Summary

The MTA and City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) implemented the Metro Rapid Bus Demonstration Program on June 24, 2000 in the Whittier-Wilshire and Ventura corridors.

On-board questionnaires were distributed to bus riders "before" Metro Rapid in early June 2000 and "after" in September 2000 (prior to the strike) to assess rider perceptions, behavior, and profiles. The surveys asked riders to evaluate various elements of service as well as overall satisfaction, with the ultimate purpose of determining changes in customer perceptions of bus service after the introduction of Metro Rapid. Specific questions focused on rider behavior, including trip origins and destinations and frequency of bus use. Questions also obtained information on the ability to recognize Metro Rapid and perceptions of service quality. Finally, demographic questions provided a basis to assess changes in the demographic profile of Metro Rapid and local riders compared to the previous ridership.

Major findings include:

• Ratings for Metro Rapid service are higher for all attributes compared to the prior limited-stop service ratings. These improvements are statistically significant for all service attributes. The overall rating of MTA service increased by 0.35, from 3.48 among previous limited riders to 3.83 among Metro Rapid riders. In particular, the differential between Metro Rapid and local service is much greater than the limited-stop service which was little distinguished from the local services.
• Ratings have increased on local bus service for most attributes, but many of the increases are not statistically significant.
• Ratings for Metro Rapid service are higher for all attributes compared to the "after" Local service ratings, and all differences are statistically significant. The largest differentials are for cleanliness, travel time on the bus, and frequency of buses.
• An analysis of customer ratings and importance of all service attributes clearly shows that Metro Rapid riders perceive a quantum leap in service performance and quality. Changes of this magnitude in performance ratings are rare, particularly over a relatively short time frame (90 days). MTA has essentially raised the bar significantly in terms of service quality for its riders through the Metro Rapid demonstration program.
• A large percentage of those originating from the Eastside, on Route 720 (Wilshire/Whittier), traveled through Downtown to the Westside on the morning trips. This supported findings in previous studies that suggested a relatively large east-to-west demand in the peak hours.
• A surprising number of riders are coming from neighborhoods that are usually seen as low transit ridership areas, especially south of Ventura Boulevard on Route 750.
• Some 24 percent of Line 750 Ventura riders connected to the Metro Red Line to complete their journey, indicating that the Metro Rapid is serving as an extension of the rail system in the San Fernando Valley.
• Metro Rapid service is drawing new, non-traditional riders. Most Metro Rapid passengers were existing transit users, but 20 percent either did not make this trip previously or used a non-transit mode (most likely the automobile). The majority of both Metro Rapid and local bus riders report Income levels below $15,000 annually. However, over 13 percent of Metro Rapid riders have incomes above $50,000 (twice as many when compared to local service). Metro Rapid also has a higher percentage of male riders compared to the locals and former limited lines. As well, over 50 percent of Metro Rapid riders report using transit in order to avoid traffic or because it is more convenient, significantly more than current local riders.
• Nearly 14 percent of Metro Rapid riders began using MTA services within the last three months. By comparison, only nine percent of local riders began using MTA services in this same time frame.
• Vehicle availability is surprisingly similar for Metro Rapid and local bus riders. Approximately one-quarter of riders in both groups are from households with at least two cars.

Metro Rapid Program

Before and After Passenger Surveys

Introduction

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) implemented the Metro Rapid Bus Demonstration Program on June 24, 2000. The purpose of Metro Rapid Bus is to address the need for faster travel choices for bus riders, especially the transit-dependent. The initial Demonstration Program encompassed the Whittier-Wilshire and Ventura corridors.

Evaluation of the various components of Metro Rapid is a critical part of the demonstration process. On-board questionnaires were distributed to bus riders "before" Metro Rapid in early June 2000 and "after" in September 2000 (prior to the strike) to assess rider perceptions, behavior, and profiles. The surveys asked riders to evaluate various elements of service as well as overall satisfaction, with the ultimate purpose of determining changes in customer perceptions of bus service after the introduction of Metro Rapid. Specific questions focused on rider behavior, including trip origins and destinations and frequency of bus use. Questions also obtained information on the ability to recognize Metro Rapid and perceptions of bus cleanliness. Finally, demographic questions provided a basis to assess changes in the demographic profile of Metro Rapid and local riders compared to today’s riders.

The sampling plan called for the collection of 400 completed "before" surveys on limited-stop routes and 400 completed surveys on local routes in the two Metro Rapid corridors by placing surveyors on randomly selected bus runs. In the "after" phase, 400 completed surveys were collected on Metro Rapid and 400 surveys on local routes in the two corridors. For both surveys, the sample was drawn primarily from morning bus runs of at least seven hours in length, to maximize surveyors’ time; a smaller sample of afternoon/evening runs was drawn to ensure that no bias was introduced by this method. This more intensive sampling allows comparisons between Metro Rapid and local service as well as before and after comparisons. The number of surveys was selected to ensure an accuracy of +5 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. On-Board Survey Results

The "before" survey was conducted in June 2000, immediately prior to the Metro Rapid implementation. The "after" survey was conducted in September 2000, after the service had been in operation for a few months. For the first survey on June 13th and 14th, surveyors handed out surveys to riders as they boarded the buses. Both limited and local bus routes along the corridors where Rapid would be implemented were surveyed, and a total of 288 limited and 871 local usable questionnaires were returned. Beginning on September 12th and continuing until September 14th, surveyors handed out surveys on both Rapid lines as well as the local routes that serve the same corridors as the Rapid. The number of usable questionnaires returned for the "after" survey was 719 on Metro Rapid, and 676 on local routes. Thus, a grand total of 2,554 surveys were received and tabulated for the two survey periods.

Origin-Destination

Riders were asked to give the nearest street intersection of their origins and destinations (the start of their trip, not where they boarded the bus).

• A large percentage of those originating from the Eastside, on Route 720 (Wilshire/Whittier), traveled through Downtown to the Westside on the morning trips. This supported findings in previous studies that suggested a relatively large east-to-west demand in the morning peak hours.
• A surprising number of riders are coming from neighborhoods that are usually seen as low transit ridership areas, especially south of Ventura Boulevard on Route 750.

Satisfaction With Service

Respondents were asked to rate their perception of MTA’s performance for various service attributes on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is "very poor" and 5 is "excellent." Attributes and results are presented in Tables 1 through 4 below. Differences in ratings for each attribute were tested for significance using a statistical procedure known as a T-test of independent samples. A single asterisk in the right-hand column indicates that there is a 95 percent probability that there is a statistically significant difference in the rating, while a double asterisk notes a 99 percent probability of a significant difference.

Comparisons Between Metro Rapid and Former Limited Service (Table 1)

• Ratings for Metro Rapid bus are higher for all elements of service compared to the prior Limited Bus ratings.
• The largest increase (0.89 on a five-point scale) from the "before" survey was for the attribute "cleanliness." This is an extraordinary improvement.
• "Frequency of buses" had the next highest increase at 0.61, with "value for fare paid" and "easy to identify the right bus" third with a 0.56 change.
• The overall rating of MTA service increased by 0.35, from 3.48 among previous limited riders to 3.83 among Metro Rapid riders.
• The improvements in ratings are statistically significant for all service attributes. "Routes go where I need to go" is the only element that is not significantly different at the p=.01 level.

Comparisons Between Local Service Before and After Metro Rapid (Table 2)

• Ratings have increased for all attributes except for "operator courtesy" which had a modest 0.04 decrease. This suggests a spillover effect from the positive impacts of Metro Rapid, since local service did not change appreciably.
• "Availability of seats" had the largest increase at 0.25. As passengers have flocked to Metro Rapid, there is additional capacity available on local routes.
• All the other attributes had relatively small increases, in line with the spillover hypothesis. Only "availability of seats" and "cleanliness" had statistically significant changes at the p=.01 level, while ratings for only three other attributes were statistically significant at the less stringent p=.05 level.