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We were recently part of a series of transit rider focus groups in Vancouver, Dallas and Toronto. The purpose of these focus groups was to improve access to information for riders, providing a better user experience of Traveler Information applications. While we did gain insight into how riders want to interact with transit agencies, and what information can improve the rider experience, what we did not expect was the amount of agency specific suggestions that came out of the sessions.
As public organizations, transit agencies in North America are often the subject of much criticism in the press and on social media. While these interactions can be good sources of information, the picture is often incomplete or skewed towards the negative end of the spectrum. Often these mediums don’t provide a balance between frustration and productive discourse.
Enter the focus group. A focus group is a great way to get a cross section of interested people together to discuss the majour issues affecting ridership and brainstorm solutions. What we stumbled upon while rethinking our applications can be applied intentionally to determine new and innovative ways to model your service or customer information programs.
During our whirlwind tours of Vancouver, Dallas and Toronto, we learned a great deal about how service is perceived by the riders in those cities. In most cases, issues with service frequency, accessibility and information about disruptions were shared by people across all represented demographic groups. What we also found was that riders are tolerant of disruptions, as long as they understand what is happening and are kept in the know.
This was a surprising finding. With all the complaints on social and traditional media channels, we thought that riders have become sensitive to a system that is running sub optimally. But instead, riders told the group that they understand that a transit system is complex and that disruptions are expected. What they wanted to know were these two key insights:
Beyond these broad findings, issues specific to each city's communication strategies, technologies or available modes of transportation were also raised. The findings gathered from these focus groups allowed both users, and transit agencies, to discuss topics with the end goal of making transit better. Because of this, we believe that agencies who take the time to organize periodic focus groups with their riders have an advantage, and are able to address the unique issues that agencies face with their ridership.
Considering hosting or participating in a focus group? Make sure to check back next week for part two of this blog series, "How to Lead a Focus Group that Drives Results."