Service Diversions 12-17-10
I just updated the Service Diversions page by removing all of the scheduled work that wrapped up by 5 AM this morning & the rest a minute ago. The weekend diversions which I posted yesterday have now moved to the top followed by the subsequent work during the week.
I suggest you print out a copy of the page to carry with you or use any mobile device to access Transit Blogger’s mobile site. The next update will be on Monday at 5:01 AM when the weekend work scheduled to wrap up by 5 AM is removed. Everyone have a wonderful weekend & as always stay safe!
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Service Diversions 12-16-10
I have just updated the Service Diversions page with the latest planned work for the weekend, following week, & beyond in some cases. As is always the case, the weekend work schedule is extremely light due to it being the holiday season.
The next update will be at 3:01 PM tomorrow when the diversions scheduled to wrap up at either 5 AM or 3 PM are removed. Please print out a copy of the diversions before you head out to your destination. If you have a internet enabled mobile device, use it to access the Transit Blogger mobile site. Stay safe!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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MTA Releases Customer Survey Results
Yesterday afternoon, I received a press release from the MTA talking about the release of the customer satisfaction survey results. I did not have the time to open the e-mail & would get to it the next day. I did not think much of it until I was on my way home this morning around 2AM from the pool hall, when I heard a report about most riders being satisfied with the Long Island Rail Road.
Before I get into that, here is that press release:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that results of its first agency-wide standardized customer satisfaction surveys show that MTA customers value real-time service information, including countdown clocks and email and text message service alerts. Levels of satisfaction also correlate to on-time performance measures. Customers provided high marks for safety and security and for front-line employees.
The newly activated subway countdown clocks were one of the highest rated attributes of the system, with 95% of customers who reported viewing them stating they were satisfied with them, including 55% reporting that they were very satisfied. Similarly, 83% of subway customers reported being satisfied or very satisfied by service-related email alerts. MTA Metro-North Railroad was given the highest marks by its customers, with 93% of respondents saying they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service. On the Long Island Rail Road, 89% of respondents reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the service.
Using the new format for the first time that transcends agency boundaries to show comparable statistics across the MTA family, customers were asked about service quality, MTA employees, on-board conditions, information and communications, comfort and convenience, safety and security, home stations, and overall satisfaction. The MTA’s agencies used this data to formulate priority areas for improvement.
“This has obviously been an extremely tough year for our transit system and for our customers, but the survey results show that our customers appreciate the improvements we have been able to put into place, like countdown clocks,” said MTA Chairman Jay H. Walder. “This survey demonstrates the importance of improving service where we can in cost-effective ways.”
Separate surveys asking similar questions were completed by customers of the subway, local buses operated by New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company, the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels. In total, more than 18,000 people responded to the surveys, which have margins of error ranging between +/- 1% to +/- 4%.
If you are interested in reading the individual report for each agency, click the respective link below:
When I was in the car on my way home, I was caught off guard by the report on the majority of riders being satisfied with the LIRR. As someone who has kept an eye on the LIRR for years being a long time customer, I find the results inaccurate.
First off, look at the small percentage of people asked & compare it with the actual ridership numbers for the LIRR. Secondly, it is a known fact that poll results can be skewed based on how the questions are asked. Most riders find the service slow & overpriced. While it might have a high on time percentage, even those numbers are skewed by the reporting procedure,
Not surprisingly the agency scored low with peak service from Penn Station. However in all fairness, not much can be done there considering the facility is outdated & too small for the amount of services running from there.
I skimmed through the majority of the reports due to a lack of available time. However it is easy to see that the sample sizes are way too small for each considering daily ridership figures. Most polls/surveys tend to be useless due to this fact & this is no different.
If you only need one piece of evidence on how flawed these results are, take a look at how subway station conditions scored a satisfied ranking. Seriously our intelligence is being insulted here as I’d bet my life if you polled a true majority of riders, subway station conditions would not scored “very satisfied”. Give me a break…………..
xoxo Transit Blogger
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MTA To Put Cameras In 400+ Buses
This past week, the MTA Board approved a plan to install surveillance cameras on 400+ buses next year. The agency hopes the cameras will serve as a major deterrent to crime occurring on buses, especially to its drivers with this recent incident being a prime example. Andrew Grossman of the Wall Street Journal has more in this report:
More than 400 Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses will get surveillance cameras next year, according to a plan set to be approved by the agency’s board this week.
The MTA will start installing the cameras on buses that ply busy Manhattan routes in early 2011 before expanding them to high-crime routes in other boroughs, according to the proposal. The agency can also choose to exercise an option to buy cameras for an additional 1,150 buses.
“Such a system is essential to providing improvements to the safety and security of the environment for employees and the riding public,” the agency said in the proposal.
Assaults on bus drivers are a recurring problem for the agency. Last week, a Brooklyn woman was charged with assaulting a driver on the B82. The alleged assailant told the New York Post that the driver “drives slow on purpose.” In July, a Brooklyn grand jury indicted a man accused of punching the driver of the B6 bus in the face after an argument. State law makes assaulting a transit worker a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The man who runs the union that represents many city bus drivers said he supports the installation of new surveillance cameras—as long as they’re used to discipline riders, not drivers.
Click here for the complete report.
It is a shame that our society has come to the point where we need surveillance cameras to try & deter crime to bus riders or the driver itself. Personally I am not big on the police state that our country has become, especially after the proven staged attacks in our history.
However with the rate at which bus drivers are being assaulted, I can understand why the MTA is looking to install these devices. Hopefully it will help in the never ending battle to keep employees & riders safe.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Service Diversions 12-13-10
I have just updated the Service Diversions page by removing all of the work that just wrapped up just a minute ago. The latest information for the upcoming week & beyond in some cases is at the forefront.
Throughout the week, I will be removing individual diversions as they expire. The next full update should be sometime Wednesday or Thursday after I receive the scheduled work from the MTA.
As always, I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to have with you while riding. You may also use any phone or electronic device to access the mobile friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe & wonderful week while trying to keep warm.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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