GO Transit riders aren’t particularly impressed by the reliability of the transit service, but they prefer it to driving.
In
its latest survey, GO scored higher in overall satisfaction than the
last time it checked in with customers, in 2004. On a one to 10 scale,
87 per cent of respondents rated GO’s transit service at 7 or higher,
up from 74 per cent in 2004.
Only 22 per cent of the 974
respondents scored sufficiently high to be considered “loyal”
customers. But only 3 per cent were considered at risk of giving up on
GO Transit as an option.
Bus riders were among the most
satisfied customers and train commuters, GO’s core market, were the
least, something the company attributes to reliability concerns and
overcrowding.
About 27 per cent listed reliability among the top
three items GO needs to improve – a slight increase from the 2004
survey, but up significantly from the 10 per cent that identified it as
an issue in 1999.
GO riders also want more frequent service, said Mary Proc, vice-president of customer service.
“When you’re providing something good, naturally people want more,” she said.
`They want more peak service, they want more off-peak service, more express service, more evening service.”
Riders
also wanted to see improvements in fares and passes, a common sentiment
in customer surveys, according to GO and its research consultants.
While
parking lots received low satisfaction ratings, they had relatively
less impact on overall customer loyalty, according to a report before
the board yesterday.
The survey, conducted in October by Market
Probe Canada for about $130,000, was only the third in GO’s history.
The agency now plans to do opinion polls annually.
The latest one
“tells me GO Transit has been touched by its own success – that in
terms of ridership it has continued to climb steadily over the last few
years and (this) has put a stress on services,” Proc said.
“We
have recently received a huge influx of capital funds … so we’re in
catch-up now to provide a better range of services,” she said.
GO will next survey riders on their expectations for station amenities and information services, Proc said.
GO ridership of 170,000 daily passengers is expected to double in coming years.
