Whether
working in the public sector providing a service to the general
public, or in the private sector providing services to corporate
clients, it is important to understand your customer. In public
transit it is critical to know not only the demographic characteristics
of current and potential customers, but also where they are
located, how they currently travel from one location to another
and what their needs are.
To
better understand your customers as a public transit provider,
Census data can be utilized to determine market share, commuter
travel patterns, user/non-user demographics, peak morning
and evening service hours, paratransit opportunities, and
service area expansion opportunities. The 2000 Census will
prove to be a valuable tool for understanding your customers
and effectively marketing to them.
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Data as a Tool for Transit Service Planning and Marketing
Between
1960 and 1990, public transit’s market share has declined
seven percentage points from 12% to 5%. As we forge ahead
into the new millennium, there are many policy and planning
issues public transit providers will continue to try and tackle.
To
meet these challenges, transit planning and marketing staff
use two key types of data—custom research data and secondary
data (e.g., Census data).
- Custom
Research is tailored to meet the specific needs of the agency
sponsoring the research. One potential drawback may be that
depending on the sample size and length of the survey, the
cost to conduct custom research can be high.
- Secondary
Data or Census Data provides large sample sizes, depending
on the level of geographic analysis. As with many transit
properties, service areas typically cover a large enough
area in which Census data can be useful. The main drawback
in using Census data is that the variables are predetermined,
therefore lacking the level of detail a custom survey can
provide.
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Practical
Uses for Census Data
Census
data can be used in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
environment in which demographic and geographic information
can be mapped and overlaid on the transit network and land-use
grids (both current and future). Pertinent Census demographic
variables include gender, age, income, family size, language,
race/Spanish origin, education, and marital status among others.
Journey-to-work and related data items can also be useful.
These include vehicle ownership, home and work locations,
multiple jobs, days worked, travel mode, travel time, start
time, and occupation/industry. Other useful Census data items
include mobility impairment, type of housing, newcomer status,
and English speaking ability.
Using
Census data with custom research provides a tool for data
balancing, data expansion and sampling. Although transit agencies
have been involved in redefining the Traffic Analysis Zone
(TAZ) boundaries, other entities are relied upon to provide
information on high growth areas, central city development
and revitalization, and new developments—vital information
for establishing future growth scenarios.
For
updates on the current status of the 2000 Census you can visit
the Census Bureau’s web site at www.census.gov.
Other web sites of interest include www.bts.gov,
www.fhwa.dot.gov,
and www.nas.edu/trb.space
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