RTD sees improvements in its customer and community survey ratings

Agency received year-over-year higher marks in many categories from its bus, rail and paratransit customers

For the fourth consecutive year, the Regional Transportation District (RTD)commissioned a comprehensive survey of customers and the community to better understand the agency’s strengths and identify opportunities for improvement. In August, customers were asked to complete the intercept survey and provide their feedback while riding RTD’s buses and trains, and the results were shared Oct. 7 during the RTD Board’s Performance Committee meeting. The agency also conducted its annual survey in June and July to gather feedback from individuals who use RTD’s paratransit services, as well as a separate survey to garner overall community feedback.

Customer Excellence Surveys – Bus and Rail

Customer feedback was obtained via intercept surveys across a sampling of individuals using all bus routes and rail lines throughout the agency’s service area. In total, survey respondents used either bus (75%) or rail services (74%) three or more days a week, with 56% of customers using RTD services to commute to and from work.

Findings indicate that 68% of bus customers and 63% of rail customers are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with RTD services, a decrease from 76% and 78%, respectively, in 2023. Notably, the survey period coincided with the end of the first phase of RTD’s Downtown Rail Reconstruction Projectand followed several months of light rail service delays and speed restrictions due to the agency’s preventive maintenance and state of good repair efforts.

Approximately half of bus customers and a majority of light rail and commuter rail customers reported being impacted by RTD’s maintenance efforts. In spite of the maintenance projects, RTD’s bus customers are 10% more satisfied and rail customers 2% more satisfied with transit services when compared to the national average. National averages were provided by RTD’s third-party survey consultant.

The surveys also provided RTD with Net Promoter Scores (NPS) for bus, rail, and paratransit customers and community members. NPS is an indication for how likely someone is to recommend the agency’s services to a friend or neighbor. Scores are measured on a scale of 0-10 and are calculated by subtracting detractors from promoters. RTD’s NPS scores for bus and rail increased slightly overall in 2024. Compared to 2023, RTD’s NPS score for bus increased by 6 points and increased 10 points for light rail services. Both scores remain above zero, meaning that RTD has more promoters in the community than detractors. RTD’s combined score of 13 is higher than the national average (-17) for transit services.

RTD customers also rated operators higher than the national average for safe vehicle operation, with 83% of bus customers giving high marks to the frontline employees. In total, 85% of light rail and commuter rail customers also indicated that the trains are safely operated. Nationally, 70% of bus and 75% of rail customers indicate that their vehicles are operated safely.

“These survey results continue to illustrate the tremendous value RTD delivers to the communities the agency serves,” General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson said. “And while I am also encouraged to see that RTD is leading the way across a myriad of factors compared to national averages, the agency has no intention to rest on its laurels as we collectively strive for continuous improvement in order to make lives better through connections.”

Other survey highlights include 87% of bus customers and 85% of rail customers indicating that the agency’s services provide value to the community, compared to 69% and 72%, respectively, for the national average. Customers who use RTD’s bus or rail services rated the frequency of routes being slightly more important overall when compared with feedback provided in the 2023 survey.

Customer Excellence Survey – Paratransit

RTD also conducted a customer survey between June 18 and July 19 for registered, eligible individuals who specifically use the agency’s paratransit services. Paratransit customers were contacted via text message, email and mail for survey distributions. Overall satisfaction for paratransit services improved from 2023, with 80% of respondents reporting they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with Access-a-Ride and the percentage of “dissatisfied” and “very dissatisfied” Access-a-Ride customers decreased to 5% in 2024, down from 13% in 2023. RTD’s NPS for paratransit services also increased 39 points, moving from 20 to 59. Almost half of paratransit customers use the ADA service for medical appointments.

Community Value Survey

In addition to gathering feedback via customer intercept surveys in August 2024, separate mail surveys solicited input from households across RTD’s service area. Community surveys were mailed to a random sample of USPS addresses throughout the eight-county district with feedback collected in June and July. Highlights from the community survey indicated 86% of respondents believe that RTD provides value to the region, up from 84% in 2023. RTD’s Community NPS also increased 22 points year over year.

Results Summaries

All surveys were conducted in English and Spanish, with language assistance available in an additional 20 languages, as well as assistance for customers who are blind or visually impaired. All surveys were administered to a target sample of the population to ensure they were statistically valid and representative of customers and the community.

A summary of the bus and rail customer survey results is available starting on page 61 of the Oct. 7 Board packet. A recording of the Oct. 7 Board committee presentation is available online. The paratransit and community value survey results are available starting on page 97 of the Sept. 9 Board packet, and a recording of the meeting is available online.