A new survey conducted by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) shows that 94 percent of customers report overall satisfaction with the transit agency, compared to 91 percent over the same period last year.

The survey, which was conducted in August 2008, follows the release of Fiscal Year 2008 data reporting record ridership of 116.8 million passenger trips as well as ridership records for DART Rail, Trinity Railway Express commuter rail and HOV lanes.

Asked if DART's services are better than last year, 87 percent say yes, compared to 77 percent in 2007, while 96 percent say they'd recommend DART to others, compared to 93 percent a year ago.

Additionally, respondents reported improvements in buses being on schedule (86 percent compared to 80 percent last year); bus transfers being on schedule (90 percent of the time compared to 85 percent in 2007); bus cleanliness, which improved from 72 percent in 2007 to 79 percent this year. Trains got a 95 percent on-time performance rating, while train cleanliness increased from 82 percent to 87 percent.

Approximately 45,000 customer satisfaction surveys were distributed to bus and rail riders in the 13-member cities that make up DART.