CTA 2022 CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION SURVEY
November 2022
Prepared for Regional Transit Authority
CTA 2022 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
November 2022
i
CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1
2.0 SURVEY DESIGN .............................................................................. 1
3.0 SURVEY ADMINISTRATION & DISTRIBUTION ............................... 4
3.1 SAMPLING PLAN ....................................................................................4
ASSIGNMENT OF SURVEYS TO BUS ROUTE GROUP OR
TRAIN BRANCH .....................................................................................4
SAMPLE SIZE TARGETS BY BUS ROUTE GROUP OR
TRAIN BRANCH .....................................................................................5
3.2 SURVEY ADMINISTRATION ...................................................................6
ONLINE RECRUITMENT........................................................................6
ON-BOARD RECRUITMENT ..................................................................7
3.3 RESPONSE RATES ................................................................................9
3.4 CLEANING, MERGING AND WEIGHTING............................................ 10
DATA WEIGHTING AND EXPANSION ................................................ 10
4.0 RESULTS ......................................................................................... 13
4.1 DEMOGRAPHICS BY YEAR ................................................................. 13
4.2 RESULTS FOR GENERAL RIDERSHIP ............................................... 21
4.3 SATISFACTION RESULTS.................................................................... 31
REGIONWIDE SATISFACTION ........................................................... 42
4.4 ADDITIONAL RESULTS ........................................................................ 43
4.5 KEY DRIVERS OF OVERALL SATISFACTION ..................................... 47
4.6 QUADRANT CHART .............................................................................. 48
5.0 CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 51
APPENDIX A. 2022 QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................. 52
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5.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 52
5.2 GENERAL RIDERSHIP ......................................................................... 53
5.3 SATISFACTION WITH CTA SERVICE .................................................. 61
5.4 DEMOGRAPHICS .................................................................................. 65
APPENDIX B. ON-BOARD DISTRIBUTION ......................................... 70
APPENDIX C. SURVEY COMPLETES BY ON-BOARD OR
ONLINE ............................................................................................ 71
APPENDIX D. CROSSTABS ................................................................. 72
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1: SCREENSHOT OF ATTRIBUTE SATISFACTION RATING
QUESTION IN CTA WEB SURVEY ........................................................................... 2
FIGURE 2: GEOGRAPHIC BRANCH ASSIGNMENTS FOR BLUE, GREEN,
AND RED LINES ....................................................................................................... 5
FIGURE 3: FRONT PANEL OF CTA PAPER SURVEY ..................................................... 8
FIGURE 4: SCREENSHOT OF TRANSLATED INSTRUCTIONS ON CTA
PAPER SURVEY ....................................................................................................... 9
FIGURE 5: AGE BY YEAR .............................................................................................. 14
FIGURE 6: GENDER BY YEAR ....................................................................................... 15
FIGURE 7: RACE AND ETHNICITY BY YEAR ................................................................ 16
FIGURE 8: EMPLOYMENT STATUS BY YEAR .............................................................. 17
FIGURE 9: HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY YEAR ................................................................ 18
FIGURE 10: USE OF MOBILE DEVICES BY YEAR ........................................................ 19
FIGURE 11: MOBILE DEVICE USE OF ON-BOARD RESPONDENTS BY
YEAR ....................................................................................................................... 20
FIGURE 12: MOBILE DEVICE USE OF EMAIL RESPONDENTS BY YEAR .................. 20
FIGURE 13: PURPOSE OF MOST FREQUENT TRIP BY YEAR .................................... 21
FIGURE 14: PRIMARY REASON FOR RIDING CTA BY YEAR ...................................... 22
FIGURE 15: FREQUENCY OF CTA USE BY YEAR ....................................................... 24
FIGURE 16: ACCESS MODE BY YEAR .......................................................................... 25
FIGURE 17: EGRESS MODE BY YEAR .......................................................................... 25
FIGURE 18: INFLUENCE ON FREQUENCY OF CTA USE (SELECT ALL THAT
APPLY QUESTION)................................................................................................. 26
FIGURE 19: NUMBER OF TRANSFERS ON TYPICAL ONE-WAY TRIP BY
YEAR ....................................................................................................................... 27
FIGURE 20: ALTERNATIVE MODE ................................................................................ 28
FIGURE 21: FARE PAYMENT METHOD BY YEAR ........................................................ 29
FIGURE 22: VENTRA REFILL METHOD BY YEAR ........................................................ 30
FIGURE 23: OVERALL SATISFACTION BY YEAR ........................................................ 31
FIGURE 24: EASE OF FARE PAYMENT, VENTRA APP AND VALUE OF
SERVICE FOR FARE PAID BY YEAR .................................................................... 32
FIGURE 25: SERVICE DELIVERY SATISFACTION BY YEAR ....................................... 33
FIGURE 26: INFORMATION SATISFACTION BY YEAR ................................................ 34
FIGURE 27: COMMUNICATION SATISFACTION BY YEAR .......................................... 35
FIGURE 28: EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE SATISFACTION BY YEAR ......................... 36
FIGURE 29: PUBLIC SAFETY SATISFACTION USE BY YEAR ..................................... 37
FIGURE 30: COMFORT SATISFACTION BY YEAR ....................................................... 38
FIGURE 31: CLEANLINESS SATISFACTION BY YEAR ................................................ 39
FIGURE 32: ACCESS TO SERVICE SATISFACTION BY YEAR .................................... 40
FIGURE 33: REGIONAL SATISFACTION BY YEAR ...................................................... 42
FIGURE 34: STATION DISTANCE INTEREST BY YEAR ............................................... 43
FIGURE 35: TELECOMMUTING FREQUENCY AMONG FULL-TIME
EMPLOYEES ........................................................................................................... 44
FIGURE 36: CTA ACCESS DETERMINES HOME/WORK LOCATION ........................... 45
FIGURE 37: CTA ACCESS DETERMINES HOME/WORK LOCATION FOR
BUS USERS ............................................................................................................ 46
FIGURE 38: CTA ACCESS DETERMINES HOME/WORK LOCATION FOR
TRAIN USERS ......................................................................................................... 46
FIGURE 39: 2022 DERIVED IMPORTANCE COEFFICIENTS ......................................... 48
FIGURE 40: KEY DRIVERS OF OVERALL SATISFACTION QUADRANT
CHART .................................................................................................................... 49
LIST OF TABLES
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TABLE 1: SURVEY COMPLETES BY RECRUITMENT AND COMPLETION
METHOD ................................................................................................................... 9
TABLE 2: DATA EXPANSION TABLE ............................................................................ 11
TABLE 3: TRANSIT DEPENDENCY BY YEAR ............................................................... 23
TABLE 4: LIKELY TO RECOMMEND BY YEAR............................................................. 41
TABLE 5: MEETS OR EXCEEDS CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS OF
PERFORMANCE BY YEAR ..................................................................................... 41
TABLE 6: SATISFACTION WITH CTA’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19 ............................. 41
TABLE 7: UNDERSTANDING QUADRANT CHARTS .................................................... 49
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
This report summarizes the findings of the 2022 Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Customer
Satisfaction study conducted in April 2022 on behalf of the CTA and the Regional
Transportation Authority (RTA). The 2022 study is the newest study in an ongoing effort with the
last being conducted in Fall 2016. The effort for the 2022 study began in early 2020 but was
halted by the emergence of the COVID-19 virus.
The purpose of the ongoing effort is to understand customer perceptions of the quality of CTA
service and the results from this study will help to evaluate performance and inform future
improvements to CTA. Metra and Pace conducted comparable studies to measure similar
aspects of service with the same scale and to gain an understanding of satisfaction with transit
service in the six-county RTA service region.
A survey was developed and distributed to CTA customers on-board buses and trains and via
email. Email invitations were sent to 75,525 select Ventra users who had taken CTA in the past
three months, roughly representative of CTA ridership by train branch or bus route group.
Additional paper surveys were distributed by trained survey teams on-board CTA vehicles, with
heavier sampling on lines and routes that were assumed to be underrepresented based on prior
Ventra email outreach efforts. These paper surveys could be completed by respondents as they
traveled or returned postage-paid by mail. Additionally, the paper survey included a URL and
unique password for respondents who preferred to take the survey online. A total of 9,876
surveys were gathered using these two methods.
2.0 SURVEY DESIGN
The questionnaire design of the 2022 Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Customer Satisfaction
Survey (CSS) is largely consistent with the 2016 survey to allow for comparisons over time.
Some adjustments were made to reflect current events. For instance, personal and shared e-
scooters were added as access and egress answer options to reflect the emergence of these
modes as alternative transportation options, and the satisfaction section included a new
question about CTA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey began with asking respondents a selection of travel behavior questions, including
questions about how many days a week they ride CTA and how they access their destination
after riding their last CTA bus or train. These questions allow a better understanding of
customer satisfaction among various segments of riders.
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At the core of the questionnaire was a set of thirty-seven satisfaction questions or attributes
across ten service dimensions, which consist of:
- Service Delivery
- Information
- Communications on Buses and
Trains
- Safety and Personal Security
- Comfort while Riding
- Appearance
- Access to Service
- Employee Performance
- Response to COVID-19
- Overall Service
Respondents were asked to assign a value to their satisfaction with each attribute on a 10-point
scale with 1 being “Very Unsatisfied” and 10 being “Very Satisfied.” Satisfaction ratings fall into
four categories on the scale – very dissatisfied, dissatisfied, satisfied, and very satisfied.
Respondents could also select that the attribute was not applicable (“n/a”) to them. A
screenshot of how the satisfaction attributes for the Comfort While Riding dimension appeared
to online respondents is shown in Figure 1.
FIGURE 1: SCREENSHOT OF ATTRIBUTE SATISFACTION RATING QUESTION IN CTA WEB
SURVEY
The survey also asked about riders’ likelihood to recommend CTA services to others and about
how well CTA was meeting their expectations. These questions add nuance to the satisfaction
scores, as riders can be unsatisfied with elements of service but still feel that CTA is meeting
their overall expectations.
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Finally, respondents were asked a series of demographic questions, such as age, gender, and
income. As in prior years, incentive prizes in the form of a lottery were offered to help increase
participation. Respondents were given the opportunity to opt-in for a chance to win either the
Grand Prize of a $250 Visa gift card (one winner), or a Second Prize of a $50 Visa gift card (20
winners). If respondents opted-in to the prize lottery, they entered their contact information
(email or mailing address). Email addresses and mailing addresses were inspected, and
duplicates were removed to ensure unique entries.
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3.0 SURVEY ADMINISTRATION & DISTRIBUTION
3.1 SAMPLING PLAN
A sampling plan was constructed based on CTA ridership data from September and October
2021.
1
The sampling plan was centered around bus route groups and train branches that CTA
uses to summarize and describe bus routes and L train lines.
Assignment of surveys to bus route group or train branch
These eleven bus route groups and fifteen rail branches have remained consistent since the last
iteration of the survey in 2016, thus the approach to assigning surveys to a bus route group and
train branch was largely congruent with that of 2016, allowing for accurate year-to-year
comparisons. To associate a survey with a bus route group or train branch respondents’ answer
about which bus or train they take most often was considered (specifically, “Please indicate
which one CTA bus route OR train line you spend the MOST time on”). If an answer to that
question was not available, any additional bus routes or train lines they indicated taking was
used. The Brown, Orange, Pink, Purple, and Yellow train lines only have one branch each, and
the assignment to a train line is therefore straightforward. However, the Blue, Green, and Red
lines include multiple branches, and to assign respondents who indicated that they take one of
those trains most often to a branch, their home ZIP Code was used, as is illustrated in Figure 2.
1
Typically, ridership data from the same time period as the survey administration period for the prior year
is used for preparing the sampling plan, but due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was
estimated that September and October 2021 ridership would be a closer match to ridership patterns
during the survey administration period of April and May 2022.
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FIGURE 2: GEOGRAPHIC BRANCH ASSIGNMENTS FOR BLUE, GREEN, AND RED LINES
When possible, responses with ZIP Codes not included on these maps were manually assigned
to a branch based on their primary train line and any additional bus routes or train lines used.
The small number of surveys that were still without a branch (respondents who live in distant
suburbs, beyond the designations identified in Figure 3) were assigned to the branch from their
primary train line that was most under-quota.
Finally, some changes first made in 2016 that were maintained in the 2022 survey include:
- The merging of the Green line’s three southern branches – Ashland, East 63
rd
, and
South Elevated – into one branch: “Green – South Branches”
- The merging of the Midway Feeder bus route group with the South Side East-West
group, as well as the Northwest Side Feeder bus route group with the North Side East-
West group
- Splitting branches that pass through the Loop, including the Brown, Green, Orange,
Pink, and Purple line branches proportionally into Loop and non-Loop ridership
o This was done by allocating riders from the "Loop" proportionally to the branches.
For instance, if the Green line accounted for 30% outside of Loop (among Loop-
lines), 30% of Loop riders were associated with the Green line inside the Loop.
Sample size targets by bus route group or train branch
Based on CTA’s ridership and the percent of satisfied riders from prior iterations of the
Customer Satisfaction surveys a target of 273 completed surveys per bus group and train
branch was set. At prior years’ satisfaction levels, this target allows for comparisons at a 95-
confidence interval with 5% margin of error.
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To determine for which bus group and train branch the Ventra online outreach was likely to fall
short -- and on-board recruitment therefore should occur -- the number of completes from the
2020 online Ventra outreach was used as a starting point. Despite COVID, this approach was
justifiable because the 2022 Ventra contact list was curated the same way as it was in 2020
(that is, equivalent group/branch distribution and similar number of contacts).
Based on the likely number of completes from the 2022 Ventra list outreach, the intercept
distribution plan was adjusted to fill “gaps”, i.e., where the online outreach was expected to fall
short of the sample size target. This was primarily done for train branches and bus route groups
for which ridership was sufficiently high and for which it was therefore realistic to approach the
completion targets. For instance, the ridership of the Yellow Line rail branch has dropped to just
1,082 due to Covid, and it was decided to not prioritize that route for on-board intercepts, since
it would be unrealistic and cost-prohibitive to meet the target of 273 completed surveys. Instead,
the on-board intercept prioritized branches where a) the online outreach was expected to fall
short of the target, yet b) where the branch/group also had a sizeable ridership to make meeting
the sample size target realistic (e.g., Green – Lake branch, Downtown Bus group). Shown in the
Appendix are the branches and bus groups where intercept outreach occurred.
3.2 SURVEY ADMINISTRATION
Online Recruitment
The online survey was available to complete between March 18 and May 17, 2022. Email
invites to the online survey were distributed on March 18, 2022, with three reminder emails (on
March 31, April 11, and April 25 of 2022) sent to those who had not yet filled out the survey at
the time of the reminders. The list of recipients was comprised of 75,525 Ventra users who had
used CTA in the last three months and were opted-in to be contacted for surveys. Email
invitations were sent using a cloud-based email software. Reminder emails were sent to people
who had not yet completed the survey. Each email contained a web link with a unique password
to ensure respondents could not take the survey more than once.
The web survey was programmed using proprietary software which allows for survey
customization for each respondent to improve the quality of the data being collected and reduce
respondent burden and fatigue. The web-based survey was designed to mirror the paper survey
to obtain consistent responses between the two methods. However, the online survey included
an additional question aimed to gauge why non-regular riders of CTA do not ride CTA. This
question was only asked to those who answered they ride less than one day per month and
were recruited via email.
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On-board Recruitment
On-board surveying was conducted between April 5 and April 30, 2022. Prior to surveying, a
training session was held with surveyors and supervisors on April 4, 2022 to instruct staff on
surveying processes and expectations. Survey supervisors were joined by RTA’s project
manager. Surveyors were assigned a time period to start and end their shifts consistent with the
sampling plan that sought representation of each route during a certain time of the day and day
of the week as opposed to representing exact times or specific bus or train runs. Surveyors
were originally assigned to cover either one bus or one train car, however, because of safety
and security concerns that surveyors voiced during fielding, they were allowed to travel from
train car to train car with their partner this year, rather being on the same train and in different
cars from their partner as in prior survey waves.
Customers could complete the paper survey by returning it to one of the surveyors on-board, or
by mailing it back (postage-paid), or by completing the survey online. However, the importance
of collecting completed surveys on board was emphasized throughout the project, and
surveyors were reminded to encourage customers to complete their survey while riding to boost
response rates.
If respondents preferred to respond to the survey online, they had the option to use the link and
unique password provided on the cover of the paper survey. The unique password ensured that
each customer could take the survey only once. When survey distribution concluded, 9,776
questionnaires had been distributed to CTA customers. Completed paper surveys were
accepted via the business reply mail option until May 23, 2022.
Figure 3 shows the completion instructions printed on the front page of the paper survey.
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FIGURE 3: FRONT PANEL OF CTA PAPER SURVEY
Paper surveys were offered in English and Spanish, with Polish and Chinese surveys available
online. In addition to English, instructions for how to access the online survey were provided in
Spanish, Chinese, and Polish on the paper survey (Figure 4).
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FIGURE 4: SCREENSHOT OF TRANSLATED INSTRUCTIONS ON CTA PAPER SURVEY
3.3 RESPONSE RATES
In total, 9,876 respondents completed or returned usable surveys. To be considered a usable
survey, a survey record had to be attributed to a bus group or line branch. Email invitations were
sent to 75,525 valid email addresses resulting in 8,788 completed surveys, or an approximately
12% response rate. Additionally, 9,776 printed surveys were distributed on-board, resulting in
1,088 completed surveys, or an 11% response rate. Most who received a paper survey and
completed the survey handed it back in person; however, 235 of the 1,088 complete surveys
were mailed back and 113 were obtained online. The 10% of paper respondents who complete
the survey online after receiving a paper copy on a train or bus is in line with prior years
(approximately 14% in 2016).
A total of 402 (4%) surveys were completed in a language other than English: 322 surveys were
in Spanish; 66 in Chinese, and 14 in Polish. Final counts of completed surveys by recruitment
type (i.e., whether the respondent was intercepted on-board or received an email invitation) and
completion method (i.e., whether the respondent completed a paper or online survey) is shown
in Table 1.
TABLE 1: SURVEY COMPLETES BY RECRUITMENT AND COMPLETION METHOD
RECRUITMENT
METHOD
PAPER
COMPLETES
WEB COMPLETES
TOTAL
Email
--
8,788
8,788
On-board
975
113
1,088
Total
975
8,901
9,876
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3.4 CLEANING, MERGING AND WEIGHTING
Before the completed surveys could be weighted and analyzed, steps were taken to accurately
merge the paper and web-based data. Of particular importance was translating the primary
route/line so respondents could be accurately grouped into a primary group/branch, which was
the target variable used in data weighting and expansion. Many paper survey respondents gave
both a primary bus route and primary train line. In this case responses were assigned to a
primary bus route group or train branch based on which one was under quota or, if both were
over quota, then the response was assigned to either bus or rail randomly. Additionally, many
paper survey respondents left the primary route/line question blank. If they gave information
about other bus routes and/or lines they use regularly, this information was used to assign a
primary route/line. If not, their unique survey password was matched with the surveyor count
sheets to determine where the respondent received the survey, and this route/line was assigned
as their primary. After extensive data cleaning, a total of 975 paper surveys were determined as
valid. The surveys deemed invalid are not included in the presentation of results.
Data Weighting and Expansion
Data weighting and expansion were applied to ensure that the survey sample accurately
reflected CTA’s traveling population. Initial weights were calculated using March and April 2022
ridership data provided by CTA to align the proportion of survey responses per bus route group
or train branch to CTA’s traveling population in March and April 2022 ridership data provided by
CTA.
Through discussions with CTA, an additional target to increase the on-board sample to account
for 25% of the total sample was set. A set of desired proportions by bus route group or train
branch were set as targets for an iterative proportional fit (IPF) algorithm. An additional target,
with the goal of increasing the on-board sample to account for 25% of the total sample, was
included as well. Increasing the on-board sample from 10% to 25% helped ensure that the
demographic profile of the online sample, which made up the majority of the completed surveys
did not overpower the on-board sample. The IPF algorithm resulted in weights that successfully
maintained the ridership levels by bus group or train branch and increased the on-board
responses to account for 25% of the survey sample.
Table 2 shows the average weekday ridership, unweighted sample sizes, weighted proportion of
the sample, and expansion factors associated with each bus route group and train branch. All
tabulations in the report were conducted using the expanded data.
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TABLE 2: DATA EXPANSION TABLE
Group or Branch
Average
Weekday
Ridership
(March &
April, 2022)
Proportion
of Average
Weekday
Ridership
Unweighted
Sample
Unweighted
Sample
Proportion
Average
Expansion
Factor
Bus Groups
Downtown
4,435
0.6%
113
1.1%
39.2
Evanston
3,468
0.5%
34
0.3%
102.0
Far South Side
16,661
2.4%
250
2.5%
66.6
North Side East-West
63,400
9.2%
478
4.8%
132.6
North Side Lake Shore
Drive
21,144
3.1%
256
2.6%
82.6
North Side Downtown
37,284
5.4%
390
3.9%
95.6
North-South
Crosstown
120,195
17.4%
1167
11.8%
103.0
South Side East-West
55,820
8.1%
580
5.9%
96.2
South Side Lake
Shore Drive
15,933
2.3%
422
4.3%
37.8
South Side Downtown
31,349
4.5%
418
4.2%
75.0
West Side East-West
61,918
9.0%
642
6.5%
96.4
Special
2,918
0.4%
66
0.7%
44.2
Train Branches
Blue – Dearborn
Subway
12,259
1.8%
90
0.9%
136.2
Blue – Forest Park
12,681
1.8%
330
3.3%
38.4
Blue – O’Hare
37,324
5.4%
933
9.4%
40.0
Brown
38,617
5.6%
529
5.4%
73.0
Green – Lake
18,448
2.7%
335
3.4%
55.1
Green – South
Branches
7,428
1.1%
275
2.8%
27.0
Orange
20,271
2.9%
564
5.7%
35.9
Pink – Cermak
13,157
1.9%
263
2.7%
50.0
Purple – Evanston
5,604
0.8%
118
1.2%
47.5
Red – Dan Ryan
17,759
2.6%
712
7.2%
24.9
Red – North Main
51,715
7.5%
806
8.2%
64.2
Red – State Subway
20,498
3.0%
76
0.8%
269.7
Yellow – Skokie
1,085
0.2%
29
0.3%
37.4
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Note: Final weighted proportion matched the ridership proportion. The margin of error, based on
2022 overall satisfaction for the entire 2022 sample, is .85%. Statistically significant differences
are indicated in the crosstabs found in Appendix D.
Once processing and expansion were completed, variables that remained consistent year over
year were merged. For some variables (e.g., income), the answer options had changed over the
years, so ranges had to be collapsed into larger buckets to allow for comparisons.
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
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4.0 RESULTS
This section presents select results of the 2022 CTA CSS such as travel behavior, satisfaction
with service attributes, and demographic information, compared to results from Spring 2014 and
Fall 2016.
4.1 DEMOGRAPHICS BY YEAR
The following charts compare demographics between 2022 and the 2016 and 2014 surveys.
Changes to rider demographics between the 2022 survey and previous years are likely due to a
combination of factors, including the use of a larger and updated email list used to recruit
respondents to take the survey, and shifts in rider demographics due to the impacts of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The 2016 and 2014 surveys used an email list that was mostly comprised
of former Chicago Card users who tended to skew older, higher income, and white. The
Chicago Card was discontinued in 2014 but the associated email list was used for the 2016
survey because it was still the best available source for reaching a large group of customers at
the time. For the 2022 survey a larger and more current email list for CTA customers was
available, comprised of Ventra registered users who have provided email addresses and opted
in for additional communications. A link to the survey was sent to a subset of this list made up of
CTA customers who rode the system in the last three months.
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The sampled ridership trended younger in 2022 than in previous years, with the 18-24 age
group representing 16% of the sample in 2022 as compared to 4% in 2016. Meanwhile,
sampled ridership between the ages of 55 and 64 decreased by 9-percentage points between
2016 and 2022, and among riders 65 and over by 4-percentage points (Figure 5).
FIGURE 5: AGE BY YEAR
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As in years past, more women than men answered the survey (56% women vs. 41% men).
Participants who identified as gender non-binary made up 3% of respondents, a category that
was added in 2022 (Figure 6).
FIGURE 6: GENDER BY YEAR
Note: “Gender non-binary” and “Prefer to self-describe” were new categories in the 2022 survey.
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Compared to 2016, respondents were much more diverse, with a 17-percentage point decrease
in Caucasian/White respondents in 2022 (53% to 36%) and increases in all other racial/ethnic
identities. Between 2016 and 2022, African American/Black respondents rose by five
percentage points (27% to 32%), Hispanic/Latino respondents increased by 13-percentage
points (12% to 25%), and Asian/Pacific Islanders increased by two-percentage points (5% to
7%). (Figure 7). The increase in diversity of CTA’s ridership may be attributed in part to the
increase in telecommuting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and differences in the ability to
telecommute among different ridership segments.
FIGURE 7: RACE AND ETHNICITY BY YEAR
Note: “American Indian/Alaska Native” was a new category in the 2022 survey.
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Fewer respondents were employed full-time in 2022 (a decrease from 66% in 2016 to 55% in
2022) but more were employed part-time. Further, more respondents were students (working
and not working students comprised 16% of the sample in 2022 vs. 5% in 2016). (Figure 8).
These changes are consistent with the change in age distribution as shown in Figure 5.
FIGURE 8: EMPLOYMENT STATUS BY YEAR
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The income of respondents showed a shift this year with percent of respondents with household
incomes under $40,000 increasing and percent of respondents with household incomes over
$60,000 decreasing. In 2016 10% of respondents earned less than $15,000 annually, in 2022
the number increased to 15%. Meanwhile, 15% of respondents earned $150,000 or more in
2016 while only 9% reported such an income in the 2022 survey. The increase in respondents
who report a lower household income may be due to the rise of telecommuting as respondents
who make higher incomes are more likely to hold a job that allows them to telecommute (Figure
9).
FIGURE 9: HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY YEAR
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Smartphone usage has continued to increase and saw a four-percentage point increase since
2016, from 84% to 88%. However, riders are less likely to use laptops or tablets; only 44%
reported usage in 2022 compared to 54% in 2016 (Figure 10).
FIGURE 10: USE OF MOBILE DEVICES BY YEAR
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It is important to note that increases in smartphone usage are not uniform across respondent
type. Figure 11 shows the mobile device usage of on-board respondents only, while Figure 12
shows the mobile device usage of email respondents only. While there is still a 15-percentage
point difference between the percentages of on-board and email respondents who use
smartphones (76% versus 91%, respectively), the percentage of on-board respondents who use
smartphones increased from 67% to 76%.
FIGURE 11: MOBILE DEVICE USE OF ON-
BOARD RESPONDENTS BY YEAR
FIGURE 12: MOBILE DEVICE USE OF EMAIL
RESPONDENTS BY YEAR
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4.2 RESULTS FOR GENERAL RIDERSHIP
The following results compared travel behaviors across the last three survey periods (2014,
2016, and 2022).
As seen in Figure 13, commuting to and from work remains the most common reason
respondents cite for using CTA (58% in 2022 compared with 62% in 2016). Respondents are
more likely than in years past to state that they are commuting to and from school (increase
from 5% in 2016 to 13% in 2022).
FIGURE 13: PURPOSE OF MOST FREQUENT TRIP BY YEAR
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The reasons for using CTA have changed substantially since 2016. Whereas a plurality of
respondents in prior years stated that they had a car but sometimes prefer to take the bus/train,
in 2022 a plurality of respondents mentioned that they ride CTA because they do not have a car
available (Figure 14).
FIGURE 14: PRIMARY REASON FOR RIDING CTA BY YEAR
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Since 2016 (and presumably since the pandemic) there have been substantial shifts in
respondents’ dependency on CTA services. Whereas in 2016 most respondents were choice
riders (52%), the percentage of choice riders decreased to 34% in 2022 and almost half (48%)
of respondents indicated in 2022 that they are dependent on CTA services (up from 30% in
2016). Voluntary dependent riders increased by 1-percentage point from the 2016 survey (Table
3).
TABLE 3: TRANSIT DEPENDENCY BY YEAR
Customer Dependency
on Transit
Survey Year
2022
2016
2014
Dependent rider
48%
30%
29%
Choice rider
34%
52%
53%
Voluntary dependent rider
15%
14%
13%
Other
3%
4%
5%
Note: “Dependent riders” are defined as respondents either selecting "I ride because I don’t
have a car available" or “I ride because I can’t or don’t know how to drive.” “Choice riders” as “I
have a car available but prefer to ride the bus or train for some purposes” or “I prefer to take the
bus or train for most purposes but have a car for special cases”, and “Voluntary dependent”
riders” as stating “I don’t have a car because I prefer the bus or train”.
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Figure 15 shows a 5-percentage point decrease in the percentage of respondents who indicate
using CTA five or more days of the week from 61% in 2016 to 56% in 2022. More respondents
indicate riding CTA three to four days per week in the 2022 survey (22% versus 16% in 2016).
Fewer respondents indicate riding CTA less than once a week in 2022 (10%) than in 2016
(14%).
FIGURE 15: FREQUENCY OF CTA USE BY YEAR
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Consistent with previous surveyed years, walking is the most common method of both arriving
to and leaving from a CTA bus or train. As in 2016 and 2014, 88% of respondents indicate
walking as their access mode of choice. Similarly, 90% of riders opt to walk to their destination
after alighting from the bus or train, compared with 94% in 2016 and 2014.
FIGURE 16: ACCESS MODE BY YEAR
FIGURE 17: EGRESS MODE BY YEAR
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Many factors play a role in influencing riders’ decision to take a CTA bus or train (“Thinking
about the past year, please indicate the extent each of the following factors has influenced the
frequency with which you ride CTA.”). Respondents this year indicated that availability and
reliability of CTA service had the most influence, at 69% and 66% respectively. Most
respondents also indicated that the price of ride-hailing services influenced their frequency of
using CTA (58%). The least influential factor indicated was the availability of bike share and
shared e-scooters, at 13% and 10% (Figure 18).
FIGURE 18: INFLUENCE ON FREQUENCY OF CTA USE (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY QUESTION)
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In 2022, fewer respondents reported not needing to transfer on a typical trip on CTA, compared
with years past (27% in 2022 compared to 33% in 2016). More respondents indicated that their
typical trips involve two transfers (28% in 2022 compared to 23% in 2016) or 3 or more transfers
(11% in 2022 compared to 9% in 2016) (Figure 19).
FIGURE 19: NUMBER OF TRANSFERS ON TYPICAL ONE-WAY TRIP BY YEAR
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If unable to take their current CTA bus or train, the most reported alternative transportation
mode this year is another CTA bus (mentioned by 35% of respondents). The second most
common alternative was a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft (20%) followed by another CTA
train (13%). The least likely choices were buying a car and driving, carpooling/vanpooling, and
riding a personal scooter, each of which was selected by one percent of respondents (Figure
20).
FIGURE 20: ALTERNATIVE MODE
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As in years past, most CTA riders pay full fare or buy a pass. However, the ratio of full fare
riders to reduced fare and U-Pass riders has changed since 2016. Full fare riders account for
77% of the respondents compared to 82% in 2016, while reduced fare riders account for 14%
(up from 11% in 2016) and U-Pass riders account for 8% (up from 3% in 2016) (Figure 21).
Compared with CTA fare card transaction data from the time period of the survey, the
percentage of full fare customers is consistent, however the survey results slightly
underrepresent respondents who ride for free and slightly over represent respondents who use
reduced fares. While speculative, it is possible that the increase in telecommuting for work
(Figure 35) has increased the proportion of CTA riders that are students
FIGURE 21: FARE PAYMENT METHOD BY YEAR
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The Ventra app’s launch has allowed more riders than ever to add money or a pass to their
Ventra card with ease. While the Ventra website was the most popular option for refills in 2016
at 32%, in 2022 the Ventra app accounts for most refills at 62% (an increase of 39-percentage
points since 2016) (Figure 22).
FIGURE 22: VENTRA REFILL METHOD BY YEAR
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4.3 SATISFACTION RESULTS
Even though overall satisfaction with CTA service saw a ten-percentage point decrease from
85% in 2016 to 75% in 2022 (Figure 23), satisfaction scores for overall service attributes
remained generally high between 2016 and 2022 (Figure 23). For instance, the attribute with the
highest satisfaction rating was ease of payment at 89%, down just one-percentage point from
2016. Satisfaction with the Ventra app and value of service for fare paid were also comparable
to 2016 scores, at 85% and 80% respectively.
FIGURE 23: OVERALL SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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FIGURE 24: EASE OF FARE PAYMENT, VENTRA APP AND VALUE OF SERVICE FOR FARE PAID BY YEAR
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
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CTA riders in 2022 reported less satisfaction with service delivery attributes than in years past.
The highest scoring attribute was total travel time, which had a 74% satisfaction score
(compared to 79% in 2016). The lowest scoring attribute, which also saw the largest decrease in
satisfaction score, was consistency of wait times, which had a 49% satisfaction score
(compared to 64% in 2016) (Figure 25).
FIGURE 25: SERVICE DELIVERY SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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Respondents were also less satisfied with information attributes this year than in 2016. The
availability of schedule/route information had the highest satisfaction score, but still saw a
decrease from 85% in 2016, to 73% in 2022. Notification of service changes had the lowest
rated satisfaction at 59% compared to 70% in 2016 (Figure 26). Accuracy of the CTA Train
Tracker saw the biggest decrease in satisfaction score, decreasing 18% points between 2016
and 2022.
FIGURE 26: INFORMATION SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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Though riders reported lower satisfaction on communication attributes this year than in 2016,
the changes were minimal. The highest rated attribute was on-board communication during
service delays, which had a satisfaction rating of 69% compared to a previous 72%, and the
lowest rated attribute was communication regarding delays prior to using the bus or train. This
attribute had a 55% satisfaction score down from 62% in 2016 (Figure 27).
FIGURE 27: COMMUNICATION SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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While lower than the ratings in 2016, employee performance satisfaction remained high and
was mostly consistent this year: 81% of passengers were satisfied with bus operator courtesy
and 74% were satisfied with station attendant courtesy, a modest decrease from the 82% and
79% satisfaction ratings, respectively from 2016 (Figure 28).
FIGURE 28: EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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This year saw pronounced decreases in perceived safety while traveling on CTA. Safe bus/train
operation had the smallest change, from 88% satisfied in 2016 to 76% this year. However, only
47% of riders were satisfied with their personal security on-board the buses and trains, which is
a 29-percentage point decrease from 2016’s 76% satisfaction score. Similarly, personal security
on the way to transit and at the bus stop/train station also saw substantial decreases from 2016,
with a decrease of over 20-percentage points for both attributes (Figure 29).
FIGURE 29: PUBLIC SAFETY SATISFACTION USE BY YEAR
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Figure 30 shows comfort on-board CTA buses and trains has generally increased or remained
stable since 2016, with only station lighting and comfort waiting at station having noteworthy
decreases (77% in 2016 to 71% in 2022, and 61% in 2016 to 56% in 2022, respectively).
However, rates of satisfaction with the attributes themselves varies widely, with comfort with
temperature on bus/train listed as the most satisfactory (80%) and ability to shelter from weather
conditions at station as the least satisfactory (52%).
FIGURE 30: COMFORT SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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Compared to 2016, CTA riders this year expressed considerable dissatisfaction with all
cleanliness attributes. While overall station appearance had a 74% satisfaction score in 2016,
this year only 59% were satisfied. Cleanliness of bus/train stops and of bus/train interiors
similarly decreased from, 69% to 51% and 65% to 49% respectively (Figure 31).
FIGURE 31: CLEANLINESS SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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Though satisfaction for accessing various locations via CTA decreased since 2016, respondents
remained relatively satisfied (satisfaction scores of 79% or higher). Satisfaction for CTA service
where riders lived was rated the highest at 83%, down five percentage points from 2016’s 88%.
The lowest-scoring attributes were accessibility of other places respondents want to go to with
CTA and service when riders needed to travel, both at 79% (Figure 32).
FIGURE 32: ACCESS TO SERVICE SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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There was a 9-percentage point decrease in likelihood to recommend CTA service to others,
with 82% of respondents in 2022 reporting they are likely or very likely to recommend CTA
(Table 4).
TABLE 4: LIKELY TO RECOMMEND BY YEAR
Likelihood to
Recommend
CTA to Others
Survey Year
2022
2016
2014
Likely
82%
91%
87%
Unlikely
18%
9%
13%
There was also a considerable decrease of 12-percentage points in CTA’s ability to meet or
exceed rider expectations, from 80% in 2016 to 68% in 2022 (Table 5).
TABLE 5: MEETS OR EXCEEDS CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS OF PERFORMANCE BY YEAR
Meeting Customer
Expectations of
Performance
Survey Year
2022
2016
2014
Meets or exceeds
expectations
68%
80%
72%
Falls short of expectations
32%
20%
28%
In the face of unprecedented obstacles that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 78% of
respondents reported satisfaction with CTA response to the pandemic (Table 6).
TABLE 6: SATISFACTION WITH CTA’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19
CTA's Response to
COVID-19
Satisfied
78%
Dissatisfied
22%
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Regionwide Satisfaction
Availability of connecting services near transit had the highest satisfaction score at 79%, and
condition of transit infrastructure had the lowest at 70%. Both the highest and lowest rated
attributes were new attributes in the 2022 iteration of the survey. Overall satisfaction with public
transportation in the Six-County Chicago Region stayed consistent from 2016 at a 75%
satisfaction score (Figure 33).
FIGURE 33: REGIONAL SATISFACTION BY YEAR
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4.4 ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Fewer than half of respondents indicated an interest in having bus stops every two blocks
(42%). Conversely, more than half of respondents (61%) indicated a willingness to walk an extra
block for improved service (Figure 34).
FIGURE 34: STATION DISTANCE INTEREST BY YEAR
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Among respondents who are employed full-time, 62% are given the option to telecommute in
some capacity, while only 38% are not given the option to telecommute.
Eighteen percent of respondents employed full-time telecommute 5 or more days per week;
14% telecommute 3 to 4 days per week; 13% telecommute 1 to 2 days per week. Another 5%
each report that they telecommute 1 to 3 days per month or a few times per year, and 8% of
respondents have the ability to telecommute, but only do so less than a few days per year/never
(Figure 35).
While the 2016 survey asked about telecommuting, comparisons to 2016 should be made with
caution due to differences in the phrasing of the question and the answer options. Of
respondents employed full-time in the 2016 survey, 41% reported they have the option to
telecommute compared to 62% in 2022. The median number of days per month that these
respondents telecommuted was 5 days which is approximately equal to 1-2 days per week. In
the 2022 survey, the median number of days that respondents that are employed full-time was
also 1-2 days per week.
FIGURE 35: TELECOMMUTING FREQUENCY AMONG FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES
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For many, being within close proximity to CTA services is a contributing factor to their
considerations of work and housing locations. The majority strongly agreed (56%) or agreed
(31%) that CTA access was an important factor in deciding where to live and/or work (Figure
36).
FIGURE 36: CTA ACCESS DETERMINES HOME/WORK LOCATION
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Figure 37 shows that a majority of those that primarily ride the train strongly agreed (57%) or
agreed (32%) that CTA access was an important factor in deciding where to live and/or work.
Similarly, Figure 38 also shows that of those that primarily ride the bus a majority strongly
agreed (56%) or agreed (30%) that CTA access was important as well.
FIGURE 37: CTA ACCESS DETERMINES
HOME/WORK LOCATION FOR BUS USERS
FIGURE 38: CTA ACCESS DETERMINES
HOME/WORK LOCATION FOR TRAIN USERS
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4.5 KEY DRIVERS OF OVERALL SATISFACTION
Derived importance measures are found by statistically testing the strength that a collection of
attributes has on influencing overall satisfaction. Calculating coefficients instead of using stated
importance data improves the clarity in answering which service attributes are the most
important drivers of overall satisfaction. Derived importance can help with further understanding
the underlying factors driving overall customer satisfaction that a respondent may not explicitly
state.
For the 2022 analysis, individual and regional service attributes were modeled as predictors that
influence overall satisfaction with CTA. A multiple regression model was developed using a
backward selection process. In backward regression, the variable selection starts with the full
list of explanatory variables, i.e., thirty-three service attributes and five regional attributes.
Overall variables were not included in the list of explanatory variables (i.e., value of service for
fare paid, ease of fare payment, and the mobile Ventra App). Variables that have no significant
contribution explaining the dependent variable, overall satisfaction, are removed and the model
is re-estimated at each step.
With an adjusted R
2
of 0.65, the final regression yielded seventeen of the initial thirty-eight
service and regional attributes which significantly influence respondents’ overall satisfaction with
CTA (see Figure 39). The magnitude of each derived importance coefficient is a measure of the
importance of the service attribute in determining respondents’ overall satisfaction with CTA.
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FIGURE 39: 2022 DERIVED IMPORTANCE COEFFICIENTS
As shown in Figure 39, CTA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new attribute to the 2022
survey, is the most important in determining overall satisfaction with CTA. Another new attribute
to the 2022 survey, condition of the transit infrastructure ranks as the second most important
attribute to overall satisfaction. Getting to your destination on time is the third most important
service attribute. Getting to your destination on time was previously the top ranked service
attribute in the 2014 and 2016 surveys.
4.6 QUADRANT CHART
A quadrant chart maps the derived importance and satisfaction of the seventeen service and
regional attributes identified above. These mapped points will provide insight as to where CTA
should focus their efforts to maximize customer satisfaction. The Y-axis (vertical) measures
importance and the X-axis measures attribute satisfaction. Both axes are split at their means,
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
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thus creating the four quadrants. Table 7 outlines what each quadrant represents, and the
appropriate action required by CTA to maximize customer satisfaction.
Table 7: Understanding Quadrant Charts
Quadrant
Location
Satisfaction Level
Importance
Action
1
Top left
Relatively low
Relatively high
Attributes for improvement
2
Top right
Relatively high
Relatively high
Attributes to maintain
3
Bottom left
Relatively low
Relatively low
Attributes to monitor
4
Bottom right
Relatively high
Relatively low
Attributes with no immediate
action
FIGURE 40: KEY DRIVERS OF OVERALL SATISFACTION QUADRANT CHART
The top-right quadrant of Figure 40 contains attributes that are both important and performing
better than mean satisfaction. CTA is currently meeting respondents’ expectations with four
attributes, CTA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, condition of the transit infrastructure,
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
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getting to your destination on time, and the availability of CTA service when you need to travel.
CTA should maintain the quality of these four attributes going forward.
The top-left quadrant represents attributes that are also important but have satisfaction scores
below the mean. CTA should prioritize improvements in personal security on the bus or train, as
well as cleanliness of the bus or train interiors. Both attributes were already identified as being
top priorities for improvement in the 2016 survey, and the further pronounced drops in
satisfaction since 2016 for both items make actions regarding these attributes even more
urgent. Moreover, cleanliness of the bus or train has been ranked as a top priority in the 2011
and 2014 surveys as well. A more concerted effort to address these priorities will likely improve
customer satisfaction with CTA overall.
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5.0 CONCLUSION
The 2022 survey, the first survey effort since the emergence of COVID-19, illuminated many
changes since the last iteration of the survey in 2016. Ridership trended younger, less affluent,
and more dependent on CTA’s services. Despite challenges, CTA’s respondents continue to be
satisfied with CTA overall, with 75% of respondents indicating that they are “satisfied” or “very
satisfied”. Respondents also feel that CTA is meeting their expectations and would recommend
it to others. Even so, satisfaction with several aspects of CTA’s service trended lower this year,
especially, personal security, Bus Tracker accuracy, Train Tracker accuracy, cleanliness, and
consistency of wait times, some of which saw pronounced declines. CTA’s response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, condition of the transit infrastructure, getting to the destination on time,
and personal security on the bus or train were identified as the four most important attributes
influencing customer satisfaction. Availability of service when you need to travel as well as
cleanliness of the bus or train interiors were also identified as additional important predictors for
overall satisfaction. Since personal security, consistency of wait times, and cleanliness also
further decreased in satisfaction since 2016, CTA should make concerted efforts in improving
them. Taken together, despite challenges (many of which are a result of the COVID-19
pandemic), CTA meets the needs of its riders, who continue to be satisfied overall with services
that CTA provides.
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APPENDIX A. 2022 QUESTIONNAIRE
Instructions for reviewers
• Italic text in [ ] square brackets appearing before a question indicates a question that will
not be seen by all respondents and the logic for the respondents who will see that
question.
• Text in [ ] square brackets appearing after a question indicates the online survey page
name for that question. This is a useful reference point for reviewing the survey online.
For example, “What is your age? [age]”
• Text in < > angle brackets within a question is dynamically inserted based on each
respondent’s answers to previous questions. For example, “Please continue to think
about your one-way <trip purpose> trip.”
Please note that this document does not show the formatting of the web survey, which will be
created once the content is decided.
5.1 INTRODUCTION
In what language would you like to take the survey? [surveylang]
• English
• Spanish
• Polish
• Chinese
Your feedback is very important in helping the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) improve the
quality of its services. The information obtained from this survey will assist us in meeting our
commitment to provide efficient and cost effective transportation to you. Even if you are a
visitor to the Chicago area, your feedback is very important to us. [intro]
This survey is conducted by Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG) on behalf the Chicago
Transit Authority. RSG's privacy policy can be found here.
We are committed to protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and security of your personal
information. We take this responsibility seriously. Our privacy documentation is intended to
help you understand how we collect, share, and safeguard your information. Information
about privacy for this survey can be found here.
All of your answers will be kept confidential and will only be analyzed with other survey
responses combined.
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By completing this survey, you can earn a chance to win:
GRAND PRIZE: $250 Visa gift card
20 SECOND PRIZES: $50 Visa gift card
Thank you for your cooperation and for riding CTA!
By clicking “Next”, I consent to participate in this survey.
Please use the "Next" and "Previous" buttons in the lower left-hand corner of the screen to
navigate the survey. It is important that you do not use your web browser's "forward" and
"back" buttons because your new answers will not be recorded.
Please click "Next" to continue. [instructions]
5.2 GENERAL RIDERSHIP
As you complete the survey, please think about your current travel on CTA over the last
few months. over the last
1. In a typical week, how often do you ride CTA? [freq]
• 7 days per week
• 6 days per week
• 5 days per week
• 4 days per week
• 3 days per week
• 2 days per week
• 1 day per week
• Less than one day per week but more than one day per month
• Less than one day per month [if respondent is an email recruit (password prefix = CTA)
skip to Q3 [whynouse], if not email recruit (i.e., password prefix is NOT = CTA) skip to
Q7 [yridecta]]
2. Please indicate which CTA bus routes and train lines you use regularly (at least once a
month).
CTA bus route: <3 drop downs with route list, with “I don’t ride CTA bus regularly” as an
option in the first drop down> [brte1, brte2, brte3]
CTA ‘L’ line: <3 drop downs with line list, with “I don’t ride CTA trains regularly” as an
option in the first drop down > [trte1, trte2, trte3]
Note: If you use more than three, please list the top three you use for each service
[if “Don’t use regularly” was chosen for bus and train in question 2, and the respondent is an
email recruit (password prefix = CTA)]
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3. What is the main reason why you do not use CTA buses or trains regularly? [whynouse]
• I mainly work from home/telecommute
• I’m concerned about contracting COVID-19
• I moved
• I now have a different job
• Other life change
• I use a car instead
• It is too expensive
• I am not satisfied with CTA service
• I have never used CTA regularly
• Other, please specify: ___________________________
[Then these respondents will skip to the demographics section (zip)]
[if more than one bus route is chosen in question 2]
4. Which is your primary CTA bus route (the one you spend the most time on)? [primarybus]
• [brte1]
• [brte2]
• [brte3, if applicable]
[if more than one train line is chosen in question 2]
5. Which is your primary CTA train line (the one you spend the most time on)? [primarytrain]
• [trte1]
• [trte2]
• [trte3, if applicable]
6. Which service do you spend the most time on? [overallprimary]
• Bus Route [primarybus]
• [primarytrain]
7. Which of the following statements best describes why you ride the CTA? [yridecta]
• I ride because I can’t or don’t know how to drive
• I ride because I don’t have a car available
• I don’t have a car because I prefer to take the bus or train
• I have a car available, but prefer to take the bus or train for some purposes
• I prefer to take the bus or train for most purposes, but have or use a car for special trips
or emergencies
• Other, please specify: __________________________________
8. How long have you been a regular rider of CTA, that is, riding at least once a month?
[ctaDur]
• I am not a regular rider
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• Less than 1 year
• 1-2 years
• 3-4 years
• 5-6 years
• 7-8 years
• 9-10 years
• 11-20 years
• More than 20 years
9. For what purposes do you use CTA services? [purpFreq] [purpOther]
Purpose of Your
Most Frequent Trip
(check one)
Other Reasons You
Use CTA
(check all that apply)
Commute between home and
work
○
Commute between home and
school
○
Business related to work
○
Medical/dental appointment
○
Personal business/errands
○
Shopping
○
Recreation/entertainment
○
Airport (as an air traveler)
○
Other, please specify:
_____________
○
10. When you ride the CTA, would you say you TYPICALLY ride...?
Please select all that apply. [ctawhen]
□ Weekday mornings between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m.
□ Weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
□ Weekday afternoons between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.
□ Weekday evenings between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m.
□ Weekday evenings between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
□ Weekdays between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
□ Anytime on the weekends
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11. On a typical trip, how do you get to the station/stop where you board your FIRST CTA bus
or train? [access]
• Walk
• Bike on own bike
• Divvy bike share
• Drive alone
• Carpool/vanpool
• Pace bus
• Metra train
• Taxi
• Uber, Lyft, or similar
• Personal scooter
• Shared e-scooter
• Other, please specify: __________________________________
12. On a typical one-way trip, how many transfers on CTA do you make? [numxfers]
______ # transfers
13. On a typical trip, how do you get to your destination from the LAST CTA bus or train?
[egress]
• Walk
• Bike on own bike
• Divvy bike share
• Drive alone
• Carpool/vanpool
• Pace bus
• Metra train
• Taxi
• Uber, Lyft, or similar
• Personal scooter
• Shared e-scooter
• Other, please specify: __________________________________
14. Please think about the trip you take most often on the CTA. What mode of transportation
would you use if your current service was not available? [altmode]. That is, if the bus
route or train you take most often was not available..
• Another CTA bus
• Another CTA train
• Metra train
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• Pace bus
• Drive alone
• Get dropped off/picked up
• Carpool/vanpool
• Walk
• Taxi
• Uber, Lyft, or similar
• Bike on own bike
• Divvy bike share
• Personal scooter
• Shared e-scooter
• Would buy a car and drive
• Zipcar/car share
• I would not be able to make this trip
• Don’t know/not sure
• Other, please specify: __________________________________
15. How frequently do you work from home or telecommute? [telecommute]
• Employer does not allow
• 5 or more days per week
• 3-4 days per week
• 1-2 days per week
• 1-3 days per month
• A few days per year
• Less than a few days per year/never
• Not Applicable (e.g., I don’t work)
16. Which of the following transit benefits, if any, does your employer offer? Please select all
that apply. [benefits]
□ Pre-tax transit benefits
□ Free transit passes
□ Money toward your transit fares
□ None of the above
□ Not sure/Not applicable (e.g., I don’t work)
13. Before the pandemic began in March 2020, how often did you ride CTA in a typical week?
[precovid]
• 7 days per week
• 6 days per week
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• 5 days per week
• 4 days per week
• 3 days per week
• 2 days per week
• 1 day per week
• Less than one day per week but more than one day per month
• One day per month or less
17. Thinking about the past year, please indicate the extent each of the following factors has
influenced the frequency with which you ride CTA. [infl]
Please indicate the influence of each factor using the 1 to 10 scale. If you are not sure or don’t
know, please select “Don’t know.”
No
influence
at all
Minor
influence
Moderate
influence
Major
influence
Don’t
know
Price of gasoline
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Price of parking
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Availability of parking
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Amount of congestion
on the roadways
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Increase in your cost of
living
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Concerns about
pollution/the
environment
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Availability of Divvy
bike share
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Availability of ride-
hailing services (e.g.
Uber, Lyft)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Availability of shared e-
scooters
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Availability of a vehicle
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Change in home
location
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Reliability of CTA
service
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
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Availability of CTA
service
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
d/k
Price of ride-hailing
services (e.g., Uber,
Lyft)"
18. Do you qualify for a special fare program? [fullfare]
• No, I pay regular full fare or buy a pass
• Yes, I pay senior, disabled, or military reduced fare (e.g., Senior Ride Free Program,
People with Disabilities Ride Free Program, Military Service Pass)
• Yes, I pay student reduced fare (K-12 students)
• Yes, I use a U-Pass
• Yes, I ride for free
[if respondent does NOT select “Yes I ride for free” or “Yes, I use a U-Pass” in [fullfare], else
skip to question 26]
19. Which of the following do you typically use to pay? [pay]
• Ventra Card/Virtual Ventra Card
• Pay cash on bus
• Single Ride Ticket or other ticket
• Contactless / Mobile Pay apps (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay) [Do not show to senior or
disabled reduced fare or to student reduced fare]
• Other, please specify: ________________
[if respondent selects “Ventra Card, pay per ride ” or “Virtual Ventra Card” in [pay]]
20. If you use a Ventra Card, how do you typically add value or a pass? [add]
• Train station vending machine
• Retailer (e.g. Walgreens, currency exchange)
• Use Ventra App
• Use VentraChicago.com
• Through an employer Transit Benefits program (e.g. Wageworks, Wired Commute)
• Other, please specify:_________________
[if respondent selects “Ventra Card” in [pay]]
21. If you buy a pass, which pass do you typically buy? [pass]
• I pay per ride/I do not typically use a pass
• 30-Day Pass
• 7-Day Pass
• 3-Day Pass
• 1-Day Pass
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• Metra Link-up
• CTA/Pace 7-Day Pass
22. Indicate the sources that you used to obtain real-time travel information for CTA routes or
service in the past year.
Primary Source
(check one)
Other Sources You
Use
(check all that apply)
Citymapper
○
Moovit
○
Transit App
○
Ventra App
○
CTA Social Media
○
CTA Updates (late-breaking
information delivered to your email
inbox or phone)
○
Bus Tracker digital screens at bus
stop/train station
○
Rail Tracker digital screens at bus
stop/train station
○
Google Maps
○
Transitchicago.com/tracker
○
Text message to telephone number
provided at bus stop
○
Uber/Lyft App
○
RTA website
○
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Other, please specify:
_____________
○
None of the above
○
5.3 SATISFACTION WITH CTA SERVICE
For the next few questions, please think about your typical CTA trip, that is, the trip you make
most often.
[web] Please indicate your satisfaction with the following features using the 1 to 10 scale. If the
question does not apply to you, please select “n/a” (not applicable).
23. SERICE DELIVERY [tr]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Getting to your destination on time
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Amount of time between buses/trains
in rush-hour
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Amount of time between buses/trains
in non-rush-hour
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Consistency of wait times for your
bus/train
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Total travel time for your trip
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
24. INFORMATION [inf]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Availability of schedule and route
information
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Clarity of signage at stop/station
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Notification of service changes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Accuracy of CTA Train Tracker
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Accuracy of CTA Bus Tracker
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
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62
25. COMMUNICATIONS ON BUS/TRAIN [comm]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
On-board communications during
service delays
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Station announcements regarding
delays
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Communication regarding delays
prior to using bus/train (such as on
websites or email alerts)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
26. EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE [emp]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Bus operator courtesy
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Station attendant courtesy
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
27. Safety & Personal Security [psafe]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
How safely the bus/train is operated
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Personal security on bus/train
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Personal security at bus stop/train
station
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Personal security on the way to bus
stop/train station
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
28. COMFORT WHILE RIDING [comf]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Availability of seats on bus/train
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Comfortable temperature of
bus/train
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Amount of personal space on
bus/train
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Comfort while waiting at bus
stop/train station
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
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Ability to shelter yourself from
weather conditions while waiting for
the bus/train
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Lighting at the bus stop/train station
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
29. APPEARANCE [clean]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Cleanliness of bus/train interior
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Cleanliness of bus stop/train station
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Overall appearance of the bus
stop/train station
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
30. ACCESS TO SERVICE [acc]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Availability of CTA service where
you live
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Availability of CTA service where
you work
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Availability of CTA service to other
places where you want to go
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Availability of CTA service when you
need to travel
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
31. OVERALL [overall]
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Value of service for fare paid
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Ease of fare payment
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
The mobile Ventra app
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
CTA OVERALL
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
32. LIKELIHOOD TO RECOMMEND [loyal]
Very
unlikely
Unlikely
Likely
Very
likely
n/a
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How likely are you to recommend
CTA to others?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
33. RESPONSE TO COVID
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
CTA’s response to the COVID-19
pandemic
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
34. EXPECTATIONS [expect]
Using a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is Falls very short of expectations and 10 is Exceeds
expectations, please indicate…
Falls very
short of
expectations
Falls short
of
expectations
Meets
expectations
Exceeds
expectations
n/a
How does CTA meet your
expectations for overall
service performance?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
35. Currently, the CTA has, on average, one bus stop for every one block. Knowing this, how
strongly do you agree/disagree with the following statements? [block]
Strongly
disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongl
y agree
The CTA should have one bus stop
every two blocks.
1
2
3
4
5
I would be willing to walk one extra
block for improved service (better
reliability, increased speed, improved
frequency, and/or improved onboard
comfort).
1
2
3
4
5
36. IMPORTANCE OF CTA ACCESS [determine]
Strongly
disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongl
y agree
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
65
In determining where to live and work, it
is important to be able to access CTA
1
2
3
4
5
37. SATISFACTION WITH REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSIT [reg]
Please consider your ability to move throughout the Chicago region, using any and all of the
available public transportation options (CTA, Pace, Metra) and indicate your overall regional
satisfaction using the 1 to 10 scale. If the question does not apply to you, please select “n/a”
(not applicable).
How satisfied are you with…
Very
dissatisfie
d
Dissatisfie
d
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
n/a
Availability of public transportation
throughout the six-county Chicago
region when and where you need to
travel
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Ease of transferring to other transit
services (such as coordination of
scheduling, payment, signage, walking
paths, etc.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
The availability of connecting services
near transit such as bike share, ride-hail
etc.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
The condition of the transit
infrastructure (such as buses, trains,
stations, bridges, signage, etc.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Information and service received from
the regional RTA Travel Information
Center
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
Overall satisfaction with public
transportation in the SIX-COUNTY
CHICAGO REGION
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
n/a
5.4 DEMOGRAPHICS
The following questions are for classification purposes only. Your answers are confidential and
will only be analyzed with other survey responses combined.
What is your home ZIP Code? [zip]
__ __ __ __ __
What is your age? [age]
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
66
______ years
38. What is your current employment status? [employ]
• Employed full-time
• Employed part-time
• Self-employed
• Student/not working
• Student/working at least part-time
• Retired
• Not employed outside the home
• Currently unemployed
• Other, please specify: __________________________________
39. Do you consider yourself to be a person with a disability? [disab]
• Yes
• No
40. Thinking about your entire household, how many…
People live in your household (including yourself)? _______ [hhsize]
Children under 18 live in your household? _______ [kids]
Employed persons live in your household? _______ [hhemp]
People have a valid driver’s license? _______ [lic]
Vehicles are in working condition? _______ [veh]
41. Do you have a driver’s license? [lic]
• Yes
• No
42. Do you have a car available for the trip you typically take on CTA? [owncar]
• Yes
• No
43. What is the highest level of education you have completed? [educ]
• Graduate degree, including Masters, Professional, Doctorate
• Bachelor degree (BA, BS, AB)
• Associate or Technical School degree
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• Some college, no degree
• High school diploma or GED recipient
• Some high school or less
44. What is the primary language spoken in your household? [lang]
• English
• Spanish
• Chinese
• Korean
• Polish
• Other, please specify: __________________________________
45. How well do you speak English? [eng]
• Very well
• Well
• Not well
• Not at all
46. Which of the following categories best describes your ethnic background?
Please select all that apply. [race]
□ African American/Black
□ American Indian or Alaska Native
□ Asian American
□ Caucasian/White
□ Hispanic/Latino
□ Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
□ Other, please specify: __________________________________
47. Which of the following mobile devices do you use?
Please select all that apply. [device]
□ Smartphone
□ Cell phone for calls and text
□ Cell phone for calls only
□ Laptop or tablet
□ Other, please specify: __________________________________
□ None of the above
48. What is your household’s approximate annual income? [hhinc]
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68
• Less than $15,000
• $15,000 - $19,999
• $20,000 - $24,999
• $25,000 - $29,999
• $30,000 - $34,999
• $35,000 - $39,999
• $40,000 - $49,999
• $50,000 – $59,999
• $60,000 - $74,999
• $75,000 - $99,999
• $100,000 - $149,999
• $150,000 and over
49. Are you: [gender]
• Female
• Male
• Gender non-binary
• Prefer to self-describe: ________ <do not validate>
50. May we contact you again for CTA market research purposes? [research]
• Yes
• No
51. [if No in Q50 [research]] You do NOT have to provide us with contact information in order to
send in this survey. However, if you would like to be entered into the drawing for prizes, we
need your email address or complete mailing address. (This information is confidential and
will be used only to contact you if you are a winner.)
[if Yes in Q50 [research]] You do NOT have to provide us with contact information in order to
send in this survey. However, if you would like to be entered into the drawing for prizes or
would like to participate in future CTA market research, we need your email address or
complete mailing address.
[if Yes in Q50 [research]: programmer have textbox that can be selected and unselected]
□ I do NOT want to participate in the prize drawing.
[programmer show below independent of answer in Q 50 [research]]
Email:_____________________________________________ [email]
o I do not have an email address
[programmer: if no email address is provided. Make Email field disappear. Have below
appear]
Name: _____________________________________________ [name]
Street Address: __________________________________ [address]
City: _______________________________________________ [city]
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State: ______________________________________________ [state]
Zip Code: __________________________________________ [zip_mailing]
Phone:_____________________________________________ [phone]
52. Comments: [comment1t] Thank you for participating! Please provide any feedback you have
regarding CTA service.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Thank you very much for your time!
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APPENDIX B. ON-BOARD DISTRIBUTION
Group or Branch
Paper
Surveys
Distributed
Bus Group
Downtown
1,158
Evanston
478
Far South Side
144
North Side East-West
120
North Side Lake Shore Drive
200
North-South Crosstown
19
South Side East-West
40
West Side East-West
60
Train Branches
Blue - Dearborn Subway
768
Blue - Forest Park
252
Green - Lake
2,010
Green - South Branches
1,038
Pink - Cermak
1,059
Purple - Evanston
828
Red - State Subway
1,274
Yellow - Skokie
328
Total
9,776
Note: Paper surveys were not distributed on all bus groups or train branches.
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APPENDIX C. SURVEY COMPLETES BY ON-
BOARD OR ONLINE
Group or Branch
Total
Completes
Online
Completes
On-Board
Completes
Bus
Groups
Downtown
113
45
68
Evanston
34
27
7
Far South Side
250
237
13
North Side East-West
478
458
20
North Side Lake Shore Drive
256
208
48
North Side Downtown
390
364
26
North-South Crosstown
1167
1082
85
South Side East-West
580
530
50
South Side Lake Shore Drive
422
412
10
South Side Downtown
418
392
26
West Side East-West
642
572
70
Special
66
65
1
Train Branches
Blue - Dearborn Subway
90
45
45
Blue - Forest Park
330
267
63
Blue - O'Hare
933
911
22
Brown
529
504
25
Green - Lake
335
222
113
Green - South Branches
275
178
97
Orange
564
550
14
Pink - Cermak
263
199
64
Purple - Evanston
118
100
18
Red - Dan Ryan
712
648
64
Red - North Main
806
698
108
Red - State Subway
76
62
14
Yellow - Skokie
29
12
17
Total
9,876
8,788
1,088
CTA 2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey
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APPENDIX D. CROSSTABS
Crosstabs are provided under separate cover.
