The MTA released the results of a survey Tuesday that indicate that subway and bus riders are becoming more satisfied with service.
The authority released the results of its Fall 2022 Bi Annual Customer Satisfactory Survey that found that 54 % of subway riders were satisfied with overall service, up 6 percentage points from the Spring 2022 survey. Meanwhile, 64% of bus riders were satisfied, a marginal increase from Spring 2022 of 63%.
The results were based on the response of 65,000 customers who use New York City Transit (NYCT), Metro-North Railroad, and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The survey covers a number of topics ranging from service reliability and on-time performance to station cleanliness and personal security,
“The customer satisfaction survey shows our customers are feeling more and more confident in using mass transit,” said MTA Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “We hear what is important to our customers and are focusing on those needs for improvement, and we will do everything we can to make sure customers have the best experience using the subway, buses, Access-A-Ride and the commuter rails.”
The survey revealed that subway users believe that service is improving. While the MTA did not provide the actual data, it said that there were gains in service reliability—reportedly up four percentage points compared to Spring 2022; personal security, up seven percentage points in stations and nine percentage points on trains; and fewer people were viewed as behaving erratically on trains, up seven percentage points.
The MTA also said that all subway lines had improved satisfaction scores, with the strongest showings by the G, 7, L and Q lines.
However, public safety appears to remain a concern. Among survey respondents who said they were using the subway less, the most frequently mentioned reasons were personal security at 44% and the ability to work from home at 40%.
The MTA also touted gains among its bus users.
The authority said that customer satisfaction levels on local, limited and Select Bus customer satisfaction levels were at 64%, a marginal increase from Spring 2022 at 63%. Bronx customers indicated a two-point gain in satisfaction to 61%.
Express Bus customer satisfaction bumped up three points to 79%, compared to spring 2022. Bus cleanliness rose four points, up to 70%.
Access-A-Ride customer satisfaction increased by four points to 65%, according to the survey.
“Improving customer satisfaction is our North Star and we appreciate the thousands of responses we received,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey. “This feedback directly informs what we focus on to ensure safe and reliable service on every subway, bus, or Paratransit trip.”
Since the Spring 2022 survey, overall satisfaction with the Long Island Rail Road has remained high at 81%. Overall satisfaction with Metro-North Railroad increased by two percentage points, with 89% of customers saying they were satisfied or very satisfied.
The Fall 2022 Customer Satisfaction survey was conducted from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5 and was offered in English, Spanish, and by phone for those who preferred speaking to a live agent. The MTA, in total, received approximately 150,000 online evaluations and survey responses.
