AGENDA ITEM 10-A
INFORMATION ITEM
TO:
CHAIRMAN BULOVA AND THE VRE OPERATIONS BOARD
FROM:
DALE ZEHNER
DATE:
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
RE:
REVIEW OF CUSTOMER OPINION SURVEY FROM MAY 2011
VRE conducted its annual customer service survey on board all VRE trains
during the morning of May 11, 2011. The survey provides riders an opportunity
to evaluate VRE operations and performance as a system. Approximately 5,600
passengers completed the survey, which is about the same number as last year.
When comparing results to the previous year’s survey, VRE scored higher in
several categories including ticket checking, quality of website, and most
importantly, on-time performance. The biggest improvement was seen in the
reliability of the ticket vending machines, scoring six percentage points higher
than in 2010. Given the age of the machines, this is an impressive improvement.
Despite these positive results, about half of the graded categories received
scores lower than last year. While on-time performance is the most important
concern of the riders, seat availability is next. At the time of the survey, more
than half of trains (18) were regularly over 90% capacity. With the majority of
those trains (11) over 100% capacity, these crowded conditions were likely to
have caused riders to score as they did. While cars have been added to certain
trains and the Amtrak step-up ticket cost reduced by half, work continues to
make improvements to this area in particular.
Crew scores were also not as high as expected given the positive anecdotal
feedback we have been receiving from our passengers. The overall crew
performance dropped two percentage points from last year, when Amtrak was
operating the service. Given that the crews had not yet been on the job for a
year, we suspect that their developing skills, such as making station and delay
announcements, caused them to rank lower than the previous, more seasoned
operators. We are optimistic that next year’s results will be better.
One of the highlights of the results is that our riders find the level of fares as
compared to quality and service has improved. In fact, this category improved by
5%, the best improvement year-to-year since the survey started. In addition,
overall service quality was rated 78% percent, the highest since 2003. While
specific components of our system were identified for improvement, only 9% of
respondents felt that service declined from last year.
The survey results are illustrated in the attached summary. Full results will be
made available on the VRE Website as downloadable Microsoft Word or PDF
files following the Operations Board meeting.
2
2011
Passenger
2008 Passenger Results
Survey Results
Survey
Rider Demographics
Age
Under 18
18-25
0%
2%
13%
25-34
23%
35-44
36%
45-54
23%
55-64
65 and Over
Gender
61% Male
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
39% Female
40%
Years Riding
Sector of Employment
66% Government
5% Military
22% Private
3% Association
1% Self Employed
3% Other
Household
Income
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
<$25K
$25K$49K
$50K$74K
$75K$99K
$100K$124K
$125K$149K
$150K$174K
>$175K
Has Service Improved?
Top Concerns About Service
 


 


 


On-Time Performance - 40%
Lack of Seats - 18%
Cost - 12%

Top 3 Reasons
for Switching to VRE
1. Traffic
2. New Job
3. New Home
Riders Traveling On
Monthly Tickets - 72%
Ten-Trip Tickets - 21%
Five-Day Passes - 2%
Transit Link Cards - 2%
Did You Know?

35% of riders think that more seats should be VRE’s top priority over the next year,
compared with 27% who think it should be more frequent service.
90% of riders would not use Wi-Fi on the train if they had to pay for it.
74% of riders have a Smart Phone.
Roughly 1/4 of riders are proficient in another language (in addition to English)
30% of riders own more than two cars

VRE Report Card
% of riders who rated us with an A or B
Customer Service:
Responsiveness of VRE Staff
Friendliness of VRE Staff
VRE Follow-Up to Delays or Problems
Lost and Found
Usefulness of Rail Time
Timeliness of E-mail Responses
Quality of E-mail Responses
Quality of Website
Timeliness of Website Information
Timeliness of Train Talk
Quality of Train Talk
Overall Communication with Passengers
2011
85%
83%
50%
68%
72%
51%
56%
74%
67%
65%
69%
67%
2010
85%
84%
51%
67%
70%
53%
60%
73%
67%
67%
69%
67%
Train Crew Members:
Are Knowledgeable About VRE Operations
Are Helpful
Are Courteous
Make Regular Station Announcements
Make Timely Delay Announcements
Check Tickets Regularly
Present A Professional Appearance
Overall Crew Performance
83%
84%
83%
75%
68%
78%
91%
85%
89%
88%
86%
80%
71%
73%
91%
87%
VRE Operations:
Convenience of Schedules
On-time Performance
Cleanliness of Trains
Cleanliness of Stations
Communication between VRE Staff & Riders
Automated Telephone System
Reliability of Ticket Vending Machines
Ease of Buying a Ticket
Ease of Using Metrocheks
Station Parking Availability
Public Address System On Train
Public Address System On Platform
Timeliness of Platform Information
Personal Security at Station & On Train
Safety of Train Equipment
Station Signage
Lighting at Morning Station
Lighting at Evening Station
Traffic Circulation
Level of Fare for Quality and Value of Service
Overall Service Quality
59%
62%
89%
83%
71%
59%
51%
70%
61%
56%
52%
45%
40%
63%
79%
67%
79%
79%
49%
63%
78%
61%
58%
87%
81%
72%
58%
45%
69%
66%
58%
56%
52%
45%
66%
79%
68%
79%
79%
52%
58%
77%