Restructuring Santa Clara County’s Bus System Using Transit Market Research Analysis

Transportation leadership you can trust.

presented to

12th TRB National Transportation Planning Applications Conference

presented by

Arun KuppamCambridge Systematics, Inc.

co-authored by

Kevin Connolly & Ying Smith, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Ron West & Andrew Tang, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

May 21, 2009

Restructuring Santa Clara County’s Bus System Using Transit Market Research Analysis

2

From Market Research to Service Planning

Segment Segment MarketMarket

Locate Market Locate Market SegmentsSegments

Competitive Competitive PositioningPositioning

CustomerCustomerExperienceExperience

SystemSystemPerformancePerformance

NetworkNetworkStructureStructure

Service Service PlanningPlanning

Transit Transit PriorityPriority

PersonalPersonalSafetySafety

Real time Real time InfoInfo

Understand Understand Travel MarketsTravel Markets

Market-Based Planning

3

Market-Based PlanningFrom Data Collection to Modeling to Service Planning

Survey Data Collection (819 SP Surveys, 34 attitudinal Q.)

Exploratory Factor Analysis

Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Structural Equation Modeling (7 factors)

Market Segmentation (6 segments)

Mode Choice Modeling

General

Segment Specific

Tool Development

Sketch Planning Tool

Transit Competitiveness Index

4

Attitude-Based Market Research Survey

Recruit SurveyRecruit Survey

Random Sampling Random Sampling 7,822 Phone Calls 7,822 Phone Calls

1,001 Recruited1,001 Recruited819 Completes819 Completes

Both English and SpanishBoth English and SpanishTrip InformationTrip Information

Demographic DataDemographic Data

Choice ExperimentsChoice Experiments

Compare driving Compare driving and transit optionsand transit options

Travel TimeTravel TimeTest New Mode: BRTTest New Mode: BRTPassenger AmenitiesPassenger Amenities

Driving Cost and Transit FareDriving Cost and Transit FareParking CostParking Cost

TransferTransferAccess and EgressAccess and Egress

AttitudinalAttitudinal QuestionsQuestions

Measure SensitivityMeasure SensitivityPrivacy and ComfortPrivacy and Comfort

Productive Use of TimeProductive Use of TimeSafety and FamiliaritySafety and FamiliarityTime and FlexibilityTime and Flexibility

Concern for the EnvironmentConcern for the EnvironmentValue of TimeValue of Time

Reliability and ControlReliability and ControlFixed Schedule ConstraintsFixed Schedule Constraints

Understanding Traveler Attitudes

5

Attitude-Based Survey ResultsT

OP

FIV

E

5. I need travel flexibility

4. Don’t mind walking to stop

3. Transit takes too long

2. Need to arrive at specific time

1. Public transport helps environment

BO

TT

OM

FIV

E

34 Attitudinal Statements

Strongly Agree

Neutral

Strongly Disagree

1. Prefer travel in least expensive way

2. Would ride LRT but not bus

3. Prefer buses that travel within my

community

4. Transit takes me where I need to go

5. Transportation reflects social status

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Grouping Statements into Factors

1) Make trips to wide variety of locations

Statements

2) Make several stops on the way to school or work

3) Need flexibility to make many trips during the day

34) Willing to pay more to travel to help environment

33) Prefer to live within walking distance of shops and transit

32) Avoid making certain trips at certain times because too stressful

Factors

1) Travel Flexibility

6) Stress Sensitivity

7) Pro-Environment

Factors

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Seven Key Transportation Factors

Time Sensitivity

Pro-Environment

Price SensitivityTransit

Tolerance

Stress Sensitivity

Travel FlexibilitySocial

Sensitivity

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Top Three Factors Eight Market Segments

TransitTolerant

TransitIntolerant

Transit Tolerant

Transit Intolerant

TimeInsensitive

TimeSensitive

TimeInsensitive

Time Sensitive

Time Insensitive

Time Sensitive

TimeInsensitive

TimeSensitive

Price Sensitive Price Insensitive

All Travelers

Transit Tolerance

Time Sensitivity

Price Sensitivity

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4 Segment 5 Segment 6 Segment 7 Segment 8

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Six Santa Clara County Customer Segments

Time Sensitivity

Price Sensitivity

Transit Tolerance

Customer Type

(segment number)

Transit Trippers (1)

Mellow Movers (2)

Young & Restless (5,6,8)

Movers & Shakers (7)

LINKs & MINKs (3)

Boomers & Blazers (4)

Low Medium High

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Commuters by Customer Type (2005)

TransitTrippers

MellowMovers

LINKs& MINKs

Boomers & Blazers

Young& Restless

Movers& Shakers

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

Total Adult Population

600,000

Transit Work Trip Commuters

Work Trip Commuters

11

Transit Trippers

High transit users

In households with no vehicles available

Lower income

Retired, unemployed or employed part-time

High school educated

Not use English as primary language

Time Sensitivity

Price Sensitivity

Transit Tolerance

Travel Flexibility

Social Sensitivity

Stress Sensitivity

Pro-Enviro

9% of adults

High

Medium

Low

They are likely to be …

12

Transit Trippers

13

Transit Tolerance

Transit Trippers

Mellow Movers LINKs &

MINKs

Boomers & Blazers

Young & Restless

Movers & Shakers

Time Sensitivity

High

Medium

Low

Low Medium High

Transit Competitive Strategy

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Transit Competitive Factor (TCF)

Transit Competitive

Factor

Transportation Land Use Factors

Customer Types Trip Purposes

• Trip Intensity: Origin

• Trip Intensity: Destination

• Work/School

• Other

• Customer Types

• Transit Propensity

The next phase of the analysis combines transit planning factors with market segment research to identify areas of Santa Clara County that are amenable to transit service

• Level of Congestion

• Parking Cost and Time

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Transit Competitive Factor - Origins

Transit Competitive

35 percent of trips go to transit competitive origins

16

11 percent of trips go to transit competitive destinations

Transit Competitive Factor - Destinations

Transit Competitive

17

Application of Transit Competitive Factors

Identified transit potential by customer type (market segment), trip purpose, origins and destinations

SCVTA overhauled 90% of its countywide bus system

Focused more on market-based network (matching service with demand), rather than a coverage-based

New services focused on 15-minute or better all-day frequencies, enhanced express buses, new low-fare community bus routes