Customer centricity is a rising trend in the transit industry, and it is here to stay. This may have to do with the fact that when effective tactics are employed, it can influence ridership for the better and provide an overall improved rider experience.
As leadership guru Stephen Covey, puts it, it means “beginning with the end in mind.” The public transportation business is for the public. It is vital to continuously improve the mobility of a community and expand access to all that life has to offer. To do that, public transit agencies must make decisions as services are created and recreated based on customer needs.
For example, when public bus routes were laid out in cities decades ago, the place where most people wanted to go was downtown – where the jobs and entertainment options were. Over the past few decades, as urban and suburban sprawl has become more prevalent, many jobs and entertainment options have moved out of the central business districts of most cities. This caused the destination needs of many riders to change. Yet, cities have been reluctant to change their bus routes, wholesale, to meet these changing customer needs and habits.
This delay became a major issue for agencies as other options hit the market that did meet customer demand. Options such as Uber, Lyft, microtransit, and more caused ridership to decline across most bus services for the first half of the last decade. Many people even began to question the relevance of public transportation buses to today's rider.
Houston Metro CEO, Tom Lambert, who has a law enforcement background, figured out that riders in his community did not want to go downtown anymore; they wanted, and needed, public transit to expand beyond it to other areas of the city. This resulted in a full reroute of the Houston Metro bus network. The work and cost of doing so paid off. Lambert saw his ridership increase.
Not long after, it became a national trend and agencies began to consciously make decisions with rider demand and the customer experience in mind. Most cities who are seeing an increase in ridership are all putting the customer's needs first by:
These are key to increasing ridership, and they all start by ensuring the customer and their experience is at the center of all service planning and implementation.
Another popular strategy that contributes to an overall positive rider experience, is allowing riders to use their smartphones to plan and pay for trips. This involves changing the primary role of transit agencies from mobility providers (bus, light rail, subway) to mobility aggregators (to include taxis, TNCs, e-rental cars, bikes, scooters, and other private micro-mobility providers) in a new mobility paradigm called mobility-as-a-service. All these mobility options will then be provided on a smartphone app, and customers can select which option or combination of options they want to use to get to their destination. A mobility-as-a-service app can provide trip planning options to make the trip faster or less costly, and the customer can pay for them all with one click on the phone.
Many cities are trying this approach, like Dallas, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, with the next step being potential subscriptions where, for one monthly fee, you can have unlimited transit and capped amount of other mobility services – which will free riders from the need for a personal automobile.
These options are gaining popularity as they are customer-focused. They are the key to your success in an increasingly connected and personalized world. So, why should not you make customer centricity the cornerstone of all you build?
In that light, we asked a few of transit's top leaders their thoughts on customer centricity and the rider experience. Specifically, what is their strategy to improve the passenger experience in 2020? Here is what they had to say.
“For Metrolinx, we have two CSAT (customer satisfaction) campaigns, one for the GO bus and rail services and one for PRESTO, our fare management system. We have set up LEAN-based continuous improvement control rooms and teams to focus on any and every small, but impactful change that will improve the customer experience. On PRESTO, we plan to trial “open transactions” next year, that is, to transact with your credit or debit card - including on mobile.”
“Delaware Transit Corporation's major focus of 2020 will be enhancing the customer experience for its DART bus riders by using technology and keeping a focus on the basics.
Technology plays a major role in improving how our customers interact with DART. The free DART Transit app allows customers to plan their trip, get real-time bus information, track their bus along its route, and purchase and pay bus fares from their phone. Wi-Fi is being added to the entire bus fleet, and new buses are being purchased to include USB charging ports and the latest Q-Straint Quantum wheelchair securement system.
We realize that technology enhancements alone do not provide a great customer experience. We will continue to focus on the basics of providing a safe, convenient, and reliable transportation service through improved on-time performance, added frequencies, and expanded hours on core routes. We're also improving bus stops and adding amenities, including a brand new, 10-bay transit center in our largest city that will allow customers to make quick, convenient transfers, purchase bus passes, while providing shelter from the elements. We will also be evaluating our customer touchpoints.
Through the “Heart of DART” initiative, we continue to focus on our employees, our biggest asset, with training, recognition, and fostering a positive work environment. This, combined with delivering excellent customer service, can increase ridership.
Our promise to our customers: The people who work at DART are truly the “Heart of DART” and are dedicated to delivering an exceptional customer experience every day, in every way to the communities we serve.”
“ETS is on the cusp of major modernization. With City Council approval, ETS will be rolling out an entirely new bus network on August 30, 2020 (the last bus network redesign in Edmonton occurred in 1997 when the city's population was much smaller). New routes in 2020 will be more direct, more frequent, and more convenient, with better weekend and evening service.
We're also continuing to implement further safety and security enhancements for customers and staff. Work is also underway to further explore the customer experience to better understand barriers, perceptions, and successes of transit. In short, 2020 will be a pivotal year for ETS to reset its foundation as Edmonton prepares to grow to 2 million people by 2050.”
“Las Vegas welcomes more than 43 million visitors annually and is home to 2.1 million residents. So, at the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, we realize the importance of the passenger experience. In 2020, we will continue to deploy a mix of traditional and innovative strategies to enhance our passenger experience.
We know that by actively engaging with both our current and potential riders, we can better understand and more effectively address suggestions and concerns to improve the passenger experience. In addition to our dedicated customer service staff and transit ambassadors, we implement onboard Wi-Fi surveys to provide real-time feedback regarding a passenger's ride. This allows us to address specific issues quickly to improve the passenger experience on a daily basis. In addition, we conduct comprehensive bi-annual customer surveys to provide in-depth insight into the overall transit experience.
Customer feedback has been incredibly valuable in helping us plan significant system-wide improvements, such as how best to leverage technology to improve the passenger experience. For example, in 2020, we will continue to enhance our rideRTC mobile trip planning and ticket payment app to include an open payment system for seamless connectivity with multiple transportation options and applications such as Uber and Transit App. We will also debut live notifications sent via email, text, and the rideRTC app that provide real-time updates on transit delays, detours, and special services so customers can better plan their ride.
Improving the rider experience requires a collaborative partnership with our passengers. They are the reason why we operate, so their feedback is the foundation of our short- and long-term plans for future improvements.”
“Fundamentally, our product strategy is rooted in driving an elevated rider experience. Our work starts with a deep collaboration with our customers. We work hard to understand the challenges of your riders and create a culture of continuous learning. This is a foundational product principle at Trapeze that allows us to consistently create new value for you and your riders. Developing co-innovation partnerships represents a huge opportunity as we can leverage our combined strengths to produce something meaningful for all riders.
In 2020, we are focused on delivering new tools that will make transit easier to use, safer, and even more accessible. A few examples of these tools include industry-leading real-time predictions, streamlined yard management processes to improve OTP, personalized rider relationship management capabilities, and multi-modal mobility planning solutions.”
A crucial component of any strategy targeted at increasing ridership is customer centricity. If your agency is facing a declining number of riders or dwindling customer satisfaction scores, start putting yourself in the shoes of your riders. By putting the customer first, you are taking a significant step to improving the rider experience.
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