Effectiveness of Certain Customer-Focused Transit Activities

This synthesis will be of interest to senior managers interested in using customer-focused strategies at their transit agencies. Both established and newer agencies might use the synthesis to guide the establishment of effective customer-focused transit. The purpose of this report is to document the experiences of selected public transportation agencies in developing and implementing customer service programs. The synthesis examines the effectiveness of certain customer-focused activities in the categories of general interaction between the customer and the agency, obtaining and using customer input, involving employees in customer-focused public transportation, and achieving customer satisfaction. It details specific programs in the case studies of two public transportation agencies. This document integrates information from a search of available literature with survey responses obtained from key staff at 33 transit agencies across the country. Supplemental materials were supplied by many of these agencies. Case study information was collected from Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority