Transit Survey 2006 - Energizing North Hamilton

Report to the Hamilton Street Railway
on the results of the 2006 transit survey in north Hamilton

Executive Summary

A comprehensive door-to-door transit survey in the Summer of 2006 gathered responses from 3215 households in Hamilton neighbourhoods north of Cannon Street. It found that 57 percent of surveyed households provide regular or occasional users of the HSR and over half of the households use the transit system at least once per week. Current transit use is more frequent for trips that are not related to work or school.

Fully one quarter of respondent households do not have regular access to a vehicle, and nearly one third reported that at least one person in the household relied on a bicycle as a major means of transportation. Almost 20 percent of households reported at least one person in the household has physical difficulty using the bus.

The survey found a strong demand for increased transit services and extensive evidence that service improvements would attract more frequent users as well as new users. Among the most requested improvements were more frequent service on the Bayfront 4 and Cannon 3 routes, as well as establishment of a new north-south service on Wentworth Street North. Extension of frequent service into the Stoney Creek employment area was the most common request related to services outside the survey area.

Strong majorities of both users and non-users have a positive attitude to the HSR, noting the comfort and cleanliness of the buses, and the ease of obtaining tickets and passes. A majority also disagreed with the perception that bus use requires extensive transfer waits. Three out of four respondents had no concerns about the safety of using the transit system.

Over-crowded buses are a concern of most users, with over 80 percent agreeing this was a problem at least sometimes. Nearly half also noted the frequency of service was problematic.

There was mixed response related to the cost of using the HSR. While more than 85% agreed it is less expensive than taxi service, nearly one third supported the statement that it costs too much to use the bus. This sentiment was strongest among people who are not currently HSR users. A slight majority of respondents also felt that it is too expensive to take their whole family on the bus. However, less than 20% knew about the HSR day pass. Fare reduction was identified by 12.5% of respondents as a step that would encourage them to take the bus more frequently.

Introduction

Environment Hamilton is pleased to present the results of a neighbourhood transit survey conducted in north Hamilton during the summer of 2006 – a project partly funded by the City of Hamilton (see Figure 1 for a map of the surveyed area).

The survey was carried out as part of the Energizing North Hamilton project, a multi-party initiative led by Environment Hamilton and supported by the City of Hamilton, the Hamilton Community Foundation, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the EcoAction Fund of Environment Canada, Horizon Utilities Corporation, Union Gas, the McMaster Institute of Environment and Health, the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and the Conserver Society of Hamilton and District.

Initiation of the survey

In April 2006, the Provincial Gas Tax Transit Master Plan Steering Committee, and subsequently City Council, approved funding in the amount of $6,000 in gas tax funds, on a one-time basis, to partially fund the design, delivery and compilation of a neighbourhood transit survey to be conducted in partnership with Environment Hamilton starting in June 2006.

Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) staff recommended the funding allocation, anticipating that “the survey will provide valuable information that can be used by HSR for future route and service planning purposes.” The gas tax funds were earmarked for student salaries, employment expenses, and administrative costs of the project. HSR also agreed to provide bus passes for the students expected to be employed in the survey work.

At the time of the approval, Environment Hamilton had received approval for 2006 funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Environment Canada for a project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take positive steps in relation to the threat of global climate change. Partial funding for four student positions was also anticipated from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and this was confirmed in May 2006.

Expansion of the survey project

Also in May, Horizon Utilities Corporation and Environment Hamilton concluded an agreement to fund the inclusion in the survey of a number of questions related to household energy use. The increased funding permitted Environment Hamilton to expand its project team to nine full-time (temporary) positions and to greatly increase the number of homes surveyed.

The survey area originally promised to the City was bounded by Bay, Burlington, Wentworth and Barton Streets and included nearly 3,000 homes. The additional support from Horizon Utilities allowed this zone to be much expanded – initially to include all residences north of Barton Street between Bayfront Park and Red Hill Creek including the Beach Neighbourhood, and subsequently to also incorporate residences south of Barton between Parkdale Avenue and Sherman Avenue, north of Cannon Street.

As a result, well over 9000 homes – three times as many as originally anticipated and promised – were actually visited by the Environment Hamilton survey team, and 3215 transit and energy use surveys were completed. Note that residences fronting directly on Barton Street were not surveyed at the request of HSR.

Survey preparation and methodology

The transit portion of the survey instrument consisted of twenty questions, including one with 15 parts and several open-ended queries. The questions were developed in consultation with HSR staff. Advice was also provided by Bruce Newbold, director of the McMaster Institute of Environment and Health (MIEH), Marie McNeary, MIEH research facilitator, and Pavlos Kanaraglou of the McMaster Geography Department. Draft surveys were tested through focus groups composed of residents of the Keith neighbourhood in north Hamilton.

In the survey, some questions were reserved for those who identified themselves as current transit users, and others were directed to all survey respondents. The survey design anticipated that some respondents would be HSR or DARTS users while others would have little or no experience with the city’s transit system. Consequently some questions were only directed to one of those groups.

Detailed street maps of the target area were prepared at a scale that allowed for every home to be visible. Colour coding enabled the project team to see at a glance how many homes had been approached and which homes had declined to take part.

The survey team was directed to approach every home, and to carry out the survey with any respondent over the age of 18 who answered the door. A flyer announcing the survey was distributed to the homes a few days prior to the initial survey contact. Questioning took place at the door, with the survey team member making the queries and recording the responses. Respondents were asked both about their own needs, attitudes and behaviours, as well as the needs of others in their household. Where no one responded to the door, a flyer was left encouraging residents to contact the offices of Environment Hamilton and complete the survey over the phone. On some days this generated twenty or more phone surveys.

Everyone who agreed to participate in the survey received a free gift consisting of four compact fluorescent light bulbs provided by Horizon Utilities, a water and energy saving kit supplied by Union Gas, and a package of information about energy conservation, a booklet about free city-supplied street trees, and other environmental activities, all delivered in a reusable bag supplied by Horizon. The Union Gas portion consisted of a low-flow showerhead, two faucet aerators and a quantity of insulating foam wrap for water pipes. The value of the total kit was estimated to be $40. Apartment dwellers received a somewhat more limited package that did not include the Union Gas kit (which was only available to account holders), but did include a low-flow showerhead provided by Horizon. Energy kits were delivered to those who completed the survey by phone.

The Environment Hamilton survey team started work on May 29, 2006 with an intensive preparatory period which included training in conducting a door-to-door survey by Marie Nearing of the McMaster Institute of Environment and Health. This was followed by a half-day session of health and safety training delivered by Don Fraser, director of the joint worker health and safety education programs of Mohawk College and the Hamilton and District Labour Council. Staff also received presentations from Peter Ormond, Conservation Specialist with Horizon Utilities, and Vince Copestake of Union Gas.

Survey work began on June 2, and continued until August 31, 2006. Team members received monthly bus passes (supplied by HSR) and travelled exclusively by transit to and from their work, giving them personal experience with the transit system that assisted them in understanding and recording the comments from survey respondents. For the most part, homes were approached by a single surveyor, but at least two team members worked simultaneously in the same area, maintaining visual contact and assisting each other as needed. Frequent staff meetings also allowed team members to share methods and experiences and learn from each other.

In the area north of Barton Street all neighbourhoods were visited at least twice to try and catch people home who had been missed on the first try. Some areas were visited three times. The area between Cannon and Barton was added to the survey zone in early August and time only allowed for one visit to each neighbourhood, resulting in a lower percentage of completed surveys.

In addition to the door-to-door and phone surveying, the Environment Hamilton team operated booths at the Keith Neighbourhood festival, the Beach community garage sale, the North Hamilton Community Health Centre, the Bennetto Recreation Centre and the Eastwood Park community garage sale. All residences were approached by the survey team except for two large apartment buildings on John Street North where access was denied, but survey work was done in the large rental complex on Ottawa Street and the Hamilton Housing multi-residential facility on MacNab Street North.

In general, the Environment Hamilton team was warmly received by the residents of north Hamilton, who were pleased to receive the energy saving kit and interested in participating in the survey. However, language difficulties made it impossible for some residents to participate, and a few others did not wish to be surveyed, didn’t have time, etc.

Media conference

The project received a boost from a media conference held on July 6 at the Marine Discovery Centre. The event resulted in a large feature article in the Hamilton Spectator, as well as both a news story and a live interview on CHML radio. Over 40 people attended the media launch, which was chaired by project supervisor Julia Kollek and included presentations by Andy McLaughlin of the HSR and Peter Ormond of Horizon Utilities. Prior to the media conference, a full page announcement about the survey was published in the North End Breezes, a monthly community paper that reaches approximately 4000 North Hamilton homes.

Participation in the survey

Our team completed 3215 surveys. Residents were spoken to at an additional 460 homes who declined to participate in the survey, primarily for reasons of language difficulties. In the area north of Barton Street, completed surveys were obtained from 2442 of the 6128 residences – a 40 percent completion rate – and had refusals at 350. Thus a resident was spoken to at a total of 2792 homes (45.6%).

In the area south of Barton, there are approximately 3000 homes, and we obtained surveys from 660 (22%) and had refusals at 97, so total homes at which a resident was spoken to was 757 (25%). The lower percentages reflect the fact that time permitted only one attempt to visit homes in the area south of Barton.

Team members reported that numerous houses appeared to be unoccupied, so the actual percentage coverage of occupied homes is likely higher than noted above. When houses have been subdivided into multiple residences, access to all units is often difficult, and in some cases the subdivision is not immediately apparent at the front door of the house. An additional 113 surveys were completed with residents who lived outside of the survey area and were encountered at festivals and other events in north Hamilton.

Energy saving kits were delivered to all residents who completed the survey. As a result, 12,860 compact fluorescent lightbulbs provided by Horizon were delivered to residents, along with 3215 re-useable cloth bags. All households except apartment dwellers also received a Union Gas energy saving kit. Apartment dwellers who participated in the survey received a low-flow showerhead supplied by Horizon along with the compact fluorescent bulbs. Deliveries were made to 125 apartment households.

Installation of each energy kit could be expected to result in at least a half tonne of annual reductions of greenhouse gases by that household. This suggests that approximately 1600 tonnes of greenhouse gas reductions were achieved as a result of the project.

Data entry and analysis

The results of all surveys were entered into an Access database. A code was added to distinguish eleven different neighbourhoods north of Barton Street and five south of Barton. Apartment dwellers and those whose residences fell outside of the targeted north Hamilton areas were placed in separate categories. A tabulation of the cumulative responses to the HSR survey questions is attached.

The Access software allows for more complex calculations involving relationships between the responses to two or more questions. Environment Hamilton is investigating partnerships that may allow the data to be presented visually using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other means.

Findings – General

The results of the survey are attached in several appendices. Interpretation of some of the data is provided below with reference to the responses to the indicated questions.

• One quarter of participating households reported not having access to a vehicle. (Question 1) The 2001 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) of the University of Toronto reported 15% of Hamilton households don’t have a vehicle. In the TTS, ward two and three had the highest proportions of households without a vehicle at 37% in ward two and 29% in ward three.

• Use of the transit system at least once per week was reported by over half of the households. (Question 8) A majority of respondents said they personally use the HSR, with 27.3% being regular users, and 29.8% being occasional users. (Question 9)

• When asked “what would encourage you to use the bus more often”, only 15% said nothing would get them on the bus and another 5% defined themselves as already always using the bus. Of the remaining 1470 responses, 39% asked for more bus service or better bus routes, and an additional 20% said they would be encouraged by other changes to the HSR service such as vehicle improvements, closer bus stops and better adherence to schedules. A further 16% called for lower bus fares. (Question 20)

• Nearly one third of respondents reported that at least one person in the household relied on bicycle as a major means of transportation. Altogether the survey found 1535 people utilizing bicycles as a major means of transportation. (Question 3)

• Nearly one respondent in five (19%) reported at least one person in the household has physical difficulty using the bus. (Question 6)

• Only about 10% of respondents get information about buses from the HSR website. The most common source of information is telephone calls to the HSR. (Question 7)

• More than two thirds of those who don’t use the bus gave the main reason as having access to a car. However, 18.4% cited some perceived shortcoming of the bus system as the key reason for not using the HSR. (Question 10)

Findings –Travel Demand

• Travel demand from the responding households did not change much between during daylight hours, with approximately equal demand reported for the before 9 am period, the 9 am to 3 pm period, and the 3 pm to 7 pm period. Demand dropped 50% in the 7 pm to midnight period. (Question 4).
  

• The timing of specific demand for bus service was similar with 31% in the 9 am to 3 pm period, 30% in the 3 to 7 pm period and 24% in the pre 9 am period. Demand in the 7 pm to midnight period was 12% (Question 15).
  
  

• Total weekend demand was about 70% of weekday needs, and nearly three-quarters was concentrated in the 9 am to 7 pm period. Evening demand on weekends (16% of total) was higher than demand prior to 9 am (12%), and demand after midnight reached 5% on weekends versus 3% on weekdays. (Question 17)
  
  

• More than a third of the responding households who reported transit usage indicated that the HSR is utilized for work trips by at least one person in the household. Over half, however, report use of the HSR for medical/dental appointments, and for shopping other than groceries. And over 40% of these households use transit to for personal visiting, recreation and entertainment activities. Less than one quarter of households reported use of the system to get to and from school. (Question 18)

Findings – Attitudes toward Transit

• One part of the survey asked respondents to respond to a number of statements about the transit service, giving them the choice of agreeing or disagreeing, or responding “sometimes”. (Question 5)

• Respondents generally found the buses to be clean inside (66.4%) with only 12.4% answering no to this question. The remaining 21.2% said the buses were sometimes clean inside. Occasional users generally scored cleanliness of the buses higher than regular users. (Question 5)

• About two-thirds of respondents agreed that the buses are comfortable, with 21% disagreeing and 13% answering “sometimes”. Regular users were somewhat more likely to disagree with this statement. (Question 5)

• Four out of five respondents found it easy to buy bus tickets or passes, and nearly 85 percent believed that it is cheaper to use the bus than to take a taxi. Three quarters agreed that it’s safe on the bus, with the remainder divided equally between those who disagreed and those who felt that sometimes it wasn’t safe. (Question 5)

• The statement “the buses are crowded” was disagreed with by only 17.3% of respondents with the remainder of the responses about equally divided between “yes” and “sometimes”. (Question 5)

• There was also evidence of concern about the frequency of the buses. Only 52% disagreed with the statement that “you have to wait a long time for a bus”, with the remaining respondents evenly divided between “yes” and “sometimes”. (Question 5)

• There was less concern with the time involved in transferring to another bus – 60% disagreed with the statement “transferring to another bus usually takes a long time”; with 18% saying “yes” and 22% responding “sometimes”. (Question 5)

• Nearly one third of respondents felt that “using the bus costs too much”. Agreement with this statement was highest among people who said they never use the bus among whom barely half disagreed. A majority also felt that it is too expensive to take their whole family on the bus. However, less than 20% knew about the HSR day pass. (Question 5 and Question 13)

Findings – Need for Additional HSR Services

• Question 19 asked “Where do you need a bus route added or improved?” There were 1220 responses provided to this question (see Appendix C for all responses).
  
  In order to categorize the responses we conducted a key word search to determine the number of times that key words or phrases appeared. This gives an approximate indication of the frequency of mention of certain routes or potential routes. Note however that some key words refer to both a bus route and a location. Thus Mohawk usually refers to the Mohawk 41 HSR route, but sometimes refers to Mohawk Road. Similarly the word Burlington is most often used in reference to the City of Burlington, but sometimes refers to Burlington Street or the HSR Bayfront service on that street.

Search Term	Number of Hits	Discussion
Bayfront	189	In almost all cases this refers to the #4 Bayfront bus service
Wentworth	120	These indicate a desire for a new north/south service on Wentworth Street
Barton	114	Mixed mentions – more service, more buses to reduce crowding, extension of service eastward, north/south service to Barton, etc.
Cannon	101	Most of these refer to a desire for more frequent service by the Cannon bus
Parkdale	92	These usually call for more service on the Parkdale bus
Mohawk	76	Nearly all refer to Mohawk (#41) service
Stoney Creek	65	Most ask for improved service to Stoney Creek beyond Grays Road
Burlington	62	Majority seek more service to City of Burlington, but some refer to Burlington Street (Bayfront service)
Mountain	61	Mixed requests – more direct service to mountain, improve mountain buses
North/South	59	Request for more north/south service
Beach	39	Improvements along either Beach Boulevard or Beach Road
Sunday	39	More Sunday service
Weekend	37	More weekend service
Gage	36	Usually north/south service on Gage Avenue
Kenilworth	32	Mixed – majority refer to Mohawk #41 service
Victoria	31	Usually north/south service on Victoria Avenue
Ottawa	27	Mixed with most referring to Mohawk #41 service
Ancaster	24	Improved service to Ancaster
Dundas	17	Improved service to Dundas

Note: Four bus routes run through the geographic area surveyed (Bayfront, Barton, Mohawk and Parkdale) and a fifth runs along its southern perimeter (Cannon). Given this geographic area, some results are more noteworthy.

• The number of mentions of Bayfront (185) and to Burlington (62) indicate a strong demand for improvements on the #4 Bayfront service. This route passes through two of the population concentrations in the survey, but lies generally to the north or most other areas surveyed, running along the northern perimeter of the examined area where it almost exclusively serves industrial destinations.
  
  

• There is a strong demand for a new north/south service along Wentworth and/or Victoria Street in the Keith Neighbourhood. This is evidenced by the high number of mentions of Wentworth (120) combined with Victoria (31) and some of the North/South (59). Environment Hamilton has prepared a separate report on the requests from the Keith Neighbourhood for a new north-south HSR service that utilizes Wentworth Street North.
  
  

• There is a strong demand for improved service on the #3 Cannon route which runs along the southern perimeter of a relatively short part of the surveyed area, but garnered 101 mentions. This route currently offers only hourly service after 7 pm and only 30 minute service for part of the day on weekdays and on weekends.
  
  

• Extension of service into Stoney Creek (especially along Barton Street) was raised by a significant number of respondents, even though the survey area was quite distance from Stoney Creek. This appears to be a demand for better access to employment areas in lower Stoney Creek. The Barton service currently goes to the boundary of Stoney Creek where it connects with the much less frequent #55/55A service.
  
  

• The Parkdale service (#11) passes through the Woodward and Beach Strip neighbourhoods, and along the eastern perimeter of the area surveyed between Barton and Cannon. It also provides service to downtown Burlington. The number of mentions (Parkdale 92, Beach 39, and Burlington 62) suggests a moderate demand for improvements to this service.
  
  

• The Mohawk #41 service goes along Kenilworth and Ottawa and a small section of Gage, linking a portion of the industrial bayfront with mountain areas. Although it passes through the heart of the survey area, it appears to have generated less attention from respondents than other routes in this area (Mohawk 76, Kenilworth 32, Ottawa 27) although a few of the mentions of Mountain (61) are likely linked to this service.
  
  

• Responses indicate that the existing Barton (#2) service suffers from some over-crowding. However most mentions of Barton referred to intersection locations rather than the HSR service on this street which appears to be satisfactory to most users.
  
  
  

Findings – Attracting More Riders

• Question 20 asked “What would encourage you to take the bus more often?” There were 1844 respondents to this question who provided a total of 1928 responses. Fifteen percent (278) declared that nothing would get them to use the bus. A further 96 respondents said they already take the bus all the time.

• The remaining 1470 responses fall into five general categories. Changes to transit service were requested by 39% of respondents with 414 asking for “more bus service” and an additional 166 calling for “better bus routes”.
  

• A reduction in bus fares was suggested by 16% (241) of respondents.
  
  

• Changes in personal circumstances were identified as the most decisive factor by 309 respondents (21%) including 212 who said that losing their car would get them on the bus and 62 who cited rising gas prices as a likely deciding factor. Thirty-five also indicated that specific conditions such as bad weather or high traffic congestion would get them to use the transit system.
  
  

• Most of the remaining respondents (20% - 286 responses) indicated they would be more likely to use transit if one or more features of the current transit system were altered, although it should be noted that these were the most likely to offer multiple suggestions. A request for various vehicle improvements was made by 105 respondents (cleaner, more comfortable, air conditioned and more low-floor buses were the four most common requests in this group). Other items raised were a closer bus stop (67) ; improved information or better adherence to schedules (52) ; and bicycle racks on buses (26). Fourteen mentioned strollers (most seeking better access for strollers, but a few complaining about them being allowed on the buses) and 22 raised concerns about poor driver behaviour.
  
  

• The remaining 9% of responses (138) mentioned personal reasons why it was unlikely respondents would take the bus. These included disability and infirmity, age or behaviour of their children, beliefs that bus riding is unsafe or puts one in contact with undesirable people, not having places to go or time to get there, or being unemployed. Many in this group also gave working outside the city as a reason not to use the HSR.

Recommendations

1. That the Provincial Gas Tax Master Transit Plan Steering Committee utilize the results of the 2006 transit survey of North Hamilton households in planning for improvements and modifications to HSR service.
   
   

2. That specific attention be given to improvements to the Bayfront and Cannon services and to the possible introduction of a north-south service on Wentworth Street.
   
   

3. That consideration be given to extending the Barton service eastward to better serve the employment centres in Stoney Creek.
   
   

4. That any proposal to increase transit fares be approached with caution and particular concern for the impacts on lower income residents.

Attachments:

Maps: Map showing number of surveys completed in each area

Appendix A Tabulation of Survey Results

Appendix B Breakdown of Question 5 Responses by User Type (Attitudes towards transit)

Appendix C All Responses to Question 18 – Where do you need a bus route added or improved?

Figure 1: Areas included in the 2006 Environment Hamilton Transit Survey in North Hamilton

The surveyed area generally lies north of Cannon Street between Bayfront Park and Red Hill Valley. The figures in red shown in each of the survey divisions represent the number of completed responses from that area.

Appendix A - Survey results

1) Do you have a vehicle or access
to a vehicle? (car, truck, motorcycle) Yes 2406 No 803 (25.0%) NA 6

2) How many people in your household Total = 5488
have regular access to a vehicle? 0=671 1=746 2=1172 3=315 4=185 5=70 6+=56

3) How many use a bicycle as a

major means of transportation? total= 1573 1 or more =1006 (31.3%)

4) On weekdays, which of the following times of the day do people in your household need to travel, and how many in each time period?

Before 9 am 4079

9:00-3:00pm 3838

3:00pm-7:00pm 4293

7 pm-midnight 1967

After midnight 502

5. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statements, or if you don’t know:
   3164 respondents
   Responses divided according to type of user are provided in appendix B.

Note that some respondents who did not use the transit system responded “I don’t know” to all the parts of this question, hence the relatively large numbers in this response category.

STATEMENTS	Yes	No	Sometimes	I don’t know
It is difficult to use the transit system	592	1515	289	768
Bus routes meet my needs	1577	458	250	879
The bus runs late enough at night	1331	391	84	1358
The bus stop is close to where I live	2290	273	12	589
You have to wait a long time for a bus	529	1090	524	1021
It’s easy to buy bus tickets or passes	1643	349	67	1105
Transferring to another bus usually takes a long time	359	1182	428	1195
Buses run frequently	1335	450	372	1007
The buses are comfortable	1439	443	273	1009
Using the bus costs too much	761	1613	69	721
Taking the whole family on the bus is too expensive	931	804	48	1381
It’s safe on the bus	1642	277	298	947
The buses are crowded	882	378	924	980
The bus is cheaper than car or cab	2014	198	172	780
Buses are clean inside	1439	268	459	998

The two tables below provide percentage breakdowns for the question 5 answers. The first table includes all answers, while the second eliminates the “don’t know” answers to show the relative weight of the other responses.

STATEMENTS	Yes	No	Sometimes	don’t know
It is difficult to use the transit system	19%	48%	9%	24%
Bus routes meet my needs	50%	14%	8%	28%
The bus runs late enough at night	42%	12%	3%	43%
The bus stop is close to where I live	72%	9%	0%	19%
You have to wait a long time for a bus	17%	34%	17%	32%
It’s easy to buy bus tickets or passes	52%	11%	2%	35%
Transferring to another bus usually takes a long time	11%	37%	14%	38%
Buses run frequently	42%	14%	12%	32%
The buses are comfortable	45%	14%	9%	32%
Using the bus costs too much	24%	51%	2%	23%
Taking the whole family on the bus is too expensive	29%	25%	2%	44%
It’s safe on the bus	52%	9%	9%	30%
The buses are crowded	28%	12%	29%	31%
The bus is cheaper than car or cab	64%	6%	5%	25%
Buses are clean inside	45%	8%	15%	32%

STATEMENTS	Yes	No	Sometimes
It is difficult to use the transit system	24.7%	63.2%	12.1%
Bus routes meet my needs	69.0%	20.0%	10.9%
The bus runs late enough at night	73.7%	21.7%	4.7%
The bus stop is close to where I live	88.9%	10.6%	0.5%
You have to wait a long time for a bus	24.7%	50.9%	24.5%
It’s easy to buy bus tickets or passes	79.8%	16.9%	3.3%
Transferring to another bus usually takes a long time	18.2%	60.0%	21.7%
Buses run frequently	61.9%	20.9%	17.2%
The buses are comfortable	66.8%	20.6%	12.7%
Using the bus costs too much	31.2%	66.0%	2.8%
Taking the whole family on the bus is too expensive	52.2%	45.1%	2.7%
It’s safe on the bus	74.1%	12.5%	13.4%
The buses are crowded	40.4%	17.3%	42.3%
The bus is cheaper than car or cab	84.5%	8.3%	7.2%
Buses are clean inside	66.4%	12.4%	21.2%

6) How many people in your household have
physical difficulty using the bus system? Total = 692 1 or more = 613

7. How would you get information about the bus schedule?

Phone	1771	From the bus driver	92
Word of mouth	17	I don’t know	568
Web site	325	Other	396

8) How many people in your household
use the bus at least once a week? Total = 2840 1 or more = 1685 (52.4%)

9) Do you personally take the bus? Regularly, sometimes or never?

Regularly 873 (27.3%) Go to question #11

Sometimes 950 (29.8%) Go to question #11

Never 1369 (42.9%) Go to next question

10) What are the reasons you don’t you take the bus? 1325 Respondents

(Note that some respondents gave more than one reason.)

Number identifying some shortcoming of the HSR (*) = 275 = 18.4%

11) If you take the bus, what reasons do you have for not always taking the bus?

If there are no bus users in this household go to the last question (#20)

REGULAR USERS (788 respondents in this category but 85 gave no answer to this question)

SOMETIMES USERS (950 respondents in this category but 17 gave no answer)

12) How many people in your household buy a monthly bus pass? Total # 607

13) Did you know that you can buy
an HSR day pass for $7.00? Yes 605 No 1544 NA 1066

14) Do you think $7.00 is a good value
for a day pass? Yes 1672 No 374 NA 1169

15) On weekdays, which of the following times of the day do people in your household need the bus, and how many in each time period? Total requests = 6344

Before 9 am 1511 (24%)

9:00-3:00pm 1999 (31%)

3:00pm-7:00pm 1913 (30%)

7 pm-midnight 745 (12%)

After midnight 176 (3%)

16) Do people in your household

need the bus on weekends? (How many) Yes # = 1964

17) On weekends, which of the following times of the day do people in your household need the bus, and how many in each time period? Total requests = 4483

Before 9 am 550 (12%)

9:00-3:00pm 1583 (35%)

3:00pm-7:00pm 1411 (32%)

7 pm-midnight 729 (16%)

After midnight 210 (5%)

18) Do people in your household often take the bus to go to:?

	Yes	% Yes	No	% No
Work	815	36.4%	1426	63.6%
School	523	23.3%	1718	76.7%
Grocery shopping	646	28.8%	1596	71.2%
Other shopping	1289	57.5%	953	42.5%
Medical/dental appointments	1253	55.9%	988	44.1%
Visiting friends & family	1053	47.0%	1189	53.0%
Recreation (swimming, taking out family etc)	941	42.0%	1300	58.0%
Entertainment (eating out, movies etc)	1002	44.7%	1239	55.3%

19) Where do you need a bus route added or improved?

See appendix C – 1220 Responses

20) What would encourage you to take the bus more often?

No answer = 1371 Responses = 1844 (a few gave more than one reason)

Appendix B – Responses to Question 5

Responses from Regular Users

STATEMENTS	Yes	No	Sometimes	don’t know
It is difficult to use the transit system	143	578	150	0
Bus routes meet my needs	550	110	107	4
The bus runs late enough at night	529	168	48	124
The bus stop is close to where I live	804	68	6	1
You have to wait a long time for a bus	196	434	238	3
It’s easy to buy bus tickets or passes	652	160	24	35
Transferring to another bus usually takes a long time	131	516	200	24
Buses run frequently	517	194	155	4
The buses are comfortable	540	185	143	3
Using the bus costs too much	245	593	23	10
Taking the whole family on the bus is too expensive	336	298	18	219
It’s safe on the bus	636	104	122	9
The buses are crowded	377	113	478	3
The bus is cheaper than car or cab	741	47	58	25
Buses are clean inside	533	116	218	4

STATEMENTS	Yes	No	Sometimes	don’t know
It is difficult to use the transit system	16%	66%	17%	0%
Bus routes meet my needs	75%	13%	12%	0%
The bus runs late enough at night	61%	19%	6%	14%
The bus stop is close to where I live	92%	7%	1%	0%
You have to wait a long time for a bus	23%	50%	27%	0%
It’s easy to buy bus tickets or passes	75%	18%	3%	4%
Transferring to another bus usually takes a long time	15%	59%	23%	3%
Buses run frequently	59%	22%	18%	0%
The buses are comfortable	62%	21%	16%	0%
Using the bus costs too much	28%