Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 24, 2003

Metro releases first results of the Customer Environment Survey

Today, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) released the results of its fiscal year 2002 (second, third, and fourth quarter) and fiscal year 2003 (first, second, and third quarter) Customer Environment Survey for the Metrorail and Metrobus system, and safety and equipment operations earned high scores. The surveys are designed to provide insight into the reliability of Metro services, the actual physical environment of rail cars and buses, and additional aspects of customer service. The data can be used to monitor the areas of improvement if needed. "The Metro Customer Environment Survey is a continuous evaluation of Metro’s services over the course of a year covering both rail and bus operations," said Jim Gallagher, Metro’s Deputy General Manager of Operations. "The survey is an observational study comprised of five different surveys focusing on objective measures. The survey areas include Metrorail routes, Metrorail station mezzanines, Metrorail platforms, Metrobus routes, and Metrobus stops." For purposes of the study, all Metrorail stations and rail lines were observed each month and 95 percent of Metrobus routes were observed each quarter. Today’s results represented the last three quarters of fiscal year 2002, and since the second and third quarter was defined as an experimental phase, the fourth quarter represented the baseline measurement. Also included are the first three quarters of fiscal year 2003. All scores were determined on a 1 to 7 scale with 1 being the lowest and 7 being the highest. As part of the survey, a total of 102 rail mezzanines were inspected each month (mezzanine defined as the area from the start of the escalators to the fare gates), 104 rail platforms were observed each month (area includes the top of the fare gates to the train area), 100 rail routes were inspected (includes one train car per route; train car observations vary along the train), 326 bus routes were inspected each quarter, and 306 bus stops were inspected each quarter. Only those bus stops at Metrorail stations were included in the survey results. "An important point to note is the Customer Environment study is an objective measurement tool that focuses on the factual state of Metro’s services through the eyes of the customer," said Mr. Gallagher. Through the third quarter of fiscal year 2003, Metrorail has achieved high marks in safety (6.92) , equipment operations (6.98), and exterior cleanliness (6.82) of its rail cars. While the interior condition of rail cars is slightly off goal for fiscal year 2003 (6.03), the overall number has stabilized (5.72) as Metro demonstrates an on-going effort to reduce litter in the rail system. On the Metrobus side through the third quarter of fiscal year 2003, overall scores for vehicle safety (6.88), exterior conditions (6.52) and equipment operations (6.36) have remained strong. The score for driver safety (5.58) is an improvement over the 5.48 score from the second quarter of fiscal year 2003, and is well above the fiscal year 2003 goal of 4.78. Customer service experienced a significant improvement rising from a 5.89 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2003 to a 6.21 in the third quarter. "The information collected will assist us in areas where improvement is necessary, and more importantly, remind everyone that we have a responsibility each day by providing the highest level of service to our patrons who utilize Metrorail and Metrobus," concluded Mr. Gallagher. About the same time, Metro also conducted the Customer Satisfaction Measurement survey, which measured customer’s satisfaction with Metrobus and Metrorail.

News release issued on July 24, 2003.