Community Survey on Transportation Services
Transportation services are a key community need, with many residents relying on a mixture of personal vehicles, public transit, and private services such as taxis and rideshare apps.
We have extensive experience carrying out community surveys to understand resident’s experiences in the area where they live. Our experience also encompasses determining market conditions for goods and services. We were contracted by Yellow Top Taxi to understand Abbotsford and Mission resident experiences with transportation to determine whether further taxi services were needed in the area. Our work resulted in a successful submission to the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) of British Columbia, with Yellow Top Taxi being awarded new licences to operate in Abbotsford and Mission.
Stakeholders & Community Partners:
What We Did
We designed and carried out a study that discovered a strong need in Abbotsford and Mission for further transportation services—in particular, it showed a demand for more accessible options.
Our concise questionnaire focused on the most important questions.
Multiple modes of data collection contributed to the reliability of the data.
Our public report demonstrated exactly where the needs were and what residents thought about this challenge.
Solution & Deliverables
We strategically planned the project so that it would deliver high-quality data that clearly answered key questions on the existing transportation options in Abbotsford and Mission.
Focused Survey Design
We worked to craft a questionnaire that would lead to a fair evaluation of where the greatest needs were. Residents were asked about:
- Satisfaction with current services.
- How often they used transportation, and in which areas of the City did they need transportation the most often.
- Delays, wait times, and distance travelled.
- Accessibility needs.
Our aim was to paint a picture of what the experiences of different transportation users were and how they could be improved.
Managing Multiple Modes of Data Collection
Surveying communities poses unique challenges to each option for data collection, especially in ensuring a statistically valid sample that does not contain low-quality responses. We navigate these challenges through effectively coordinating different options and using thorough data quality assurance methods.
The survey used a combination of both an online panel and Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) to collect a statistically valid sample of 401 responses, resulting in a margin of error of around ±5% at a 95% confidence level. We’ve found this approach to be incredibly effective and our resources have provided us the ability to collect verified survey responses in any target city whether in Canada, the USA, and internationally.
Our methods for data quality assurance are broad and always consider multiple aspects of a response before deciding as to whether it is invalid. This includes but is not limited to: checking the speed at which a survey was completed, verifying the IP address, and using artificial intelligence to detect responses where the answers are too similar (e.g., always choosing the first option of a multiple-choice response.
Analysis and Reporting
We visualized the results in a public PowerBI dashboard that clearly illustrated the survey findings. Perhaps the most significant finding uncovered in the report were challenges faced by those with accessibility needs: many reported a lack of wheelchair accessible vehicles and experiences of being denied transport because of their service dog by rideshare drivers, who are not . In their proposal to the Passenger Transportation Board, Yellow Top Taxi used the verified survey data to demonstrate the need and explain how they would meet it, resulting in their proposal being accepted by the Board.
2023 City of Abbotsford and Mission Transportation Needs Survey Dashboard - Introduction
The project’s public dashboard includes a thorough overview of the methodology to ensure full transparency on the survey findings.
Results & Impact
Showing how residents feel about services is crucial for understanding where more resources are needed to improve quality of life. It’s also crucial for understanding whether any new or increased service will be successful. As a result of this study, the BC Passenger Transportation Board awarded Yellow Top Taxi new licences to operate in Abbotsford and Mission.
