their survey. The complete results of the validation survey are contained in the Final Report.

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