In this paper is desribed an on-board bus survey procedure that allows collection of data about the pattern of use of the bus systemwithin each bus route and limited data on transfer patterns. The procedure is a simple one that involves the passenger accepting a colored, imprinted card when boarding the bus and returning this card onalighting from the bus. The survey therefore obviates the need for passengers to respond to questions, which is of particular value forbus systems the patrons of which may speak a variety of different languages and may be unwilling or unable to respond to a survey in English. The analysis procedures for the survey results are simple andcan be executed rapidly, which allows results to be obtained withina matter of days or weeks of survey execution, compared with the months more normally encountered for standard on-board surveys. The survey procedure has also been found to generate a high response rate.In an urban area that had previously shown poor on-board survey responses even with a multilingual instrument, a response rate of between 85 and 98 percent was achieved on a route-by-route basis.(A).
Abstract