The Rapid Community Report 2023

The Rapid’s mission is to create, offer, and continuously improve a flexible network of regional public transportation options and mobility solutions.

THE SURVEYS

In the spring of 2023, we wanted to make sure we were keeping up with the times and serving our community in the best way possible. We conducted three surveys to get feedback from all our friends and neighbors in the Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grandville, Walker, and East Grand Rapids area. Let’s work together to create a roadmap for the future! Here are the surveys we conducted:

• Collected public opinion on transit issues in the community to identify public perceptions,

• Surveyed current riders of The Rapid on their levels of satisfaction with the service,

• Surveyed current riders of the Go!Bus paratransit service for individuals whose disabilities or age prevent them from accessing The Rapid’s fixedroute bus system.

COMMUNITY VALUE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

METHODOLOGY

The survey was administered by the ETC Institute to a random selection of households in our 6-city service area (see map below). Respondents could easily give their input by sending back the survey using the provided return-reply envelope or by completing it online at RapidTransitSurvey.com

NATIONAL BENCHMARKS

In the past five years, ETC Institute has effectively administered surveys for over 1,000 cities and counties across the United States. ETC Institute has provided valuable research services to a greater number of significant cities than any other firm of its kind. Such nationwide results offer opportunities to compare service attributes across the country, which are included in the community and customer survey findings presented in this report.

PROVIDING ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND EMPLOYMENT.

Respondents feel The Rapid is most valuable (rating “extremely valuable” or “somewhat valuable”) towards providing mobility to low‐income families and individuals who cannot afford the costs of owning a car, providing transportation options to people with special mobility needs, and the community as a whole.

THE RAPID PROVIDES MOST VALUE TO:

83%

83%

PROVIDING ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES

PROVIDING ACCESS TO MEDICAL FACILITIES

77%

PROVIDING ACCESS TO PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT

BENEFITS AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE RAPID

Respondents most often agree (rating “agree” or “strongly agree”) that they view The Rapid employees favorably (65%), they have a positive perception of The Rapid brand (60%), and it is safe to use The Rapid services (57%).

65% 60% 57%

VIEW THE RAPID EMPLOYEES FAVORABLY

HAVE A POSITIVE PERCEPTION OF THE RAPID BRAND

BELIEVE IT IS SAFE TO USE THE RAPID SERVICES

HOW VALUEABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ARE IN YOUR COMMUNITY TO THE FOLLOWING:

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT FOR THE COMMUNITY.

PROVIDES TAXPAYER VALUE.

IT IS SAFE TO USE.

I VIEW MY TRANSIT AGENCY FAVORABLY.

FUNDING FOR TRANSIT SHOULD BE SOMEWHAT OR MUCH GREATER.

FUNDING OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Most respondents (74%) think funding should be greater than what it is now.

42%

32%

THINK THAT FUNDING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SHOULD BE GREATER THAN IT IS NOW THINK THAT FUNDING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SHOULD BE MUCH GREATER THAN IT IS NOW

LOOKING AHEAD

Over the next two years, respondents think The Rapid leaders should focus on these 3 items:

1

42% PROVIDING ACCESS TO PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT

33% 2

PROVIDING MOBILITY TO LOWINCOME FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO CANNOT AFFORD THE COSTS OF OWNING A CAR

29% 3

PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS TO PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL MOBILITY NEEDS

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY METHODOLOGY

In the spring of 2023, the customer satisfaction survey was administered by ETC Institute primarily onboard transit vehicles, and secondarily at transit centers and bus stops, through paper surveys. Generally, users were able to complete the survey during their transit. In addition to paper surveys, the survey team was equipped with QR codes which users could scan to complete the survey electronically on their personal smartphone or tablet. QR codes were tied to each unique interviewer (either on a badge or on a postcard) which allowed the team to link responses to specific routes, locations, and time of day.

If a potential respondent did not have time to complete the survey, a postage‐paid envelope was provided, and the rider was asked to complete the survey and return it by mail. The written survey was also provided in Spanish. Multiple members of the on‐site data collection team were bilingual.

Surveys were collected from 428 riders. The following shows the general number of validated surveys that were completed by date. The results for 428 completed surveys have a margin of error of +/‐4.7 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence.

The survey collects and analyzes customer opinions regarding all aspects of the service. The survey design satisfies multiple objectives, including measuring overall satisfaction and to understand rider behavior including who, how, and why riders use The Rapid services. The survey instrument included questions related to the following:

RIDER SURVEYS COMPLETED

95%

428 LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE

• The Rapid usage including frequency, length of time as a customer, and purpose of the trip

• The Rapid performance and overall satisfaction with The Rapid services

• Perspectives from riders on the ways The Rapid provides value including the importance of transit to the community, funding, and safety

• Demographic characteristics, including household income, race/ethnicity, age, and gender identification.

THE RAPID USAGE

Riders were asked to provide information on their overall usage of The Rapid service and their reasons for using public transit. Most riders (69%) purchased their own fare on the day of the survey.

67%

66%

TRAVEL ON THE RAPID 5+ DAYS PER WEEK

HAVE BEEN A RAPID CUSTOMER FOR 1+ YEARS

51%

23%

PRIMARY PURPOSE FOR TRIPS IS WORK

PRIMARY PURPOSE FOR TRIPS IS EDUCATION (COLLEGE +MIDDLE/ HIGH SCHOOL)

DEMOGRAPHICS

The survey asked respondents about their demographic and other social characteristics including income, race/ethnicity, age, and gender identity.

WHITE/CAUCASIAN

BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN

58% 40% FEMALE

MALE

32%

2% NON-GENDER CONFORMING

OF RESPONDENTS MADE LESS THAN $13,590 IN 2022

49%

OF RESPONDENTS MADE LESS THAN $19,999 IN 2022

THE RAPID SATISFACTION

Overall, most riders surveyed (83%) rate the job The Rapid does in providing them with service as either good (43%) or very good (40%).

83% 84.3% OF RIDERS SURVEYED RATE THE RAPID’S SERVICE AS GOOD OR VERY GOOD

LIKELY OR VERY LIKELY TO RECOMMEND THE RAPID TO A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE

Riders surveyed were asked to rate their level of agreement regarding 11 qualities of The Rapid bus service, riders most often agreed (rating “agree” or “strongly agree”) with these statements about the Rapid Bus Service:

PROVIDES SERVICE TO USEFUL/ IMPORTANT DESTINATIONS

THE RAPID IMPROVEMENTS & ADDITIONS

FUNDING

55% OF RESPONDENTS THINK FUNDING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SHOULD BE GREATER (34%) OR MUCH GREATER (21%) IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

IMPROVEMENTS ADDITIONS

51% BUSES NOT KEEPING TO THEIR PUBLISHED SCHEDULES

43% LONG WAITS BETWEEN PICKUPS/ TRANSFERS

38% MORE FREQUENT SUNDAY SERVICE

36%

LATER SERVICE HOURS ON WEEKENDS

NET PROMOTER SCORE OVERVIEW

Your score comes from the Net Promoter Score question which typically takes the following form: “How likely would you be to recommend (fill in the blank) to a friend of colleague?”

The fill in the blank can be a company or a specific product/service. The question prompt is followed by a rating scale, asking the respondent to select a number from 0 (least likely to recommend) to 10 (most likely to recommend).

Depending on the number each customer selects, we’d group them into one of three groups:

PROMOTERS:

Customers who select a 9 or 10 rating. This group represents your most satisfied customers with the highest chance of recommending your services to others.

PASSIVES:

Customers who select a 7 or 8 rating. This group is relatively satisfied but can be swayed to a competitor based on factors like price, new features, customer service, etc.

DETRACTORS

Customers who select a rating between 0 to 6. They’re your least content customers who are not only at risk of leaving, but also of sharing their negative experiences with others.

*The 2023 score is 22% higher than the 2022 score.

GO!BUS PARATRANSIT SURVEY

In the spring of 2023, The Rapid public transportation system which operates in the Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grandville, Walker and East Grand Rapids area conducted a customer satisfaction survey to collect riders’ opinions on the Go!Bus paratransit service.

Go!Bus is an ADA shared ride, advanced reservation service intended for individuals whose disabilities prevent them from accessing The Rapid’s fixed-route bus system. All individuals ages 65 and older are also eligible for GO!Bus.

The goal of this effort was to collect a minimum of 100 completed surveys from GO!Bus riders. The goal was met with 136 completed surveys collected. The main purpose of the survey was to measure overall satisfaction with Go!Bus and to understand rider behavior.

METHODOLOGY

The paratransit survey was administered by ETC Institute through the mail to a select list of Go!Bus riders provided by The Rapid from the 6-city service area. Surveys were sent out with a cover letter and return-reply envelope to mail the survey back. After mailing, ETC Institute followed up via text or email as a reminder to complete and return the survey.

65+ YEARS OR OLDER

AGES 55 TO 64 YEARS

136 45% 27% 57%

USE A MOBILITY DEVICE OR MOBILITY AID

DEMOGRAPHICS

The survey asked respondents about their demographic and other social characteristics including income, race/ ethnicity, age, and gender identity. 67% of participants agree or strongly agree with the statement “You can schedule a ride or trip at the time you request.”

60%

WHITE/CAUCASIAN

24% BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN

33% 64% FEMALE

MALE

36%

2% NON-GENDER CONFORMING

OF RESPONDENTS MADE BETWEEN $12,000 AND $19,999 IN 2022

58%

OF RESPONDENTS MADE LESS THAN $19,999 IN 2022

29%

27%

TRAVEL ON THE RAPID 1-2 DAYS A WEEK

HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR 6-10 YEARS

23% 67%

PRIMARY PURPOSE FOR TRIPS IS WORK

43%

PRIMARY PURPOSE FOR TRIPS IS HEALTH/ MEDICAL

STRONGLY AGREE “YOU CAN SCHEDULE A RIDE OR TRIP AT THE TIME YOU REQUEST”

OVERALL QUALITY OF SERVICE

Overall, most riders surveyed (70%) say they are either satisfied (40%) or very satisfied (30%) with the quality of service they receive from Go!Bus.

GO!BUS TRIPS

70%

SATISFIED OR VERY SATISFIED

Participants were asked to rate their level of agreement regarding 19 qualities of GO!Bus service, riders most often agreed (rating “agree” or “strongly agree”) with these statements:

92%

YOU FEEL SAFE ONBOARD THE VEHICLE

88% 89% 87%

DRIVERS HELP MAINTAIN A SENSE OF SAFETY ON THE BUS

DRIVERS ARE SAFE DRIVERS

CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSONNEL ARE FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL

IMPROVEMENTS & ADDITIONS TO GO!BUS TECHNOLOGY

80%

IMPROVEMENTS ADDITIONS

29% PICKUPS BEING ON TIME

52% SAME-DAY BOOKING

CURRENTLY OWN A SMARTPHONE

71%

HAVE REGULAR ACCESS TO THE INTERNET

13% TRAVEL TIME DURATION

51% NOTIFICATION WHEN BUS ARRIVES

THANK YOU!

On behalf of all our team members at The Rapid, I would like to extend my sincere thanks for your involvement in our recent customer and community value surveys. Your participation continues to help shape and create better public transportation in our community now and in the future. We believe that the key to providing great service lies in listening to and understanding the needs and preferences of our valued customers.

Moving forward, we will keep you informed on the progress we’ve made based on your feedback. We are eager to share the positive changes that will result from the partnership between The Rapid and the six cities we serve. We look forward to continuing our journey together toward a more sustainable, reliable, and customer-centric transit system.

If you have any further suggestions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We value your input and are always eager to hear from you. You may reach us by sending an email to info@ridetherapid.org or submitting an inquiry through the Contact Us portal on our website at ridetherapid.org.

Thank you for being an integral part of our transit family,

DEBORAH PRATO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE RAPID