1. Findings of the Petaluma Transit 2014 Onboard Survey
June 17, 2014
Survey was implemented in April 2014
422 respondents participated

2. Outline 1. Rider characteristics and usage patterns
2. Perceptions of service
3. Barriers to riding more
4. Catalysts to riding more
5. Preferred changes to service areas
6. Preferred changes to service schedules
7. Sources of PT information

3. 1. Rider characteristics and usage patterns
Respondents’ most common routes roughly match the distribution of actual riders in March Routes 2 and 11 are underrepresented by respondents, compared to actual ridership, while routes 1T and 3T/33T/33M are overrepresented.
This simply establishes that the respondents are roughly representative of the populations’ riding patterns.

4. Mean = 3.6, SD = 2.4, Median = 3 Crossing Highway 101
(LT) Slightly over half of respondents’ (50.4%) trips do not usually cross the freeway.
(RT) Youth riders (18 and under) generally do not cross the freeway, while older groups generally do. The difference by age is statistically significant (F5,346 = 17.3, p<0.000). The results are consistent with the 2010 and 2012 survey results.
Mean = 3.6, SD = 2.4, Median = 3
Crossing Highway 101

5. Primary language and primary routes
The decline in Spanish-taking respondents may be due to the recent increases in ridership being predominately native English speakers. (E.g., growth in student-age riders.)
There is a significant relationship between language and primary route (2(7)= 28.9, p<0.000). Spanish speakers are most prevalent on routes 1T (13%), 24 (19%), and 2 (17%), while they are least prevalent on routes 1 (0%) and 33 (0%). However, the overall low numbers of Spanish language respondents makes these results volatile. The 2012 results had the most Spanish speakers on routes 1 and 2, and the least on routes 1T and 3T.
8.1% of respondents took the Spanish survey. (Decline from prior years.)
Significant relationship between language and primary route.

6. Family incomes of riders
The income distribution is bimodal at low and high income ranges. The same general pattern was evident in However, in 2012, about 20% of respondents came from families with annual incomes of $50,000 or more. In 2014, that percentage rose to almost 30%.
Spanish speaking riders are more prevalent in the lower income categories.

7. Gender and age
Slightly more than half (51%) of respondents were women. In 2012, that majority was slightly more pronounced (55%).
A large majority of respondents are 18 or younger (60%) year olds dropped from about 21% in 2012 to 9% in 2014.

8. School attending
Nearly two thirds of respondents (63%) attend some school, with Casa Grande HS holding the plurality (26%), followed by Kenilworth JH (16%), SRJC (9%), Petaluma JH (5%), and Petaluma HS (4%).

9. 2. Perceptions of service
2014:
Mean=5.3, SD=1.6; Median=6; Mode=7
70.8% of respondents agreed that PT meets their transit needs.
2012:
Mean=5.4, SD=1.6; Median=6; Mode=7
76.6% of respondents agreed that PT meets their transit needs.
There is no significant correlation between crossing the freeway and satisfaction with Petaluma Transit. This is consistent with the 2012 findings, and an improvement over the 2010 findings when those not crossing the freeway were more dissatisfied than those crossing the freeway.

10. Satisfaction with PT by school attending
Of those riders who attend local schools, SRJC students are the most satisfied with PT, followed by other, Kenilworth JH, Petaluma JH, and Casa Grande HS. Only Petaluma HS students have a confidence interval reaching into the dissatisfied range.

11. Satisfaction with PT by age group
All ages of riders are significantly satisfied with PT, but older riders are generally more satisfied than younger riders.

12. Satisfaction with PT by gender
There is no significant difference in satisfaction with PT between men and women.

13. Perceptions of safety
2014:
Mean=6.0, SD=1.4; Median=6; Mode=7
85.6% of respondents agreed that PT is a safe experience.
2012:
Mean=5.8, SD=1.7; Median=7; Mode=7
86.6% of respondents agreed that PT is a safe experience.

14. The above graphs show the confidence intervals of the mean scores for perceptions of safety, by gender, language, and age.
Both men and women feel safe on PT, and there is no significant difference between their perceptions of safety.
As for language, while both English and Spanish language riders feel safe on PT, Spanish language riders feel significantly safer than English language riders.
All ages feel safe on PT, but younger riders (14 and under) feel less safe than year olds. Senior riders have the most variance in their perceptions of safety.

15. 3. Barriers to riding more
Questions 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14 compare barriers to riding more on PT. Three factors varied significantly from the neutral score of 4. Respondents disagreed that family permission (Q12) is a barrier (mean=3.5), which is consistent with the 2012 findings. They generally agreed that more bus stop seating (Q9 mean=4.8) and less expensive rides (Q10 mean-4.5) would increase their ridership.

16. 4. Catalysts to riding more
Questions 8, 13, and 15 measure riders’ awareness of PT resources available to them. For all of the resources, respondents’ awareness varied significantly from the neutral score of 4. Rider are generally aware of PT mobile site for schedules and maps (Q8 mean=5.1), and they are aware of how to get PT bus passes (Q15 mean=5.3). However, riders are generally not aware of the free travel training program (Q13 mean=3.3).

17. 5. Preferred changes to service areas
While riders want better service to both underserved areas (Q6 mean=5.0, SD=1.7) and the busiest routes (Q7 mean=5.5, SD=1.6), their stronger preference for improving the busiest routes is statistically significant.
Neither age nor school of attendance were significantly related to preferences for either underserved areas or busiest routes.

18. 6. Preferred changes to service schedules
A plurality of respondents identified later service as the single most preferred improvement on service schedule (39%). In 2012, the same option also received the strongest preference. More frequent service took second place (24%), followed by real time bus arrival information (18%), better weekend service (12%), and earlier service (7%).

19. Rankings of improvement options by age group
This graph illustrates the raw counts (not percentages) preferring each improvement option, so the volume under each improvement option indicates relative popularity, while the heights for each age group indicate the preferences of those groups.
For each age group except those 14 and under, later runs in the PM was the most preferred improvement. For the youngest group, their most preferred improvement was more frequent runs, followed closely by later runs and real time arrival information.
≤14
15-18
19-24
25-44
45-64
≥65
run later 2 1
run earlier 5 4
3 tie
4 tie
more frequent
2 tie
better weekend
real time arrival 3

20. Mean=4.3, SD=2.2; Median=4; Mode=7
Evening service
While respondents were across the scale on their willingness to pay more for later evening service, the mean score (4.3) is significantly higher than the neutral score of 4 (t390=2.4, p<0.019). In other words, the average respondent is willing to pay a little more for later evening service.
The right graph compares willingness to pay for later runs by age group. It clearly shows that the average adult is willing to pay for later service, while the average minor is not.
Mean=4.3, SD=2.2; Median=4; Mode=7

21. Evening service
The below graph (Q16) shows that preferences for later hours of potential service does not decline substantially at 11pm, but does take a dip at 10pm. This suggests that extensions of service should go to 9pm or 11pm for the largest marginal gains in ridership.
In summary, when thinking of improvements to the PT service schedule, riders most prefer later evening service, to at least 9pm, and adults are generally willing to pay a little more for that extended service.

22. 7. Sources of PT information
Similar to 2012, respondents in 2014 identified the PT website as the most popular source of information on PT (42%), followed by bus stop schedule holders (21%), telephone (19%), posters (18%), and mobile website (12%). The three newspaper sources (Argus Currier, La Voz, and student newspapers) received the lowest percentages.

23. PT information by age group
This graph illustrates the percentages of each age group that use each of the information sources. It clearly shows that the PT website (dark blue bars) is the most popular information source for each age group (tied with telephone for those 65 and older), used by a majority of those between 19 and 64. It is the only information source used by a majority of any age group.
Telephone use (green bars) ranges from 10% to 30%, most used by those 65 and older, followed by those 15 to 18.
The public newspapers (Argus Currier=tan bars, and La Voz=purple bars) were used by no more than 6% of any age group, and mostly by seniors. However, student newspapers (red bars) were used by 18% of year olds, and 12% of those 14 and under.
Poster displays (yellow bars) were used by 16% to 27% of all age groups.
Mobile website (pale blue bars) were used by 13% to 18% of those aged under 45, but only 10% of those 45 and over.
Bus stop schedules (grey bars) were used by 19% to 41% of each age group, being most popular with those between 25 and 44, and least popular with those 18 and under.