The first all-agency customer satisfaction and COVID-19 travel survey is now available for all Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) customers.
The survey, available online through Oct. 4, is used to gauge customer satisfaction by collecting feedback on the customers’ views of their experiences using the system. Initially developed for New York City Transit customers, the survey will expand its reach to include Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North) customers.
The scope of the survey covers a wide array of topics, ranging from wait times to station cleanliness, to safety concerns. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is available in nine languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Italian, Haitian Creole, Russian, Portuguese and Bangla. While the survey is an online experience, paratransit customers can also receive telephone assistance if needed. The significance of the survey has taken on a new meaning since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures that the MTA initiated last year were developed with input from survey results from both current and lapsed customers.
“The recent success of this survey shows that when our customers talk, we listen, and we take action,” said Sarah Meyer, MTA chief customer officer. “Past results have been used to focus on areas where customers had concerns, and recent ridership records prove that those concerns are being heard. That is why we are expanding the survey’s reach to include our commuter railroads, to ensure our customer experience across the board is as strong as possible.”
In addition to hearing from current customers, MTA staff use survey results to hear from lapsed customers, those who have not used the system recently. The survey provides valuable feedback that is used by the MTA to make improvements. For example, the safety measures undertaken by the MTA in 2020 were developed with input from survey results from both current and lapsed customers.
The survey itself is comprised of a series of questions to determine customer travel patterns post-COVID-19, reasons for using or leaving the system during COVID-19, wait times, the cleanliness of the system and other customer-centric experiences.
After the survey closes on Oct. 4, customers can sign up to receive an email when the next survey opens.