The Metropolitan Transportation Authority this week released results of its annual customer satisfaction surveys, showing a continued gradual increase in travelers’ satisfaction with the city subway system – a trend underway since 2010, when the MTA began for the first time tracking satisfaction for all MTA services using the same rating scale.
The surveys showed that overall satisfaction with New York City Buses, the Long Island Rail Road, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels remains essentially unchanged in comparison to recent years, while satisfaction with Metro-North declined in the wake of a year marked by a series of challenges. Corrective actions are already underway to prevent disruptions and accidents such as those that occurred on Metro-North in 2013, to restore long-term reliability to schedules, and, ultimately, to regain the confidence of its customers.
New York City Subway
Overall satisfaction with the subway has increased every year since 2010. Specific categories, such as station cleanliness, clarity of announcements, and information on unscheduled delays, all reported significant increases in customer satisfaction.
The surveys found that more customers are riding in both rush and non-rush hours. In general, subway ridership increased 1.8 percent during average weekdays and 3.2 percent during average weekends. This data was collected during the 12 months ending in May of 2014.
New York City Buses
The number of travelers who reported being satisfied with “knowing how far away the next bus is” has increased significantly, in tandem with the spread of the MTA Bus Time real-time bus tracking system.
Long Island Rail Road
Surveys showed increased satisfaction with digital and real-time communications via the LIRR’s new Train Time app, along with its social media offerings. In addition, satisfaction with the security of customers’ parked cars at their home station achieved a record high of 80 percent.
Metro-North Railroad
The overall satisfaction with Metro-North decline 20 points from last year, though MTA management says they expected such a decline after the fatal derailment of 2013 and impacts to schedules and time performance. Restroom cleanliness satisfaction is up, as is the rating on the railroad’s Quiet Car Program.
MTA Bridge and Tunnels
Consistent with previous years, travelers were most satisfied with E-ZPass performance, appearance and cleanliness, lighting, and safety and security. Overall, satisfaction among motorists who use the MTA’s seven bridges and two tunnels remained stable.
To arrive at the preceding results, agency-specific surveys were completed by more than 30,000 customers in May and June. On board the LIRR and Metro-North trains, at toll plaza cash lanes, paper surveys were distributed, while subway and bus customers were reached via random telephone surveys. E-ZPass customers were randomly selected and solicited via both mail and email.
By Eugénie Bisulco
