| Citizen participation has become an integral part of implementing bus transit oriented development in many U.S. cities. The method of bus rider surveying is a traditional technique used to encourage diverse citizen participation. From November 2012 to January 2013, a Birmingham bus rider survey questionnaire study was conducted in the BJCTA (Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority) Central Station lobby. Although previous BJCTA bus rider surveys have been used to gather accurate route and demographic data, there has never been a bus rider survey that addresses the quality of transit service and performance in the Birmingham-Jefferson County area. In 2000, the National Transit Development released a peer analysis report indicating that the BJCTA supplied one-third of the level of service and one-fourth of ridership levels compared to its city peers (BJCTA, 2008, p.19). By encouraging bus rider participation, an insider's perspective could help improve public transit planning in Birmingham-Jefferson County. This paper seeks to examine results from the recent bus rider survey as an evaluation of the quality of service performance provided by the BJCTA system. |
