Appendix J: Neighbor2Neighbor Summary Report

N2N Transit Visioning Questions:

Collective results – from all chapters, base organizers, & Central Staff

Conducted in the Month of April 2012 – 60 participants

1. How is the current Public Transportation System in your area?
   • Bad service
   • Not enough services both during weekdays and weekends
   • A great deal of areas not covered by public transportation (coverage)
   • Not sensitive to disabled riders – not using the right equipment to accommodate
   • Rudeness from drivers (cultural competency)
   • Riders feeling unsafe
2. What is your personal experience?
   • Arriving late to work, appointments, activities
   • Long waits for services – some places (WMA) 30 min wait. Due to this the buses tend to be crowed
   • High costs – fare
   • Bad treatment from drivers
   • Feeling like we’re on a “curfew” due to operating hours so restricted
   • Not feeling safe – in WMA recently a rock was thrown through a window, breaking it
   • Lack of respect (cultural competency)
   • Lack of cleanliness of buses
   • Short-time to use transfers
3. What do you want to know about our Public Transportation System?
   1. How it works? What areas are covered? (example)
      • How can services be extended – not just to cover certain areas but also with regards to operating hours
      • How the input of the community is being used/taken into account
      • How do DOT, RTAs, MBTA, etc – analyze our feedback-community input
      • What process does the WRTA use to decide on expansions or changes to services
        • Can the riders participate in such a process
      • What systems are in place to make decisions
      • What systems do they have in place to clean up the buses, Ts, commuter rail, etc
        • Enhancing that system
      • Bettering the operating system
      • How can the drivers professionalism be increased
      • How we can prioritize school kids to ensure that they can get to & from school on time – enhancing the frequency of services for them during particular times – in the AM and afternoon
      • How can the community/riders be educated on the operating schedule – understanding frequency of services during peak and off peak hours
4. What effects does Public Transportation have in your community?
   • Huge impact in the community
   • A great deal of people use. Most people don’t have private cars – most can’t afford taxis to take them to and from places. Heavy reliance on transit
   • If you want to be on time for work or appointments you have to leave 2-3hrs before – north shore
     • Here there’s heavy reliance on taxis – but taxis don’t use meters so they abuse on prices. They also tend to pick up other people while – no sense of security
   • Slow services in the evenings – making hard to get home after long day at work
   • Loss of work due to unreliable public transit systems
   • Sets our community backwards
   • People get sick – during bad weather – due to long waits.
5. What would a high quality Public Transit system look like?
   • Restructuring the current system – implement new ways & taking other places- states- experiences
     • A system similar to NYC – with regards to hrs of operation (maybe midnight – WRTA), areas covered, services
   • Electric trolleys throughout the city – can help increase ridership and expand services
   • On time services – frequency of services maybe every 15min
   • High quality service
   • Respectful drivers & riders
   • Drivers to use hydraulic system
   • Reasonable fares
   • More routes & more direct routes – with little transfers
   • A system that can help increase our quality of life
   • Reduction of emissions
   • All areas covered
   • More security – one that would make community feel more secure when riding
   • Renewable sustainable system
   • Have smaller buses but more frequent
6. How would you create it? Achieve this?
   • Working together/united in community
   • Bldg coalitions to make change – including all stakeholders
   • Visiting Legislative @ all levels – voicing our concerns
     • Asking for funding to better support transit *this one came up overwhelmingly – across the chapter
   • Providing trainings to drivers – enhance their costumer services & cultural competency skills
   • Creating a community advisory group/commission – to more thoroughly investigate the community’s concerns – should have reps from all over the city
   • Creating a systems within the buses, commuter rail, MBTA, etc – where riders can place their feedback – commentary box – community advisory group can do follow up
   • Increase personal – to accommodate for the expansion of services etc.
   • Looking at other states/cities/countries that are positive example that we can implement
   • Better administration
7. What benefits would you see for you, your family, your community if you had your desired transportation system?
   • We won’t lose our jobs
   • Being able to get on time to work (& workers would be able to work different shifts), appointments, activities
   • Less stress
   • Increase in ridership
   • Save $$$
   • More security – as we ride
   • Mobility
   • Economic would be better because more people would be able to get out there to look for employment
   • Commerce would benefit – if people are working & more money invested in community – through shopping etc
   • Less cars on the road – would benefit the environment and our health
   • Cultural development – now folks are able to travel freely throughout the city and attend different cultural activities etc
   • Better quality of life
   • More leg room in buses – comfortability
   • Efficient services
   • More vibrant/active community