ON-BOARD SURVEY

AN EVALUATIVE SURVEY METHODOLOGY

FOR LOCAL PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES

June 1996

Prepared by Pacific/West Communications, Inc.

For Caltrans

BACKGROUND

As local transportation and transit organizations develop and execute programs to promote their services and alternative modes of travel, it is important to understand whether these programs are successful or not. Understanding the effect of a program enables transportation marketers to improve their next efforts.

While the best measure of the success of a promotion is an increase in usage of the service or mode being promoted, ridership figures alone can not tell marketers:.

Who are the new riders -- what are their demographics, what were they using before they tried my service?

What motivated the new riders to try this service the first time?

How likely are they to use this service again in the future?

What do they like most/least about this service?

Does the service meet, exceed, or fall short of their expectations?

Therefore, in order to fully evaluate the effect of a promotion and gain relevant information on how to improve the promotion and the service, it is often beneficial to conduct an on-board survey among users of the service being promoted.

Pacific/West Communications, Inc. has developed a survey methodology for conducting an On-Board Survey that is designed to provide a profile of the new rider, as well as what promotional messages and methods were motivating. On-Board Survey results should be evaluated in conjunction with data about mode/service usage to provide a more comprehensive base of evaluative information.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The objective of the On-Board Survey is to measure:

Recency of service usage

Reasons for using the service

Likelihood to use the service again

Likes and dislikes about the service

Service delivery vs. customer expectations

Awareness of promotional activities,

Demographics.

METHODOLOGY

The On-Board Survey is designed to be a self-completed questionnaire that is filled out by riders while on board.

There are two basic ways to administer the On-Board Survey:

By Drivers

Drivers hand out questionnaires and pencils to riders as they board and then collect the completed surveys as they leave.

By Survey Proctors

A survey proctor hands out and collects questionnaires from riders. A survey proctor is necessary for light rail and train surveys. Using a proctor is also advantageous when collecting data on board buses and shuttles. The survey proctor is available to answer any questions a rider may have about how to complete the survey, which produces more accurate and complete information. A survey proctor can also be more diligent in collecting completed surveys, resulting in a higher co-operation rate and thus more representative data.

While sample size depends somewhat on ridership, a minimum of 500 completed questionnaires is recommended. When collecting data, the following factors should be kept in mind:

Route

Surveys should be collected from all routes that are to be evaluated. Questionnaires should be marked in advance with the route number so that results can be looked at separately if necessary. Do not rely on passengers to mark a route number; they may not know it.

Day of week

Ideally, surveys should be collected from all days of the week to provide a representative sample of riders. However, for commuter-oriented modes, routes and times, where repeat ridership is usually high, it may be necessary to sample only one or two days of the week. Care should be taken to insure no respondents fills out more than one survey.

Time of day

Ideally, surveys should be collected during all scheduled runs in the proportions they represent of ridership to insure a representative sample of riders. However, if only peak hour commuters are targeted by the promotion, interviewing only during targeted hours is acceptable.

Using a professional research company to tabulate the results of the survey is highly recommended. Before printing surveys, a vendor should be chosen so that they can computer code the survey responses and offer advice on questionnaire design, if needed.

METHODOLOGY (continued)

The recommended usage of the On-Board Survey as an evaluative measure is as a "pre/post" tracking study. In other words, the same study should be conducted at two separate times: once before the promotion begins and a second time at the close of the promotion. Results from the two studies can then be compared side by side to determine whether the promotion produced any immediate changes in behavior and/or awareness.

However, the On-Board Survey is also useful if conducted one time at the close of a promotion. Interviewing at the close of the promotion should be done as soon after the last effort as possible. Any potential promotional effects are most likely to be measured if interviewing can begin the day after the last media exposure. Delays in interviewing are likely to result in declining awareness of the promotion and/or the services being promoted.

QUESTIONNAIRE

A sample questionnaire is appended to this document. This questionnaire can be altered to reflect the information needs of the specific promotion, the mode being measured, and the target audience for the promotion.

APPENDIX

DATE _________________ ROUTE ____________

On-Board Survey

[TRANSPORTATION PROVIDER] is committed to providing you the best possible service. We care about our riders and we want your trips with us to be as enjoyable as possible.

As our customers, you are our most important source of information about how we're doing. Please take a few moments to complete this questionnaire during your trip today. Thank you very much!

1. About how many times have you used [SERVICE]?
[ ]This is my first time
[ ]2 - 5 times
[ ]6 - 10 times
[ ]11 - 15 times
[ ]16 - 20 times
[ ]More than 20 times

2. How long ago was the first time you used it?
[ ]Within the past week
[ ]1 week to less than 2 weeks ago
[ ]2 weeks to less than a month ago
[ ]A month to less than 2 months ago
[ ]2 months to less than 3 months ago
[ ]3 months ago or longer

3. Why did you first decide to try [SERVICE]?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On-Board Survey

4. Please check whether you have heard, seen or read about [SERVICE] through any of the following sources (check as many as apply):
[ ]Friend or co-worker
[ ]Saw the [SERVICE]
[ ]Newspaper advertisements
[ ]Newspaper articles
[ ]Radio advertisements
[ ]Radio reports/stories
[ ]TV advertisements
[ ]TV reports/stories
[ ]Billboards/outdoor advertising
[ ]Employer
[ ]Hotel / Motel / Resort
[ ]Brochures/flyers
[ ]Mail to my home
[ ]Other (write-in) ___________

5. Check as many of the items below that describe why you are riding [SERVICE] today.
[ ]Work/business reasons
[ ]School
[ ]Pleasure/fun/leisure purposes
[ ]Medical
[ ]Shopping
[ ]Other (write in) ________________________

6. Check as many of the items below that explain why you chose to use [SERVICE] today instead of some other form of transportation.
[ ]Do not own a car / have a car available
[ ]Avoid difficult parking at my destination
[ ]Avoid expense of parking at my destination
[ ]Not familiar with the area
[ ]Do not enjoy driving
[ ]Fun way to get around
[ ]Don't have to deal with traffic
[ ]Less expensive than using a car
[ ]Other (write in) _______________________

On-Board Survey

7. Before using [SERVICE], what form of transportation would you have been most likely to use to make a trip like today's?
[ ]My car / family car
[ ]Rental car
[ ]Borrow a car / get a ride
[ ]Bus
[ ]Trolley
[ ]Taxi
[ ]Walk
[ ]School bus
[ ]Bicycle
[ ]Motorcycle / motorbike
[ ]Other (write in) _______________________

7. Have you used any coupons to ride [SERVICE]?
[ ]Yes
[ ]No

8. How would you rate this service?
[ ]Excellent
[ ]Very Good
[ ]Good
[ ]Fair
[ ]Poor

9. Which of the following best describes how this service compares to what you expected before using it.
[ ]Much better than I expected
[ ]A little better than I expected
[ ]About what I expected
[ ]A little worse than I expected
[ ]Much worse than I expected

On-Board Survey

10. How likely are you to ride [SERVICE] again?
[ ]Very likely
[ ]Somewhat likely
[ ]I might or might not
[ ]Not very likely
[ ]Not at all likely

11. What do you like most about [SERVICE]?

_______________________________________________________________________

12. What do you like least about [SERVICE]?

________________________________________________________________________

13. Are you a resident of this area or are you a visitor?
[ ]Resident
[ ]Visitor

Your answers to the following questions will be used for statistical purposes and will only be used in combination with other responses. None of your answers will be attributed to you personally.

14. Are you . . .
[ ]Male
[ ]Female

On-Board Survey

15. What will be your age on your next birthday
[ ]Under 16
[ ]16 - 20
[ ]21 - 24
[ ]25 - 34
[ ]35 - 44
[ ]45 - 54
[ ]55 - 64
[ ]65 or older

16. Check the last grade of formal education that you completed:
[ ]Less than high school graduate
[ ]High school graduate
[ ]Some college/trade school/technical school
[ ]College graduate
[ ]Post-graduate work or degree

17. Check your marital status
[ ]Married
[ ]Single (never married)
[ ]Divorced/widowed/separated
[ ]Other (write in) ___________

18. Including yourself, how many people live in your household?
[ ]1
[ ]2
[ ]3
[ ]4
[ ]5 or more

19. Are there any children age 18 or younger currently living your household?
[ ]Yes
[ ]No

On-Board Survey

20. Do you consider yourself . . .
[ ]Caucasian
[ ]Latino/Hispanic
[ ]African American
[ ]Asian
[ ]Native American
[ ]Other (write in) _____________

21. What is your approximate total annual family income?
[ ]Less than $15,000
[ ]$15,000 to $24,999
[ ]$25,000 to $34,999
[ ]$35,000 to $49,999
[ ]$50,000 to $74,999
[ ]$75,000 or more