A passenger usage survey conducted earlier this year is helping OKI better learn the needs of those who use public transportation.
“Our survey’s main goal was to gather updated travel behavior data to better understand today’s transit riders,” says Dr. Ting Zuo, Ph.D., survey project manager and OKI’s senior transportation analyst and programmer.
In spring 2024, OKI conducted a regional On-Board Origin Destination (OD) survey of all fixed transit routes in the OKI region. These routes involve designated stops and times when riders are picked up and dropped off.
An OD survey examines who uses the transit system (demographics); why they use it (choice riders and captive riders); and when, where, how, and why they use it (trip profile).
“’On-board’ means that our surveys were conducted while passengers were on a transit vehicle. All data was collected directly from riders during their journey, which was more accurate and reflective of actual travel behavior and preferences,” Zuo explains.
This type of survey is an “important strategic planning tool for transit and transportation agencies – including OKI,” says Zuo, adding that 5,583 interviews were collected, or about 10% of the total fixed-route ridership in the region.
The survey and its final report “provided an opportunity for direct engagement with transit riders, including those from Environmental Justice communities,” Zuo says. “And this engagement allows their voices heard in the regional transportation and transit planning.”
The data will be used to:
- Develop and update OKI’s Travel Demand Model
- Comply with FTA Title VI Requirements
- Provide transit operators with insight into their system utilization
Transit systems surveyed included the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority; Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky; Butler County Regional Transit Authority; Clermont Transportation Connection; and the Cincinnati Streetcar.
The transit survey’s final report and complete fact sheet can be found here.
— Jim Pickering
