AGENDA #5d
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Results of 2003 Chapel Hill Transit Rider Profile Survey
DATE: April 14, 2004
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Council a summary of information collected as part of the 2003 Chapel Hill Transit Rider Profile Survey.
BACKGROUND
In November 2003, Chapel Hill Transit in cooperation with the University of North Carolina, conducted a comprehensive survey of transit ridership and transit patrons. The purpose of this survey was to collect data on ridership patterns, including boarding and alighting data for each bus stop in the Chapel Hill Transit system. The boarding and alighting data will be used by Chapel Hill Transit to evaluate the performance of individual routes and determine whether specific segments of those routes should be modified due to low ridership.
The rider profile data will be used in several ways. The data will allow Chapel Hill Transit to compare the characteristic of transit users in 2003 to previous data collected in 1997 and evaluate any changes since that time. The comparison of the data between 2003 and 1997 will also be used to determine any changes in the rider profile with the initiation of fare free transit service. The data will also be used to determine whether there are significant differences in the rider profile among Chapel Hill routes or between weekday and weekend transit patrons.
The Survey also included the collection of data from a detailed questionnaire, completed by transit riders, intended to provide information on the characteristics of the riders on the Chapel Hill Transit system. This data will be used in the development of future services for Chapel Hill Transit.
SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
Our review of the 2003 Transit Survey has identified the following key findings:
DISCUSSION
The Town of Chapel Hill Fall 2003 On-Board Rider Profile Survey, Report of Findings (Attachment 1), includes a summary of data from transit patrons. The survey collected over 5,000 individual surveys, providing a reliable sample for the system as a whole, but also for each individual route. The survey also collected surveys from weekday and weekend transit routes. In addition to offering a standard set of questions in the questionnaire, we offered transit patrons the opportunity to answer an opened ended question, asking for their suggestions on how to improve service. We received over 2,000 written responses. Although it is difficult to summarize these answers, we have begun reviewing the responses.
The Report is divided into three general sections. The first section, pages 3-15, present the scope and objective of the project, the sampling plan, survey form and a summary. The second section, pages 17-44, includes a composite summary of 2003 results for each question, comparing the results (where possible) to data collected in 1997. The composite 2003 summary combines weekend and weekday data, while the 1997 data is weekday information. Section three, pages 46-72, provides a summary of the 2003 data, broken into weekday and weekend results and includes the 1997 data for a direct comparison between 1997 and 2003 weekday information. In addition to the data summary the Report includes Appendix A, which provides detailed transit route information.
SUMMARY OF KEY OBSERVATIONS
We have summarized below what we believe to be the most important findings from the 2003 Survey. We believe the survey has provided useful information about how Chapel Hill Transit patrons’ travel behavior and socio-economic profiles have changed since 1997 and has identified differences between users of weekday and weekend transit service.
Mode of Access to Transit (Page 46)
The survey results suggest that most transit riders 78.7% walked to transit in 2003, compared to 79.9% in 1997. More riders walked on weekends, 83.3% compared to weekday, 77.5%. The number of transit patrons using park and ride increased from 16.2% in 1997 to 20.0% in 2003.
Mode of Egress from Bus (Page 51)
Similar to the results from Mode of Access, the majority, 83.7%, of all transit users walked to their destinations once leaving the bus. During weekday period 83.4% reported walking, slightly higher than that reported in 1997, when 80.7% reported walking from the bus to their destination. Weekday transit riders in 2003 reported that they drove to their destinations, 13.1%, at a higher level than weekday riders in 1997, 12.1%, reflecting the impact of increased park and ride use.
Wait Time for Transit (Page 54)
During 2003 weekday periods 31.6% of transit users reported waiting less then 5 minutes for a bus compared to only 22.5% in 1997. In 2003 those transit patrons reporting waits of over 21 minutes fell to only 7.0% from 12.3% in 1997. This change in wait time is directly attributable to increased Chapel Hill Transit service, particularly during peak period. Weekend transit users generally waited longer for buses, reflecting less service and longer service frequency during the weekend period.
Destination Trip Purpose (Page 55)
The 2003 survey showed that during weekday periods 44.4% of transit users were going to the University of North Carolina, while 14.5% were going to work. The survey question does not allow us to differentiate between those going to school or working on the University campus. We believe that a majority of those indicating they were going to work were destined for the campus. The question does not allow for a meaningful comparison to the 1997 results.
The 2003 data provides information on differences in trip purpose between weekday and weekend transit riders. During weekend period 12.1% of transit riders had a shopping destination while 14.8% were going to eat a meal.
Time Passengers Will Ride Bus Today (Page 56)
The 2003 weekday survey showed that fewer transit users, 11.6%, took one trip on the transit system compared to 17.2% in 1997. Riders reporting two trips increased in 2003 to 71.2%, compared to 65.4% in 1997. Riders using the system 3 or more times remained relatively constant at 17.2% in 2003 compared to 17.4% in 1997. The incidence of patrons making one trip increased during the weekend period in 2003 compared to 1997 weekday, with 38.4% reporting one trip.
The survey results suggest that the 40% increase in transit ridership since the implementation of the fare free policy in January 2002 has been the result primarily of new riders to the system rather than the same riders making more trips. Although there was an increase in riders making two trips rather than one each day, the proportion of riders making 3 or more trips did not vary between 1997 and 2003.
Home City/Town (Page 57)
In 2003 approximately 56% of all transit riders, both weekday and weekend, reported that they were residents of Chapel Hill. During weekday periods 20% of riders reported living in Carrboro, 9% in Durham and 2% in Raleigh. For weekend periods a smaller percentage, 17%, reported their place of residence in Carrboro and 8% in Durham.
Transit Usage (Page 58)
The overall results for this question indicated that in 2003 69.9% of weekday transit riders used the bus 5 or more days a week, compared to 61.6% in 1997.
Reasons for Using Chapel Hill Transit (Page 59)
In 2003 “No convenient parking” was the most reported reason, 45.7%, for weekday riders to use Chapel Hill Transit, down slightly from 47.3% in 1997. Of the other reasons listed “bus is economical” experienced the largest change, with 10.9% of weekday transit patrons reporting that reason in 2003 compared to 5.6% in 1997.
The results from 2003 weekend riders indicate that “no car in the household”, 29.0%, was the single biggest reason they used transit, followed by “bus is convenient” 26.9%.
Motor Vehicle Availability (Page 60)
While the results for weekday riders were similar in 2003 and 1997, the weekend rider profile results indicate that 44.9% of transit patrons had no car available.
UNC Campus Affiliation and Transit Travel to Town Center (Page 67)
92% of weekday riders reported that they either worked or went to school on the University Campus. Of those riders, 23.2% reported that they made mid day trips using transit to the Town Center to eat or shop.
Campus Affiliation and Transit Travel to Town Center (Page 68)
Related to the question above, weekday transit riders working or going to school on the University Campus reported that during a typical week 40.6% made at least one mid day trip to the Town Center to shop or eat, while 23.1% made two trips, 31.7% made three to five trips and 4.6% reported making 6 or more trips. The average number of mid day trips per rider was 2.48 per week.
Income (Page 70)
The 2003 survey showed that the overall income reported by Chapel Hill Transit weekday riders has generally increased, with those reporting annual incomes over $75,000 jumping from 8.5% in 1997 to 17.9% in 2003. The survey results also showed that among weekend riders the highest concentrations were among the lowest income groups with 28.8% reporting incomes of $15,000 or less, and the highest income, with 29% reporting incomes over $75,000.
Ridership Prior to January, 2002 (Page 71)
The 2003 survey included two questions intended to determine whether the fare free transit policy and associated service improvements, implemented in January, 2002 has attracted new riders to the system. Of all riders surveyed, 56% of weekday riders reported living in the Chapel Hill area or attending the University prior to 2002. Of those riders who did live in the area or go to school at the University only 60.3% used Chapel Hill Transit prior to January, 2002.
The results of this question suggest that the implementation of fare free service and related service improvements in January, 2002 has attracted new riders to the system. The responses also indicate that there is significant turnover in transit riders, requiring an ongoing information and marketing effort to familiarize new residents and students with the Chapel Hill Transit system.
Satisfaction with Chapel Hill Transit (Page 72)
Transit patrons were asked to rank specific aspects of Chapel Hill Transit services on a five point scale. The overall rating for Chapel Hill Transit was very favorable. High marks were given to the system for safety, cleanliness and convenience. The lowest ratings were given for availability of seating and frequency of service.
We believe these results reflect the challenges Chapel Hill Transit faces in continuing to provide adequate service in light of significant increases in passenger demand over the last two years. At this point Chapel Hill Transit has limited ability to expand peak hour service due to vehicle availability and budgetary constraints. While the service that is provided is considered safe and convenient by the riders, they also desire increased service frequency and expanded capacity on buses.
CONCLUSION
Chapel Hill Transit will use the results of the 2003 survey to assess the adequacy of existing transit services in consultation with the Town of Carrboro and University of North Carolina. The data will be used to refine service where possible and identify new markets for public transit services.
ATTACHMENT