Tool Development to Evaluate the Performance of Intermodal Connectivity (EPIC) to Improve Public Transportation – Phase 2B

An online tool is developed that allows transit agencies in California and across the U.S. to replicate a methodology for surveying transit riders about their levels of satisfaction and how important they find various attributes at transit stops and stations. The online application allows planners and analysts to download the survey, to receive guidelines for administering the survey at transit stops and platforms, and to enter and upload their collected survey data. The tool then provides an individualized analysis of the data so that transit agencies can evaluate station performance and identify the most effective improvements needed to improve their riders’ satisfaction. This research-based program is novel in providing an analysis of the relative importance of various improvements, using community-based input. The research methodology and its online interface are important in three ways: (1) The analysis is scalable; it can be performed on a single transit stop, or on multiple transit stops to evaluate performance at an aggregated, system-wide scale. (2) The analysis is intuitively clear and its policy implications are tractable. The model provides a graphical representation of users’ levels of importance juxtaposed on top of users’ satisfaction levels, and includes a number of attributes that are within the direct control of transit agencies. (3) The tool can assist transit agencies in evaluating which amenities and service qualities are of greatest importance to riders and most in need of improvement. The tool provides a clear indication of how best to invest increasingly scarce transit resources to improve customer satisfaction in attributes that matter most to transit customers.