The value leader in complete transit systems.

2018 Transit Survey ResultsAGENCY • RIDER

R I D E R S U R V E Y

2 0 1 8

Throughout 2018, ETA conducted a national Facebook and email survey of those who self-

identifi ed as users of public transportation. This 27-question survey presented respondents

with a series of inquires covering a variety of topics including: motivations for transit use, climate

change, perceptions and prejudices regarding public transit, available technologies, and more.

Question #1:Is climate change real or a hoax?

Our take:The scientifi c consensus is that mankind is contributing to

a rapid acceleration of the normal cycles related to global

climate. Scientifi c, economic, and political debate aside, it

makes sense that anything that mankind can do to produce

cleaner, more effi cient energy utilization represents a logical

and worthwhile solution to solving issues of transportation

and environmental health on a local, regional, and global

scales.

Question #2:Does climate change infl uence your decision to

ride public transit?

Our take:While the pursuit of being socially and environmentally

responsible is a noble idea, the practical reality is that choice

isn’t always an option. For many, public transit isn’t a lifestyle

choice, it’s the only choice for getting from A to B, so it

isn’t surprising to us that climate change doesn’t rank as a

signifi cant factor in the selection of transportation mode.

Question #3:Why do you ride public transit?

Our take:The surprising result is that only 10.53 percent of respondents

state that public transit is their only option. These numbers

would suggest that helping to improve the transit experience

would help increase ridership. Beyond improvements to

on-time performance and service, consider adding on-

board and at-station amenities such as infotainment, LCD

displays, traveler information systems, and Wi-Fi access to

encourage ridership by making the trip more comfortable

and productive.

Yes 27.91%

No 72.09%

Yes 61.43%

No 15.71%

Not sure 22.86%

Convenience 28.95%

Cheaper than owning car 21.05%

Experience 13.16%

Traffi c congestion 26.32%

Only option 10.53%

RIDER SURVEY 2018

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Question #4:Do you support the use of taxpayer monies to fund

public transportation systems?

Our take:That people support the use of taxpayer funds is a good

thing, especially when considering the results of our agency-

centric survey which revealed that 91 percent of transit

operators DO NOT earn enough money through fares alone

to cover the cost of their operations.

Question #5:Do you believe there is a stigma attached to public

transit?

Our take:It comes as no surprise to us that there are preconceptions

about public transit. The results beg two questions: #1,

how did these ideas become entrenched in the public

consciousness, and #2, what can be done to change these

long-held perceptions?

Question #6:What is the primary stigma attached to public

transit?

Our take:Demographic perceptions are the easiest and most common

biases to hole across any walk of life, so it is unsurprising to

see it garner the most votes in this survey. There’s not a lot

that agencies can do to directly address the demographic

issue without fi rst tackling the lower-ranking issues.

The two primary tools that can begin to clean up these smaller

items are an investment in operations (e.g. transit technology

to improve effi ciency and marketing). Work to improve the

overall transit experience and then promote these changes

to new and existing customers.

Yes 72.84%

No 14.81%

No opinion 13.58%

Yes 69.32%

No 30.68%

Demographic (income, race, etc.) 54.1%

Ineffi cient (takes too long) 13.11%

Unnecessary 1.64%

Unsafe 8.2%

Dirty 9.84%

Drain on taxpayer funds 3.28%

Too little adoption/ridership 3.28%

Other 3.28%

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Question #7:Does your local transit agency provide digital

signage at your favorite top/station?

Our take:These results indicate two possible causes: #1, agencies

aren’t investing in the technology required to close the

communication gap with its riders, or #2, they are investing,

but aren’t devoting resources toward marketing and

promotion to build awareness among its customers to make

sure they know about the existence of these features.

Question #8:Does your local transit agency provide a website or

mobile app for tracking a vehicle in real time?

Our take:The truly surprising result from this survey is that 55.77

percent of riders DO NOT know if their local transit agency

offers these features.

We know from our agency survey results that an

overwhelming number of agencies DO provide these tools,

so the disconnect is one of communication and making it

known that these resources exist.

Question #9:What is the best thing about your local transit

agency?

Our take:We’re not surprised that affordable fares netted the top

ranking to this response. When once considers that the

primary utilizers of public transit services fall into the lower-

class income bracket, it becomes obvious that these are

cost-conscious customers who likely juggle transportation

fees alongside tight budgets for food, clothing, and other

expenses.

Yes 44.19%

No 43.02%

Don’t know 12.79%

Yes 26.92%

No 17.31%

Don’t know 55.77%

Right routes 13.43%

Right schedules 11.94%

Affordable fares 35.82%

Caring employees 1.49%

Comfortable vehicles 5.97%

Safe environment 11.94%

Other 19.4%

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Question #10:Have you ever contacted your transit agency to

voice a concern, complaint, or make a suggestion?

Our take:In our experience, things have to get pretty bad for most

people to comment on a situation. These results aren’t

surprising.

Question #11:If you haven’t contacted your transit agency, why

not?

Our take:Supporting the response from question #10, the reasons

for not communicating concerns and suggestions are

predictable. Though the minor responses (e.g. not sure

how, no mechanism exists, not important) do represent a

signifi cant 32.73% of percentage of respondents who have

something to contribute but otherwise do not know how or

feel that their input would not be welcomed.

Make sure your agency is proactive in soliciting feedback

and ensuring that your riders feel engaged and welcome to

make their voices heard.

Question #12:How many transfers do you typically take to arrive

at your destination?

Our take:Good job! Most people seem to be able to get from A to B

with either zero or one transfer. That’s reasonable. Still, look

out for the nearly 17.5 percent of riders who have to make

two or more transfers; that’s a signifi cant percentage of riders

who might benefi t from more optimized routes.

Yes 19.12%

No 80.88%

No need 58.18%

Not sure how 10.91%

No mechanism exists 3.64%

Not important (don’t care enough) 18.18%

Too busy 9.09%

0 63.49%

1 23.81%

2 15.87%

3 or more 1.59%

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Question #13:On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being dangerous and

10 being secure, how safe do you personally feel

on your transit agency’s vehicles?

Our take:That’s pretty low ranking given that 74.2 percent of transit

agencies in our 2018 survey reported that they have on-

vehicle mobile video security systems. Given that agencies

have adopted the technology to protect its riders, that leads

to a pretty big disconnect between implementation and

passenger reassurance.

Question #14:On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being dangerous and

10 being secure, how safe do you personally feel at

your transit agency’s transit stations/stops?

Our take:With just 55% of transit agencies reporting an investment in

video security technology at stops and stations, this number

seems to represent a more direct correlation to between

investment in passenger safety and resulting feelings of

security. Maybe it’s because that cameras at stations are

often more visible than on-vehicle systems?

Question #15:On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being fi lthy and 10

being pristine, how clean are your transit agency’s

vehicles?

Our take:Consider that almost 10 percent of respondents to this

survey indicated that the primary stigma about public transit

was that it was dirty. With a rating of just 5.1, it would seem

that this perception is based on reality.

Question #16:On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being fi lthy and 10

being pristine, how clean are your transit agency’s

stops/stations?

Our take:Combating the overall stigma associated with public transit

means combating key contributors to long held perceptions.

Cleanliness of the overall experience is something that

should be relatively manageable.

4.87

4.51

5.10

4.89

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Question #17:On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being hard and 10

being simple, how easy is it for you to pay your

fare?

Our take:If you want to attract people to your service, make it easy

for them to pay. With the advancement of mobile payment

technology, this should be an easy number to increase.

Question #18:How could the fare payment process be improved?

Our take:We’re an increasingly connected society, so an investment

in payment systems that allow for online or mobile collection

not only make it easier to purchase fares, but also speeds

up the process to board vehicles, which will improve on-

time performance and help contribute to a change in the

perception that public transit is slow an ineffi cient.

Question #19:How well does your local transit agency perform to

its published schedules?

Our take:These results are very encouraging, with almost 79% of

respondents reporting that their agency is mostly on-time (or

better). This may have to do with a widespread adoption of

intelligent transit systems (92.6% of public transit agencies

report having adopted an ITS) and the impact these solutions

can have on performance to schedule.

5.77

Online payment 29.09%

At-station/stop kiosks 14.55%

On-vehicle smart payment (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) 18.18%

Make change available 21.82%

Other 16.36%

Always on-time 11.76%

Almost always on-time 29.41%

Mostly on-time 36.76%

Hit-or-miss 19.12%

Always late 2.94%

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Question #20:What time of day to you typically ride public

transit?

Our take:Nothing unexpected here. Heavy mornings that taper off as

the day progresses follows a typical workday.

Question #21:When you ride public transit, do you ride alone,

with one other person, or with several people?

Our take:Nothing unexpected here.

Question #22:When you ride public transit, with whom do you

typically travel?

Our take:Nothing unexpected here.

Mornings 48.08%

Afternoon 28.85%

Early evening 15.38%

Late evening 5.77%

Business hours 1.92%

Ride alone 63.46%

With one other person 26.92%

With several other people 9.62%

Friends 26.32%

Family 73.68%

Question #23:Does your local transit agency provide bike sharing

services?

Our take:Within the discussion of providing riders with a means of

traveling to a transit stop, bike sharing is an interesting way

of feeding passengers to a service. With roughly one-third

of agencies supplying bike sharing, the question is just how

practical and effective this solution is at solving fi rst/last mile

concerns.

Question #25:If your agency were to offer bike sharing service,

would you use it?

Our take:Frankly, we’re not sold on bike sharing as a viable solution to

increase ridership. The numbers and support among riders

simply aren’t there.

Question #24:Do you use your agency’s bike sharing service?

Our take:With only 18 percent utilization against a 30 percent

availability, the actual utilization of bike sharing is less than

fi ve percent where available. That’s a pretty underwhelming

statement as to the practical effectiveness of bike sharing as

a means of supplying riders to a transit service.

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Yes 30.19%

No 69.81%

Yes 36.36%

No 63.64%

Yes 19.05%

No 80.95%

Question #26:Does your local public transit agency provide on-

board Wi-Fi?

Our take:Wi-Fi as an enticement to improve ridership experience. This

number strikes us as a bit surprising given the increasingly

connected nature of our society. However, given the razor-

thin operating budgets and cost of data plans, it’s also

understandable that the adoption of public on-board Wi-Fi

systems isn’t higher.

Question #27:Does the presence of on-board Wi-Fi infl uence your

decision to ride public transit?

Our take:The widespread availability of cellular data plans for personal

cellular services minimizes the attractiveness of on-board

Wi-Fi as an enticement to improve ridership experience.

The relatively low adoption of on-board Wi-Fi systems doesn’t

belie the low utilization of cellular data plans. Unless a cellular

customer has an unlimited data plan, the Wi-Fi utilization rate

on personal cellular devices is roughly 90 percent1. Given

the fi nancial demographics of public transit users makes

on-board Wi-Fi a potential value-added feature for transit

agencies.

Question #27:If your transit agency were to provide Wi-Fi

capabilities on its vehicles, would it increase your

likelihood of riding?

Our take:If the name of the game is to increase ridership, the addition

of on-board Wi-Fi does represent a substantial opportunity.

It’s not a game changer, but if—as an enhancement to the

ridership experience—it can increase the attractiveness of

transit as a viable solution, it may make a compelling case for

additional research on a case-by-case basis.

RIDER SURVEY 2018

Yes 30.19%

No 69.81%

Yes 28.57%

No 77.55%

1 https://wifi nowevents.com/news-and-blog/new-numbers-wi-fi -share-of-us-mobile-traffi c-lingers-at-around-75/

Yes 37.5%

No 62.5%

A G E N C Y S U R V E Y

2 0 1 8

Throughout 2018, ETA conducted a series of surveys of transit professionals via email and

social media. This 53-question survey presented respondents with a series of inquires covering

a variety of topics including: self-driving vehicles, marketing, funding, RFP creation, green

technology, and more.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Question #1:Does your agency offer ‘bike and ride’ space for

riders?

Our take:Agencies looking to build or encourage ridership will do

well to help make it easier for potential riders to arrive at

their stops or stations. Having a secure location for bicycle

storage is a small investment that can bring peace of mind

to passengers.

Question #2:What is the approximate utilization of your

agency’s ‘bike and ride’ service?

Our take:At nearly 67 percent, the utilization rate is pretty low but given

the relatively low cost related to the offering, that doesn’t

infer that it is a bad investment to improve rider relations and

encourage ridership.

Question #3:How does your agency engage with its riders to

discover their attitudes regarding transit?

Our take:Frankly, we’re a bit surprised at the relatively low utilization of

online polls and social media as a means of connecting with

riders. Not only is this technology cheap to deploy, but it offers

the convenience of minimizing the manual aspects of data

collection, namely tracking and counting—not to mention its

often a preferred means of survey takers to provide input.

Ultimately, whatever tactics you use that gathers the data

needed to make informed decisions about your operations

is the right method, but you may be wasting both time and

money by leaning so heavily on manual processes.

Yes 73.08%

No 26.92%

1-10% 66.67%

11-25% 21.21%

26-50% 6.06%

>51% 6.06%

Online polls 6.12%

Social media 18.37%

Community events 12.24%

Focus groups 2.04%

In-person surveys 51.02%

Direct mail surveys 2.04%

Telephone surveys 8.16%

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Question #4:What has been the response/participation rate of

your rider engagement efforts?

Our take:Look at you go! A little over 67 percent of you get average to

slightly above expected response rates. Assuming that those

expectations were aligned with specifi c response targets,

you can feel pretty good about getting valuable input to your

pressing organizational questions.

Question #5:How do riders most often choose to voice

concerns/suggestions with your transit agency?

Our take:Most agencies we speak to actively look to reduce in-bound

calls, so the fact that most rider-centric feedback comes

via the phone is concerning. Make sure you have visible

instructions posted on vehicles and at stations/stops directing

riders to social media, email, and online forms. This will help

keep employees focus on their daily tasks, plus provide a

documented means of recording input for evaluation and

easy follow-up with concerned customers.

Question #6:What type of feedback to you most commonly

receive from your riders?

Our take:Complaints are the easiest form of feedback. It’s easy to get

riled up and want to bite someone’s head off. If your most

common means of receiving feedback is the telephone, your

employees are going to be on the receiving end of angry

customers. This can affect their productivity, job satisfaction,

and lead to high turnover—something we know transit

agencies struggle with from past surveys.

Poor (no interaction 8.16%

Mediocre (some interaction) 18.37%

Average (about what we expected) 34.69%

Pretty good (more than we expected) 32.65%

Fantastic (greatly exceeded expectation) 6.12%

Telephone calls 55.1%

Email 18.37%

Social media 12.24%

Online forms 6.12%

In person 8.16%

Complaints 69.39%

Compliments 14.29%

Suggestions 16.33%

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Question #7:Does your transit agency have an interest in

procuring self-driving vehicles?

Our take:We’re right there with you. While we love the idea behind

autonomous vehicles, we don’t get the feeling the technology

is quite ready for prime time.

Question #8:For those interested in self-driving vehicles

ow long until you begin procuring self-driving

vehicles?

Our take:The 3-5 year time frame seems about right to us—and it

seems you’re of the same mindset. We wouldn’t be surprised

to see widespread adoption take off a bit sooner, but the

public transit sector doesn’t always have the resources to be

among the early adoption crowd.

Question #9:What factor has most contributed to your interest

in self-driving vehicles?

Our take:The operational effi ciency is a clear winner to us—especially

when paired with an intelligent transit system that can help

these autonomous vehicles make adjustments in real time.

The improved safety component is a great idea, but as

of this moment in time, it’s something that we need to see

demonstrated over an extended period before we’re willing

to completely buy that particular benefi t.

Yes 25%

No 75%

1-2 years 10.34%

3-5 years 51.72%

6+ years 34.48%

Already procuring 3.45%

Reduction in employment cost 16.67%

Reduction in operational cost 33.33%

Improved safety 33.33%

Other 16.67%

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Question #10:What is your primary reason for lack of interest in

self-driving vehicles?

Our take:The technology is almost there. Within a one to two years,

we think that we’ll start hearing about widespread adoption

across the larger transit agencies in large metropolitan areas.

Mid-sized agencies will probably start to replace their aging

fl eets with self-driving vehicles in 5-7 years as costs on this

new technology start to drop. Small agencies adoption are

still a way off.

Question #11:What aspect of drafting a RFP causes you the most

headaches?

Our take:It’s no surprise that the actual production of a RFP is the

most time-consuming process. When your job is the actual

operation of a transit agency, anything that takes your

attention away from that mission becomes an annoyance.

Given that the results of the process can make a dramatic

difference to your operational performance and rider

satisfaction, it’s an exercise well worth the effort.

Question #12:When reviewing vendor proposals to your RFP,

rank which areas cause the most dissension/stress

(on a scale of 1 [low stress] to 5 [high stress])?

Our take:Comparing the different offerings between proposers is

unquestionably the hardest thing to do. Every transit vendor

has its one strengths and weaknesses, and sorting things out

can be tough.

In our view, however, it’s #2 on the list that garners our

attention: value vs. price. We’ve seen many instances where

agencies who didn’t understand this difference made their

decision based on the bottom line cost, only to fi nd the

solution they bought wasn’t the ideal fi t for their situation.

Too costly 10.26%

Technology not advanced enough 55.13%

Disruptive to employment 6.41%

Not safe 12.82%

Other 15.38%

Defi ning desired outcome (scope) 18.92%

Defi ning technical components 21.62%

Defi ning proposal submission format 2.7%

Defi ning price/quotation format 2.7%

Determining legal requirements 10.81%

Time it takes to assemble/produce/issue 43.24%

Vendor preference 2.9

Establishing importance of features 3

Evaluating value versus price 3.19

Evaluating differences in offerings 3.54

Proposer references 2.32

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

0

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20

30

40

50

60

70

80Question #13:What transit technologies does your transit agency

currently deploy on its vehicles?

Our take:It’s not really a surprise that agencies are focusing on

technology that improves data collection. With shoestring

budgets, it makes sense to look toward solutions that help

improve operational performance.

Conversely, the low numbers for rich media and LCD signage

(compared with earlier results indicating low adoption of

on-board Wi-Fi systems) indicate that agencies are largely

ignoring areas of improvement geared toward improving the

passenger experience.

Operational performance will only take an agency so far,

and will do very little to attract new riders or increase service

utilization if the overall experience continues to ignore the

human equation.

Question #14:Does your agency offer smart device payment

options (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.)?

Our take:Pairing this with a similar question on this year’s rider survey,

and we’re left scratching our heads as to why more agencies

haven’t adopted smart payment systems.

Question #15:Does your agency offer paratransit (mobility)

service?

Our take:Not surprising, given that 80% of agencies receive §5531

grants, which require paratransit service as a condition of

funding.

CAD/AVL 55.81%

On-board announcements 55.81%

Automatic passenger counters 41.86%

Rich media infotainment 4.65%

Mobile data terminals 53.49%

Mobile video surveillance 74.42%

Farebox 55.81%

Accessibility (lifts) 74.42%

LED signage 55.81%

LCD signage 18.60%

Other 6.82%

Yes 17.02%

No 82.98%

Yes 86.96%

No 13.04%

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Question #16:What is the average length of your routes?

Our take:This one surprised us a little bit. We would have expected the

majority of routes to come in around the 6-10 mile fi gure. If it

were us, and we had an ITS system available, we’d probably

want to evaluate these longer routes to see if the service

might benefi t from being split into two.

Question #17:Does your transit agency offer regional (long

distance) service greater than 50+ miles?

Our take:About the split we expected—especially among smaller rural

transit agencies who need to provide service to a larger area

than metropolitan operations.

Question #18:Does your transit agency offer ‘dial-a-ride’ service?

Our take:Dial-a-ride offerings are a good way to help maximize vehicle

capacity and make sure that those who need a lift, have the

service available to get where then need to go. Frankly, we’d

hoped to see a greater adoption rate.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

<1 mile 1.39%

1-5 miles 15.28%

6-10 miles 26.39%

11-20 miles 41.67%

>20 miles 15.28%

Yes 34.29%

No 65.71%

Yes 53.73%

No 46.27%

Question #19:Does your ‘dial-a-ride’ service come at a premium

cost to the rider?

Our take:No right or wrong answer here. Our take would be that an

on-demand service (not specifi cally tied to mobility offerings)

should come with at least some sort of premium attached.

Question #20:About how much additional cost does a dial-a-ride

service cost a rider on top of your normal transit

fare?

Our take:Now we’re talking! A little convenience fee for the service

helps the agency cover its cost (maintenance, fuel,

manpower, etc.) and pave the way for continued availability.

Question #21:Does your transit agency offer options via ride

sharing services such as Uber® and Lyft®?

Our take:We know partnership with ride sharing is a water cooler topic

within the industry lately, but here at the ETA offi ces we’re

not sold on the idea simply because of the costs associated

and the fi scal realities found within typical ridership

demographics. Simply put, such partnerships with TNCs

don’t seem to be a viable, widespread solution for fi rst/last

mile service concerns.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Yes 45.71%

No 54.29%

>10% 43.33%

11-20% 6.67%

21-50% 30%

51-75% 3.33%

76-100% 16.67%

Yes 5.88%

No 94.12%

Question #22:Does your agency offer ‘park and ride’ space for

your customers?

Our take:A no-brainer. If you want to see increases in ridership, make

it easy as possible to encourage the utilization of service—

especially when talking about longer, regional service

that may span cities and professionals who have longer

commutes and want to save on fuel costs and minimize wear

and tear on personal vehicles.

Question #23:Think about your last RFP procurement. What

was the primary reason you selected the winning

vendor?

Our take:What is a reliable transit solution worth? Apparently not much,

and that’s truly troubling. When fi rm experience, system

design, and solution fi t rank this far down the list of priorities,

and the decision is based solely on price, it’s no wonder

why so many transit agencies aren’t happy with their current

transit tech.

Question #24:What was the primary reason you did not select

the vendor who came in second in your last RFP

procurement?

Our take:See response for question #23.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Yes 77.05%

No 22.95%

Price 39.29%

Firm experience 10.71%

Length of contract 3.57%

Solution was perfect fi t 7.14%

Firm reputation 3.57%

Warranty coverage 3.57%

System design 7.14%

User experience 14.29%

Internal politics 3.57%

Other 7.14%

Price 39.29%

Firm experience 10.71%

Solution wasn’t a fi t 7.14%

Firm reputation 3.57%

Warranty coverage 3.57%

System design 7.14%

User experience 14.29%

Internal politics 3.57%

Other 7.14%

Question #25:Did you have a preferred vendor in mind before

reviewing proposals?

Our take:No surprising results here. From the vantage of a transit

solutions provider, you would like to think that everyone

submitting a response to a RFP would have an equal

chance—but if that were true, then why do we spend so

much time and effort marketing our products and building

relationships with transit agencies?

Question #26:After reviewing proposals from your last RFP, did

you change your mind and go with a different

vendor?

Our take:Though the numbers show that agencies largely stick with

their original choice by a 2-1 margin, there’s always a shot for

a dark horse candidate to emerge and win the contract—and

that’s a good thing. It keeps vendors on their toes, pricing

competitive, and products evolving.

Question #27:How much of your agency’s budget is dedicated to

marketing/branding/outreach efforts?

Our take:This is very disheartening. As a transit agency, you spend

so much time and effort researching and procuring new

systems to improve operations and enhance the ridership

experience, yet almost nothing on promoting these new

capabilities to your customers. That’s like buying a new car

with all the bells and whistles, and never taking it out of the

garage.

A general rule of thumb says that a company should devote

a minimum of eight to 10 percent of its budget to marketing

and advertising. The average for the transit industry is 2.3

percent. This lower-than-healthy allocation could be a

big factor in why riders don’t know about the investments

agencies are making to enhance their ridership experience.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Yes 42.86%

No 57.14%

Yes 33.33%

No 66.67%

1-2% 48.84%

3-5% 30.23%

>11% 6.98%

Zero 13.95%

Question #28:Who is responsible for marketing your transit

agency?

Our take:It’s good that over 60 percent of agencies report having

enlisted a marketing specialist to guide their promotion efforts.

The scarier aspect is that the remaining 40 percent utilize a

group effort or worse yet, no one to oversee marketing tasks.

Why are group efforts a less-than-ideal approach? Simple,

there are often too many competing viewpoints and agendas

that get in the way of delivering clean message. The tendency

in these cases is to fi nd compromise with each member’s

interests being merged into the effort. This often results in

muddy, if not confusing communication.

Question #29:Do you have an active, sustained marketing

campaign for your transit agency?

Our take:Consistency is key. If you don’t regularly market to your target

audience, you risk losing them to competing interests. Even if

your communication efforts are low effort and do not change

a great deal over time, the repeated exposure keeps your

agency at the top of your riders’ minds and continues to

maintain awareness.

Question #30:Does your agency have an interest in procuring

‘green’ vehicles?

Our take:Unlike self-driving vehicles, green vehicles are a proven

technology and can greatly benefi t the environment, improve

operational costs, and satisfy popular public demand for

cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

On-staff specialist 53.49%

Marketing fi rm 6.98%

Non-specialist/group 27.91%

No one 11.63%

Yes 41.86%

No 58.14%

Yes 76.71%

No 23.29%

Question #31:What factor has most infl uenced your interest in

procuring ‘green’ vehicles?

Our take:The top three responses mirror our thoughts on the biggest

motivators, and underline the motivators driving this transition

to alternative energy sources.

The lowest response, customer/marketplace demands,

aligns well with the responses collected in our 2018 rider

survey. Though this would indicate the public at large isn’t

driving this evolution, it does reinforce the wisdom and big

picture views among leaders within the transit industry.

Question #32:What types of ‘green’ vehicle energy are you most

interested in?

Our take:Not a surprise that electric vehicles takes the top spot, but if

we were to pull out our crystal ball, it’s hydrogen power that is

the long-term solution (once the technology surrounding the

safe transport is perfected).

Question #33:Has your transit agency mapped out a time line for

the adoption of ‘green’ vehicles?

Our take:While our gut reaction is to ask all those agencies who

responded ‘no’ what their waiting for, it’s understandable

that the transition to this new technology can be a very cost-

prohibitive nature. Still, we suggest mapping out a strategy

sooner than later.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Climate change 17.31%

Advancements in technology 23.08%

Cost effi ciency 26.92%

Customer/marketplace demand 9.62%

Legislative mandates 13.46%

Other 9.62%

Electric 69.23%

Hydrogen 5.77%

Hybrid 7.69%

Any 17.31%

Yes 54.9%

No 45.1%

Question #34:How long until your transit agency begins

procuring ‘green’ vehicles?

Our take:Over 90 percent of agencies will have or will be on the path

to adoption within two years. Nicely done!

Question #35:What is the your primary reason for lack of interest

in procuring ‘green’ vehicles?

Our take:The cost and ROI responses we can understand. As for the

other reasons, let’s just agree to disagree.

Question #36:Do rider fares cover the operating costs of your

transit agency?

Our take:This isn’t exactly an eye-opening result. We’ve known for quite

some time how subsidized transit operations are with local,

regional, and federal funds. Still, it’s a sobering statistic that

underscores the need for operational effi ciency and funding

for what is a key public service.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Already have 57.14%

1-2 years 35.71%

3-5 years 7.14%

Too costly 28.21%

Too long for ROI 12.82%

Technology isn’t advanced enough 28.21%

Climate change is a hoax 5.13%

Other 25.64%

Yes 8.7%

No 91.3%

Question #37:Approximately how much does fare revenue fall

short of operating costs?

Our take:Wow! That’s a heck of a shortfall. Makes one wonder if the

operational model for public transit isn’t due for an overhaul.

Question #38:How does your agency make up the difference

between fare revenue and operating costs?

Our take:We had more options on the survey, but Government Grants/

Funding and Other were the only ones to garner votes.

Notable options listed under the ‘Other’ category are sales

taxes, advertising, and third-party contracts.

Question #39:Does your agency receive §5307 or §5311 grants?

Our take:Given the responses on prior funding questions, we actually

expected the number of agencies receiving grants would be

higher.

1-10% 1.64%

11-25% 8.2%

26-50% 6.56%

>51% 72.13%

Don’t know 11.48%

Government grants/funding 68.85%

Other 31.15%

Yes 79.66%

No 20.34%

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Question #40:What is the most common reason you make

temporary adjustments to your routes?

Our take:Somehow we just knew construction would top this list.

Question #41:What is the average duration for temporary

adjustments to your routes?

Our take:With nearly 84 percent of respondents claiming detours of

one month or less, these temporary adjustments are truly

that—temporary.

Question #42:How long does it take to make an adjustment to

your routes?

Our take:Anything longer than 30 minutes is too long—especially in

instances such as accidents where the trickle down effects

to delays can be dramatic. A good route management tool

should simplify these tweaks and get them deployed in a

fraction of the time.

Traffi c accidents 10.81%

Construction 67.57%

Seasonal changes 8.11%

Other 13.51%

1 day 27.03%

1 week 37.84%

1 month 18.92%

6 months 13.51%

>1 year 2.7%

<5 minutes 10.81%

5-10 minutes 24.32%

11-30 minutes 21.62%

31-60 minutes 11.51%

>1 hour 29.73%

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

0

20

40

60

80

100

Question #43:Do you make seasonal adjustments to your routes.

Our take:Evaluating seasonal ridership patterns is a smart move.

When combined with an effective traveler information

solution, these changes should minimize the impact to riders

while maximizing operational effi ciency.

Question #44:What are your agency’s top 3 reasons for making

permanent changes to routes?

Our take:We can’t fi nd fault the top three reasons of operational

effi ciency, service expansion, and data analysis. In fourth

place, it’s encouraging to see how much weight is given

to rider requests; an often undervalued resource for

improvements to agency and route performance.

Question #45:For permanent/long-term route adjustments, how

much time is spent in advance researching the

change?

Our take:Obviously any change to service has wide-ranging

implications, so it’s encouraging to see that 88 percent of

agencies spend at least two months researching changes.

That effort can go a long way toward optimizing your agency

effi ciency, but also in maintaining and improving relationships

with riders and other community interests.

Yes 37.84%

No 62.16%

Data analysis 48.65%

Operational effi ciency 81.08%

Rider requests 37.84%

Revenue 10.81%

Service expansion 54.05%

Service cuts 13.51%

Demographic changes 18.92%

Staffi ng shortage 2.70%

Political motivations 10.81%

Other 5.41%

<1 week 8.11%

1 week 5.41%

1 month 8.11%

2-6 months 45.95%

>6 months 32.43%

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

0

20

40

60

80

100

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Question #46:Which stakeholders are consulted when making

route changes (select all that apply)?

Our take:Everything looks likes it should, and no real surprises—other

than the fi ve percent of agencies who don’t consult anyone

when they make changes.

Question #47:Which amenity has been the most recent addition

to your on-board transit service?

Our take:No surprise that on-board announcements take the top

spot in the results. The low adoption of LCD monitors, LED

signs, and APCs is a bit perplexing as we see requests

for these features on just about every proposal. The cool

item is infotainment; a true opportunity to make substantial

improvements to the on-vehicle experience and create

opportunities to add a new revenue stream by leveraging the

technology to serve advertising from area businesses.

Question #48:Which factor was most infl uential in your decision

to upgrade?

Our take:It’s all about the customer. Happy riders equal repeat

customers, which equal referrals and an increase in

reputation within the service area. This leads to a change

in perception about public transit which can help improve

ridership, revenue, and open the door for expanded service.

Riders 83.78%

Local government 62.16%

Developers 21.62%

Transit agency board 86.49%

Voters 5.41%

State DOT 10.81%

Area schools/colleges 37.84%

Area businesses 21.62%

Outside consultants 24.32%

No one 5.41%

Other 13.51%

On-board announcements 29.17%

Wi-Fi 25%

LCD monitors 4.17%

LED signs 4.17%

APCs 4.17%

Infotainment 16.67%

Stop request button 4.17%

Other 20.83%

Rider feedback 12.5%

Compliance to ordinance 12.5%

Operational effi ciency 12.5%

Incident/legal proceedings 4.17%

Desire to improve ridership 45.83%

Question #49:Who supplied the technology upgrade?

Our take:Your current vendor should be the fi rst solution you look to in

order to upgrade your vehicle technology. So long as they

have the feature developed, the process should be the most

streamlined effi cient integration option.

AGENCY SURVEY 2018

Current vendor 54.17%

New vendor integrating with existing system 25%

New vendor with standalone solution 12.5%

Homegrown solution 8.33%

I N T E L L I G E N T T R A N S I T S Y S T E M S

The complete turnkey system

So what do you do when you fl ip the switch and your new transit system goes live? ETA

provides a turnkey solution that does more than introduce a new technology to your transit

agency—we provide on-going, comprehensive systems support.

Does your current ITS solution provide...

On-going training to improve staff comprehension and get new hires up-to-speed?

Trend analysis to help maximize system and organizational performance?

Proactive system monitoring and alert you to potential issues?

Online reference and support materials to help train, educate, and troubleshoot problems?

A dedicated customer experience advocate to help guide, mentor, and work to fi nd

solutions for your system related concerns?

A live chat feature that puts you directly in touch with a support representative?

Go-to-market materials to help promote your services and generate excitement about

your new ITS system and its benefi ts?

A single point-of-contact to assist you when issues arise?

There’s a lot more to the successful implementation of a transit system than simply fl ipping

the switch on new technology. Come experience ETA’s defi nition of turnkey.

Going far beyond a ready-made solution, SPOT® delivers an ITS that benefi ts all aspects of your operations.

Climb on board with the value leader in complete transit systems.

What do you get with

ETA’s turnkey ITS?

Call (719) 453-0250 or visit www.etatransit.com for more information.

24/7/365 technical support

System trend analysis

Dedicated customer

experience advocate

Proactive system monitoring

Marketing support materials

Online helpdesk with

knowledge base and instant

messaging

Ongoing consulting

Custom report integration

MAP MESSAGESROUTES

GET YOUR BUS ROUTES ON THE GO!

ON YOUR COMPUTER OR MOBILE DEVICE

nccupublic.etaspot.net

From your computer or smart device bookmark:

View & plan routesSystem alerts

Real-time status updatesArea attractions100% free

DOWNLOAD OUR MOBILE APP

QUESTIONS? CALL (919) 485-7574

www.etatransit.com

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dotted green dotted line. Please specify each as Consult your corporate standards guide or your marketing agency to determine the If color builds are not available, ETA will attempt to match the color as closely as Smart device apps:

For rider convenience, ETA provides a SPOT smart device app. The customization option for this

app is limited to only

Best practices:

format Consult your corporate standards guide or your marketing agency to determine the best way to maintain brand integrity—horizontal or vertical logos will not present as well in the available space, so look to a square layout to maximize visual impact o If color builds are not available, ETA will attempt

to match the color as closely as possible—in this event, please provide your logo with a transparent background in a PNG format.

230 pixels X 65 pixels

www.etatransit com

Consult your corporate standards guid

If color builds are not available, ETA w

SSSmSmmmamarart device apps: For rider convenience, ETA provides a SPOT smart dapp is limited to only

BBBeBestst practices:

format Consult your corporate standards guide omarketing agency to determine the best wmaintain brand integrity——horizontal or vertlogos will not present as well in the availabspace, so look to a square layout to maximvisual impact o If color builds are not available, ETA will atteto match the color as closely as possible—ithis event, please provide your logo with a transparent background in a PNG format.

www.etatransit.com

The SPOT Mobile Data Terminal (in 7 easy steps)

STEP 1:

Verify that your MDT (tablet) is turned on.

STEP 2:

Press “System Status” (Fig. 1)

STEP 3:

Verify that the system is “Connected” (Fig. 2)

STEP 4:

Return to the menu screen by pressing the SPOT logo in the

top right corner of the MDT.

STEP 5:

Select your route. (Fig. 3)

STEP 6:

Confirm the route by selecting “Yes” or “No.” Once confirmed,

the current route will appear at the bottom of the

“Set Route” screen. (Fig. 4)

STEP 7:

Select “No Route” or “Off Duty” when any of the following occur:

You are done with your shift and headed back to the

bus yard

You are on a break.

Your bus has a maintenance issue and is no longer

capable of transporting riders.

Figure 1: System Status screen

Figure 2: GPS Connection screen

Figure 3: Route Selection screen

Figure 4: Route Confirmation screen

TRANSIT

For many of our customers, the investment in an intelligent transit system likely represents

the most critical and complex purchase they’ll ever make. The livelihood of the agency

and that of its riders are at stake. Choose the vendor who not only delivers the best

technology, but backs up their systems with fi erce after-sale support, ETA Transit.

Fanatical customer service.

Climb on board with the value leader in complete transit systems.

An exceptional experience at every turn.

Y O U R P A R T N E R I N T R A N S I T

All-encompassing project support Comprehensive project

timelines

Go-to-market support

Worry-free warranty

Dedicated analyst to

monitor your system

performance

Project status calls

Ticket logs

Comprehensive technical

knowledge base

Easy-to-follow on-line

video tutorials

Vibrant on-line community

Feature support

Research-level support

Quality assurance support

Call (719) 453-0250 or visit www.etatransit.com for your free demonstration.

Project implementation

Benefi t from detailed project management, training, and the

industry’s best warranty.

Promote your new ITS with branded mobile smartphone apps, posters,

and website integration.

Ensure reliable performance with dedicated system analysts and

24/7/365 on-line reporting.

Performance optimization

Go-to-market resources

Experience counts for a lot in the transit game, and we

provide customers with some of the most advanced, scalable

communications systems on the market. Our position as the

value leader is one we take very seriously and it drives our

commitment to delivering systems that grow with you over

time. Our open architecture solutions allow for expansion,

customization, and a lower cost of entry that packs more

features into the tighter budgets of small- to mid-sized agencies,

universities, and paratransit fl eets.

Our fl agship Spatial Positioning On Transit (SPOT®) system has

proven to be a reliable solution to the needs of transit operations

everywhere. This feature-rich set of tools simplifi es operations

and boosts the bottom line while increasing rider satisfaction and

optimizing overall effi ciency. SPOT® is a complete, integrated

nerve center that drives innovation, expansion, and reliability

while simplifying operations and ensuring long-term growth as

our customers’ needs change. It truly is a revolutionary approach

to managing the complex needs of a rapidly changing transit

industry. Combined with our fanatical approach to customer

service, it’s no wonder we’re the value leader in complete transit

systems.

About ETA Transit Systems

Schedule your free demo at etatransit.com

or learn more by calling (719) 453-0250.