SEMCOG Releases On-Board Transit Survey Preliminary Findings
SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, releases of its 2010 On-Board Transit Survey Preliminary Findings report – a first look at data collected from SEMCOG's extensive survey of transit riders and service.
Transit ridership is a key measure of creating a successful region. Providing reliable, quality infrastructure is key to improving transit ridership. SEMCOG invested in this survey with the goal of understanding current trends as a means of improving transit ridership.
Key preliminary findings
- Over 222,000 boardings occur on the region's bus systems every day.
- About half of transit usage occurs on 10% of the system.
- 14,000 active bus stops were surveyed; 800 of them (6%) served 50% of daily regional ridership.
- The vast majority of transit trips (85%) either begin or end at home.
- 54% of the trips were work/university related.
- 84% of respondents walked to/from the bus stop; 75% of transit riders were frequent riders (3-7 days per week).
- 52% of riders reported no transfer to complete their trips; 36% made one transfer.
- Young people use transit. More than one-third of the riders were between ages 18-25.
- 90% of the riders did not get any fare subsidy.
- 20% of riders are unemployed.
- 46% of riders did not have a valid driver's license; nearly 52% did not have access to any vehicle.
- 86% of riders were from households with annual income less than $50,000; 40% were from households with less than $10,000 income.
The results summarized in the report are meant to inform policy decisions and allocation of resources. Results reinforce the need for transit in the region and provide further evidence supporting Governor Snyder's commitment to transit.
The following systems were surveyed: Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA), University of Michigan Transit Service (UM), Detroit People Mover (DPM), Blue Water Area Transit (BWAT) and Lake Erie Transit (LET). The survey questionnaires provide information about passenger demographics and trip details.
