San Diego MTS unveils results of 2024 customer satisfaction survey

    May 1, 2025
    The survey revealed the agency continues to exceed public transportation industry benchmarks in several key areas of service, including on-time performance, customer satisfaction, community value and safety.
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    San Diego MTS
    San Diego MTS trolley.
    San Diego MTS trolley.

    Results from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) 2024 customer satisfaction survey shows the agency continues to exceed public transportation industry benchmarks in several key areas of service, including on-time performance, customer satisfaction, community value and safety. 

    The survey, conducted in November 2024 by ETC Institute, a professional market research firm that specializes in customer satisfaction surveys, gathered feedback from more than 3,700 riders across the San Diego MTS bus and trolley networks. According to the survey, 83 percent of bus riders and 82 percent of trolley riders are satisfied with the service MTS provides—above national averages for transit agencies (58 percent). 

    “Over the past few years, [San Diego] MTS has focused on making improvements to the customer experience for riders, addressing safety, security, cleanliness, service reliability and more,” said San Diego MTS CEO Sharon Cooney. “These results demonstrate that our efforts are working and that’s a testament to a committed team at [San Diego] MTS. Overall, we are pleased with the results. It shows that we are responding to what riders are telling us. We will use the data from this survey to continue to get better.” 

    Survey highlights 

    • High community value: 87 percent of bus riders and 85 percent of trolley riders believe San Diego MTS provides value to the community. 
    • Recommended service: When asked if riders would recommend San Diego MTS services to others, 58 percent of bus riders and 62 percent of trolley riders are highly likely to do so. The agency’s net promoter score (+44 for bus, +50 for trolley) is approximately +65 and +71 points, respectively, higher than the national average (-21). 
    • Reliable operations: 79 percent of trolley riders and 66 percent of bus riders agree that their vehicle usually runs on time compared to 48 percent throughout the U.S. 
    • Important economic connector: 61 percent of trolley riders and 73 percent of bus riders use San Diego MTS services to get to work or school. 
    • Safety on board: 71 percent of bus riders and 63 percent of trolley riders feel safe while on board, scoring higher than the national average (42 percent for bus and trolley). 
    • Positive trends: In addition to safety trends, riders were five times more likely to say their satisfaction has improved over the past year (31 percent bus, 33 percent trolley) than decreased (five percent bus, six percent trolley). 

    San Diego MTS says it will use this rider feedback to identify areas for improvement. The most impactful areas, based on rider priorities, include safety while waiting for transit, cleanliness of vehicles and stations and maintaining timely service. 

    “Each year, the ETC Institute surveys thousands of transit riders nationwide to establish performance benchmarks for public transit agencies, and [San Diego] MTS stands out as one of the best,” said ETC Institute CEO Chris Tatham. “In fact, in every category we measured, [San Diego] MTS scored higher than the national average, an achievement that is truly remarkable. [San Diego] MTS’ results are among the best I’ve seen in recent years.” 

    Through the first eight months of fiscal year 2025, the agency notes ridership is up approximately eight percent and on pace to surpass 80 million trips. 

    The full survey report is available on the San Diego MTS website.