The results of NJ Transit’s latest customer survey showed an overall satisfaction rating of 6.4 for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14), matching the agency’s highest customer satisfaction rating that was achieved during the third quarter of the previous fiscal year.  

In addition to a strong overall satisfaction score, NJ Transit also posted record highs on its bus, commuter rail and light rail service during the same time period.

The most recent survey, which was conducted online between August 12 and Sept. 3, was the first to be offered in both English and Spanish. It asked bus, commuter rail, light rail and Access Link customers to rate the transit system on a scale of 0 to 10, and as with previous surveys, customers considered 42 attributes of the system related to facilities, scheduling, vehicles, communications and the overall experience using NJ Transit. Customers were also asked to identify the most important aspects of NJ Transit service among the items they rated.

“This survey data continues to drive our strategic decisions with the goal of improving the overall experience for the people who use the NJ Transit system each day,” said NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein. “We remain committed to actively monitoring our customers’ feedback so that we can respond to meet their needs.”   

Of the approximately 457,560 customers who used NJ Transit service on a typical weekday in the first quarter of FY14, the agency received more than 19,000 responses to the survey, the highest number of responses to date. Regarding customer loyalty, 79% of the customers surveyed said they would recommend NJ Transit to a friend or relative. NJ Transit established the baseline with the first customer survey conducted in advance of the launch of Scorecard in 2011.

For the first quarter of FY14, customers rated their overall satisfaction with NJ Transit service as above average with a score of 6.4, matching the survey high set during the third quarter of FY13 and nearly reaching the agency’s annual goal of 6.5.

Current customer satisfaction ratings on NJ Transit’s four service modes are:

• Bus customers rated their overall satisfaction with service at a 6.4, marking a record high, as well as a significant improvement above the baseline rating of 5.5. About 280,700 customers used NJ Transit’s interstate and local bus system on a typical weekday during the first quarter of FY14, representing approximately 61% of all NJ Transit customers.

• Commuter rail customers gave the agency an overall score of 6.0, matching the survey high set during the previous quarter, and showing a strong improvement over the baseline rating of 4.5. Approximately 135,525 customers rode NJ Transit trains on a typical weekday throughout the first quarter of FY14, comprising 30% of all NJ Transit customers.

• Light rail customers gave NJ Transit an overall satisfaction rating of 7.4, reaching an all-time record high. About 37,525 customers used NJ Transit’s three light rail lines on a typical weekday in the first quarter of FY14, making up approximately 8% of total NJ Transit customers.

• Access Link, NJ Transit’s paratransit service for customers with disabilities, was given an overall rating of 8.1, down slightly from the record high of 8.3, but still well above the baseline score of 7.5. Access Link serves approximately 3,810 customers on a typical weekday.