Blog: KAT Blog

Transit on Tap Online Survey Results

Our online survey was available during the time of our Transit on Tap sessions this fall. While we didn’t receive a huge response, we did get 51 responses, and below is a summary of those responses:

The first question was to get at how much people know about our transit system. The results were encouraging, in that over 70% of the respondents are familiar with the service.

Familiar chart

The second question was about barriers to riding – what keeps you from choosing transit as an option? It looks like convenience is the biggest issue – both in that the route takes too long and the bus isn’t frequent enough.

Barriers to riding chart

What incentives might make someone more likely to hop on the bus? Better frequencies and real-time bus information top the list.

Incentives to ride

The open-ended comments were extremely varied. It’s difficult to summarize, but below are a few. Note that if the comment theme was already discussed in the blog entries at any point, I did not include it here:
• My work schedule can sometimes be erratic or require that I travel somewhere for lunch or after work, so I can't take KAT every day. I could probably take it three or four days a week—but I already have to pay for parking at work (UT) by the month, so taking KAT and paying for a parking place I'm not using. If UT had a daily parking option or a free park-and-ride lot nearby I'd be much more likely to take KAT…
• I wish the bus would go to the zoo and Turkey Creek and Northshore Center
• Route 16 and 40 should be running on Sundays
• Could bus tickets be bought at gas stations and news stands like in other cities?
• I…recently moved to Knoxville and find that most employers, even the bigger companies frown on those who have to take the bus to work. They claim it is not reliable transportation. I wish there were a way to get the word out that KAT is reliable transportation.
• Since you've got a nice GPS system on the buses/trolleys with the pleasant recorded female voice advising you that you are "Now approaching this street at that street," couldn't you have something like that in the trolley waiting room that announces, "The Blue Line Trolley is now approaching" in time for you to get up, zip your coat, grab your bag(s), and get out the door to catch it
• My dream while I was in grad school was to ride the bus to work everyday, but that would be very inconvenient for my new work schedule. I have much less flexibility regarding when I can arrive, how much time I can take for lunch, and how to use my limited free time outside of work. Higher frequency of buses might possibly make my dream a feasible reality.
• Companies need to provide more incentives to use alternative transportation. It benefits everyone.
• Not only do the new trolley routes not work well for me -- or for others, based on my observations of lower ridership

And the final question:
Who responded

Next steps: The whole KAT team is going to take a look at this input to determine if our current plans and goals are in line with what we've heard. Results of that will be posted here. Comments are encouraged!

Posted by bbrill On 07 December, 2016 at 9:51 AM 1 Comment

Comments

Kat Supporter (Guest) said On 09 December, 2016 at 9:22 PM

I noticed that your Kat transportation does not reach specific high-employment areas. Specifically, the Forks of the River Industrial park. It would make sense if the Magnolia line(s) crossed over and arrived in that area. Possibly mornings and evenings, when most needed and might be part of "revitalization" plan for that area.