Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices. Topic SB-45. Synthesis of Transit Agency Customer Experience Programs

Around sixty US transit agencies have established some form of Customer Experience (CX) programs in recent years to elevate rider voices and customer-centricity. These CX programs are central to agency efforts to provide quality service to populations that have limited transportation choices, and to build transit use among choice riders. This is particularly important in the context of post-pandemic ridership declines. US transit agencies that have established, or are establishing, CX program include the likes of LA Metro in Southern California and Trinity Metro in Fort Worth, Texas. LA Metro established its CX program in 2020 to “sharpen its focus on customers” (transitcx.org, 2024). LA Metro also hopes to utilize its CX program to create a smooth transit experience as it will receive a lot of attention leading up to, and including, the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. Trinity Metro has Community Outreach and Transit ENVOY teams that provide education, support, and training to assist its customers in navigating the system. Other agencies with significant CX programs include MBTA in Boston, WMATA in Washington DC, MARTA in Atlanta, Translink in Vancouver, Sound Transit in Seattle, the Toronto Transit Commission, which introduced a 5-Year Service and Customer Experience Action Plan in May 2024, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a metropolitan planning organization in Northern California leading a Transit Regional Network Management initiative to identify ways to improve customer experience through a multi-agency network. Currently there are no industry-wide standards for transit CX programs, so with the rapid growth of CX organizational structures, program objectives, and methods currently vary widely. The synthesis would be useful in documenting the different CX program models of a variety of transit agencies, as well as how these programs are developed and refined.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5761

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $55,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project J-07, Topic SB-45

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Griswold, Emily

• Performing Organizations:
  ,    

  Cambridge Systematics, Incorporated

  150 Cambridge Park Drive, Suite 4000
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02140-2369
• Principal Investigators:

  Bennett, Roan

• Start Date: 20250113
• Expected Completion Date: 20260713
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Customer service; Outreach; Transit authorities; Transit riders; Transportation equity
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01925964
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project J-07, Topic SB-45
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 29 2024 6:00PM