Community Transit Listens: 2013 Rider Survey

Starting Tuesday, Oct. 15, Community Transit will be administering a system-wide onboard rider survey on local and commuter buses. We conduct these surveys every three years to collect anonymous demographic information about our riders to meet federal requirements, and to learn how riders use our bus service.

Aside from demographic information, the survey asks about the trip you are currently taking. We want to know, in general terms, where you are coming and where you are going to, as well as how you got to your bus (walk, car, bike, etc) and how you will get to your destination after leaving the bus.

There are also a few questions asking your opinion about the service.

This is the first onboard survey we’ve done since our bus network restructuring in February 2012, so these answers will help us to figure out how rider habits may have changed, and how riders are using the system.

The survey takes about 3-4 minutes to complete. Surveyors will be on local buses (100s and 200s and Swift) Tuesday through Saturday handing out and collecting the surveys. These surveyors are temporary workers and will be wearing appropriate ID.

The survey will also be available on commuter routes to UW and downtown Seattle on Wednesday. On those buses, riders will fill out the surveys and place them in return folders near exit doors when completed. Riders can also take the survey home and send it via mail postage-paid. Riders are encouraged to take the survey each time they ride the bus.

Help us reach our goal of 10,000 completed surveys by the end of the week. Thanks for your participation!

We'd Like Your Answers to Four Questions About Service

Help us understand our service priorities by taking our short online survey!

Community Transit is not cutting service, but we will be adding service hours with some system fixes this fall. To best meet the needs of the communities we serve, we need to get in front of (and talk to) our customers—  this is where our outreach comes into play.

This summer, in addition to our traditional appearances at community events where we can talk one-on-one with folks, we are also taking advantage of online surveys and polls to engage with riders and non-riders alike. This combination of outreach tactics help to get feedback from a larger pool of the population who care about Community Transit and what we do.

On July 1, we started posting polls on the Community Transit Facebook page, keeping the questions light, but related to

riding the bus, such as “Would you ride the bus on holidays?” So far, our most active poll to date asked, “Which do you consider the worst bus behavior?

Last week, we posted a Service Priorities Survey on our website. We are asking the same questions to visitors who come by our booth at various community events this summer. Would you take a few minutes to share your input to help us understand priorities for service? Each person who completes the survey (including their name and email address) will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a $50 ORCA card.