Results from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYC Transit) February Pulse Survey show a continuing climb in overall customer satisfaction across the board for subways, buses and paratransit. The scope of the survey covers a vast number of topics ranging from service reliability to station cleanliness and personal security.
Improvements in customer satisfaction were recorded as the MTA experienced the third consecutive month where there was a larger percentage of customers who felt safer versus customers who felt less safe using the subway. Overall satisfaction with safety and security on trains increased by twp percentage points to 62 percent and one percentage point, to 62 percent, in stations.
The 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 lines all increased at least five percentage points, with the highest increase of 11 percentage points on the 5 line, regarding satisfaction with train safety and security since last month. Customer perceptions of the amount of uniformed police offers in the subway continues to increase, with 44 percent stating there are about the right amount, the highest number measured since this question was introduced in February 2022.
“We are well on our way of reaching – and in one case, even passed – our North Star goal in customer satisfaction, as introduced in the Faster, Cleaner, Safer Plan,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey. “We have introduced new Customer Service Centers, the ReNEWvation program which focuses on station cleanliness and appearance, communicated with our partners in law enforcement and much more to improve the transit system. New Yorkers are starting to see that we are getting things done and while we weren't going to slow down, it’s certainly encouraging these changes are being noticed. After all, they are for the benefit of the riders and community.”
“The public's participation is key for our customer experience initiatives,” said MTA Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “We review all incoming feedback, and these monthly surveys allow us to see if anything has changed, what has been working and what more we can do. This continuing upward trend in customer satisfaction demonstrates our efforts are materializing in a noticeable manner, and we appreciate that customers take a moment in their day to share their thoughts with us through our surveys.”
“Access-A-Ride has made strides in improving the customer experience,” said MTA Vice President for Paratransit Chris Pangilinan. “Paratransit enables all New Yorkers to have access to public transportation, and today’s news of 30,000 scheduled trips in one single day after three years is a milestone for us as we keep our efforts strong to improve the passenger experience.”
Subways
Subway operations maintained an 85 percent on-time performance for the second month in a row, the best in 10 years, and overall subway experience satisfaction reached 65 percent following a two percentage point increase from January and a 13 percentage point since June 2022 when satisfaction was at 52 percent.
Customers were satisfied with their journey times, with 72 percent of customers reporting satisfaction with their travel time in February.
Buses
Overall bus experience improved on all key indicators since last month, with an overall satisfaction rating of 69 percent, a five percentage point increase since December 2022.
Buses maintained a score of 96 percent for service delivered for the second month in a row and wait times improved the most out of all indicators measured in the monthly Pulse Survey, with an increase of five percentage points compared to the previous month.
Notably, the Bronx bus division, which implemented a redesigned local bus network in June 2022, noted improvements in travel times, service reliability and bus cleanliness. Twenty-two percent of Bronx customers reported their wait time has improved since the local bus network redesign, a three percentage point increase from January.
Paratransit
Overall satisfaction with Access-A-Ride continues to break records, with a rating of 77 percent in overall customer satisfaction, increasing by another percentage point, surpassing its previous record of 76 percent. This is a 15 percentage point increase since June 2022 and exceeds its North Star goal of 71 percent.
In January, the authority announced improvements to the MY AAR features within the MYmta app to provide a more user-friendly experience. Booking trips through the app is now faster and more comparable to other rideshare apps, allowing more riders to use the app for booking instead of calling the paratransit call center.
