Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
BUS
Increasing
Choice
Ridership
Research
Findings
Report
Bow&Arrow
Communications
Melanie
Chalupa,
Alyson
Crooms,
Ana
Feria,
Stino
Lopez,
Kara
Wheeler
MC4320:
Public
Relations
Campaigns
Tuesday/Thursday,
2-3:30
p.m.
Professor
Paul
D.
Villagran
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY:
THE
BUS
is
a
branch
of
the
larger
transportation
system,
CARTS,
used
throughout
Central
Texas.
THE
BUS
is
in
its
early
stages
of
implementation
due
to
the
growing
demand
for
public
transportation
in
San
Marcos.
The
main
issue
that
THE
BUS
presently
faces
is
choice
ridership.
Choice
riders
are
defined
as
those
who
have
other
means
of
transportation,
but
choose
to
take
the
bus
instead.
The
purpose
of
the
research
is
to
answer
three
main
research
questions:
How
many
students
are
aware
of
THE
BUS;
what
are
the
reasons,
if
any,
why
students
choose
to
not
ride
THE
BUS
and
what
would
make
students
more
willing
to
ride
THE
BUS?
The
main
instrument
used
to
find
the
answers
to
these
questions
was
a
survey
distributed
primarily
online.
This
survey
was
distributed
online
and
in
person.
Qualitative
data
was
also
collected
through
riding
the
bus
and
taking
notes
of
the
experience.
The
survey
revealed
that
many
of
the
students
would
be
encouraged
to
ride
THE
BUS
if
hours
extended
past
8
p.m..
The
survey
also
revealed
that
Texas
State
students
listed
convenience
and
Wi-Fi
as
their
top
priorities
in
public
transportation.
However,
many
of
the
students
stated
that
they
simply
prefer
to
drive.
Qualitative
data
revealed
that
the
condition
of
the
older
busses
that
are
in
place
are
of
poor
quality.
However,
the
experience
of
riding
THE
BUS
was
pleasant
and
timely.
INTRODUCTION:
The
City
of
San
Marcos
has
gained
the
title
for
the
third
consecutive
year
as
the
fastest-growing
city
across
the
nation.
As
a
result
of
this
growth,
the
demand
of
public
transportation
has
increased.
The
City
of
San
Marcos
has
taken
steps
to
improve
their
public
transportation
system
by
rebranding
CARTS
and
introducing
THE
BUS.
The
people
who
already
are
in
need
of
public
transportation
are
aware
of
its
services
and
are
using
THE
BUS;
however,
the
goal
of
this
campaign
is
to
increase
ridership
of
choice
riders.
The
purpose
of
this
study
is
to
discover
what
can
be
done
to
increase
the
ridership
of
choice
riders
within
the
age
rage
of
18-24.
PRIMARY
RESEARCH:
Research
Goal:
THE
BUSs
overall
research
goal
is
to
find
out
how
to
increase
the
choice
ridership
(those
who
have
other
means
of
transportation,
but
choose
to
take
the
bus
instead)
and
target
the
audience
of
people
aged
18
to
24.
Research
Questions:
1. How
many
students
are
aware
of
THE
BUS?
2. What
are
the
reasons,
if
any,
why
students
choose
not
to
ride
THE
BUS?
3. What
would
make
students
more
willing
to
ride
THE
BUS?
Research
Objectives:
1. To
obtain
50
responses
from
Texas
State
students
to
the
survey
by
October
11.
2. To
ride
THE
BUS
at
two
different
times
on
two
different
days
before
October
11
and
take
observation
notes.
Methodology:
The
target
population
chosen
is
choice
riders
aged
18-25.
Choice
riders
are
persons
who
have
the
means
of
transportation
to
and
from
work
or
school
but
choose
public
transportation
as
their
preferred
mode
of
travel.
The
age
range
was
chosen
based
on
the
clients
request
to
target
Texas
State
students.
The
sample
frame
or,
n,
are
the
students
of
Texas
State
University.
THE
BUS
would
like
to
shape
its
look
and
feel
to
meet
the
wants
and
needs
of
the
target
population.
A
survey
was
created
consisting
of
questions
related
to
how
and
why
someone
would
ride
THE
BUS.
The
data
was
collected
through
our
survey
(quantitative
data)
as
well
as
physically
riding
THE
BUS
(qualitative
data).
The
survey
was
distributed
via
Facebook,
email
and
through
face-to-face
interaction
with
Texas
State
students.
Melanie,
Ana
and
Alyson
dispersed
the
survey
at
their
place
of
work,
which
consists
of
Texas
State
students
ages
18-25.
We
started
to
collect
the
data
on
September
26th
and
closed
the
survey
on
October
11th.
Qualitative
data
was
gathered
via
riding
the
bus
and
taking
notes.
Melanie
rode
THE
BUS
on
September
23
and
collected
data
consisting
of
information
regarding
how
long
it
took
to
get
from
place
to
place,
what
the
bus
looked
like
on
the
inside
and
out,
and
what
type
of
passengers
rode
THE
BUS.
Kara
made
an
attempt
to
ride
the
bus
on
September
15,
but
was
unable
to
do
so
(See:
Qualitative
Data).
With
the
data
we
collected,
we
analyzed
the
survey
and
created
tables
and
charts
from
the
feedback.
See
appendix
B.
Findings:
Quantitative
Data
Results:
THE
BUS
received
48
responses,
and
each
participant
is
a
student.
The
majority
of
participants,
71.1%,
are
aware
of
the
San
Marcos
city
bus
system.
An
overwhelming
majority
has
never
used
the
current
city
bus
system,
CARTS.
We
found
that
those
who
have
used
the
city
bus
system
tend
to
use
it
for
general
errands
and
to
get
to
school.
Wi-Fi
and
convenience
were
cited
as
potential
incentives
for
those
who
currently
do
not
use
the
bus.
The
majority
of
riders
report
that
they
would
most
utilize
THE
BUS
past
its
current
hours,
but
5:00pm
to
8:00pm
was
the
second
most
popular
time
reported.
Lack
of
information
was
cited
as
an
issue
throughout
the
survey,
and
participants
learn
toward
a
smartphone
app
as
choice
means
of
information
for
THE
BUS.
Qualitative
Data
Results:
Melanie
rode
the
bus
on
September
23
at
2:45pm.
She
rode
Route
5.
The
route
picked
Melanie
up
on
Craddock,
then
went
through
the
university
to
the
Gumbys
stop,
then
to
the
station,
down
I-35
through
the
shopping
center
that
Target
is
in
and
then
to
the
outlets.
The
condition
of
THE
BUS
seemed
questionable.
The
seats
were
weathered,
there
was
gum
on
the
floor
and
the
windows
and
panels
were
dirty.
However,
the
bus
driver
seemed
friendly,
it
was
equipped
with
seatbelts
and
the
A/C
was
working
well.
One
passenger
was
picked
up
on
campus;
she
used
her
student
ID
and
went
to
the
station
to
transfer
to
Austin.
THE
BUS
stopped
at
the
station
for
3-5
minutes.
The
station
appeared
to
be
in
very
nice
condition
from
the
outside.
Another
young
female
student
used
THE
BUS
to
go
to
the
outlets.
At
the
station,
7
more
people
loaded
onto
THE
BUS
and
headed
to
the
outlets.
The
full
route
took
38
minutes
to
complete.
See
Appendix
A
for
Melanies
complete
notes.
Kara
attempted
to
ride
the
bus
on
September
15,
but
did
not
physically
do
so.
She
waited
for
THE
BUS
approximately
30
minutes
before
it
showed
up.
THE
BUS
was
going
to
Austin
and
she
did
not
have
time
to
go
there
and
back.
She
waited
another
15
minutes
before
having
to
leave
for
class.
In
that
time,
the
Texas
State
University
bus
stopped
three
consecutive
times.
The
data
she
collected
contributed
to
further
research
on
when
and
where
THE
BUS
stops.
Current
Attitudes:
In
response
to
why
students
choose
not
to
ride
THE
BUS,
the
majority
of
participants
stated
that
they
prefer
to
drive,
but
the
second
most
stated
answer
was
lack
of
information.
Wi-Fi,
convenience
and
rides
to
the
square
were
the
most
popular
incentives
listed
to
ride
THE
BUS.
A
little
over
half
of
the
participants
report
a
small
chance
of
them
riding
THE
BUS,
and
a
little
under
half
of
participants
report
that
they
are
moderate
to
most
likely
to
ride
the
bus.
7:00am
to
9:00am
and
5:00pm
to
8:00pm
are
the
two
most
popular
times
for
students
to
ride
the
bus
within
the
city
bus
the
current
bus
hours.
However,
most
respondents
stated
that
they
would
be
most
likely
to
ride
THE
BUS
outside
of
its
current
running
hours.
Media
Use:
Students
report
that
the
best
methods
of
communication
to
receive
information
about
THE
BUS
are
a
smartphone
app
and
social
media.
Demographics:
91.1%
of
the
45
participants
are
ages
18-24,
and
8.9%
of
participants
fell
within
the
25-30-age
range.
The
majority
of
participants
are
female,
with
28.9%
of
participants
being
male
and
2.2%
falling
under
other.
99.8%
of
participants
have
completed
at
least
some
college.
See
Appendix
B.
Interpretation:
The
survey
and
riding
the
bus
supplemented
our
research
on
why
people
age
18-25
are
not
riding
the
bus.
As
stated
in
our
findings
section,
college
students
were
not
riding
the
bus
because
they
would
rather
drive,
did
not
feel
the
need
to
ride
the
bus
or
the
hours
in
which
they
were
interested
in
riding
THE
BUS
are
outside
of
its
running
hours.
Interpreting
that
data,
we
can
conclude
to
a
couple
solutions
that
can
increase
choice
ridership.
Possibly
the
most
important
knowledge
gained
from
our
survey
revealed
students
would
most
likely
utilize
the
bus
after
8
p.m.
The
buses
do
not
currently
run
after
8
p.m.,
so
extending
the
hours
past
8
p.m.
could
potentially
help
increase
choice
ridership
numbers.
Many
of
the
students
also
listed
lack
of
information
as
the
main
reason
for
them
not
using
THE
BUS.
Since
the
students
stated
a
smartphone
app
would
be
their
preferred
method
of
communication,
this
can
be
used
as
a
way
to
distribute
information
about
the
bus
system
or
specific
routes.
For
the
students
who
would
just
rather
drive,
it
can
be
explained
to
them
that
the
buses
have
Wi-Fi
so
they
can
be
on
their
phones
or
laptops,
which
is
important
since
San
Marcos
is
a
hands
free
city.
The
qualitative
data
that
was
conducted
produced
further
inside
as
to
why
students
may
be
deterred
from
riding
THE
BUS.
For
example,
the
bus
stops
are
often
inconveniently
located
and
may
not
come
by
often
enough.
Additionally,
the
busses
appeared
to
be
old
and
dirty.
The
implementation
of
the
new
busses
will
solve
this
particular
issue.
There
were
a
couple
limitations,
including
not
being
able
to
reach
the
research
goal
of
50
responses
on
the
survey
and
also
not
being
able
to
ride
the
bus
as
many
times
as
planned.
There
was
also
a
diversity
problem
within
the
survey.
An
overwhelming
majority
of
the
respondents
were
Caucasian
female.
This
will
have
to
be
considered
when
implementing
the
data.
Given
these
limitations,
we
were
still
able
to
productively
and
effectively
gather
useful
research
for
the
client.
APPENDICES:
Appendix
A:
Bus
Riding
Research
Friday,
September
23
at
2:45pm
Melanie
Chalupa
Route
5
Got
on
the
bus
at
Craddock,
got
off
the
bus
at
the
outlets
Handicap
access
Bus
looks
weathered;
gum
on
floor,
dirty
windows
and
panels
Friendly
driver
Seats:
8
rows
of
2
(4
rows
on
each
side)
A/C
works
well
Equipped
with
seatbelts
No
one
was
on
the
bus
when
I
initially
boarded
One
passenger
was
picked
up
on
campus,
used
student
ID.
She
went
to
the
station
to
transfer
and
go
to
Austin.
Two
people
got
on
the
bus
at
the
Gumbys
stop,
neither
showed
ID
or
proof
of
payment
One
college
or
HS
age
girl
headed
to
the
outlets
One
middle
age
male
headed
to
the
station
The
station
appeared
to
be
in
very
nice
condition
from
the
outside
Two
smaller
buses
have
already
been
transformed
into
THE
Bus,
as
seen
at
the
station
Only
spent
3-5
minutes
at
the
station
Seven
people
boarded
on
the
station,
all
showed
passes
and
all
headed
to
the
outlets
The
route
picked
me
up
on
Craddock
then
went
through
the
university
to
the
Gumbys
stop,
then
to
the
station,
down
I-35
through
the
shopping
center
that
Target
is
in
and
then
the
outlets.
Over
all
ride
time:
2:44p
pick
up,
3:22p
(38
minutes)
Appendix B: