NJ Transit Unveils Results of First-Ever Customer Survey

NJ Transit on Wednesday revealed the results of the agency’s first customer satisfaction survey as part of “Scorecard,” an initiative designed to provide the public with a clear measurement of the company’s performance

“Thanks to this invaluable input from our customers, the Scorecard will be a living, breathing document that puts the spotlight on the areas where NJ Transit most needs to improve,” said NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein. 

The surveys, which were conducted in the spring, asked customers to rate NJ Transit on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is unacceptable, 5 is acceptable and 10 is excellent. 

Customers rated 32 attributes of the system and identified the three most important aspects of the service.

Of about 428,000 customers who use the service on a typical weekday, NJ Transit received nearly 19,000 responses.

Customers rated their overall satisfaction as “acceptable” or “satisfactory,” with a score of 5.2. Of those surveyed, about 67 percent said they would recommend NJ Transit to a friend or relative, and 63 percent choose to use the service even though they have a vehicle available.

Customer satisfaction ratings on the four services:

• Bus customers rated their overall satisfaction with service at a 5.5 and noted on-time performance, fares and the weekday evening schedule as the most important areas for improvement.  Nearly 261,000 people use the interstate and local bus system on a typical weekday, 61 percent of all NJ Transit customers.
• Rail customers gave an overall score of 4.5, ranking on-time performance, fares, mechanical reliability and the handling of service disruptions as the most important items for improvement. About 132,000 customers ride the trains on a typical weekday, about 31 percent of all NJ Transit customers.
• Light Rail customers gave an overall satisfaction rating of 6.5, indicating that fares, security and seating availability are the most important aspects for improvement. About 33,000 customers use the three light rail lines on a typical weekday, about eight percent of total NJ Transit customers.
• Access Link, service for customers with disabilities, was given an overall rating of 7.5 and serves about 3,000 customers on a typical weekday.

Detailed survey results are available at njtransit.com. 

NJ Transit will use the survey results to target specific improvements. Surveys will be conducted quarterly, with the next survey scheduled to launch later this month.

“We want to be better than simply ‘acceptable’ and are committed to moving the needle to that end,” Weinstein said.