Transit-Hudson Bus and Ferry Surveys

Trans-Hudson Bus Survey (2012)

The NJTPA partnered with NJ TRANSIT and the Port Authority of NY and NJ to sponsor a new Trans-Hudson Bus Survey to meet federal data requirements. The last survey was conducted by NJ TRANSIT in spring 2002.

These bus trips are a critical transportation market in the NJTPA region. The NJTPA uses survey data to develop and validate its Enhanced North Jersey Regional Transportation Model (NJRTM-E), for air quality conformity analysis, to update the Regional Transportation Plan and for other planning studies. NJ TRANSIT and the Port Authority of NY and NJ use surveys to update models, plan interstate bus services and understand the customer experience. Surveys also inform project planning, redevelopment efforts, information sharing with developers and transportation management associations, transit service and fair equity analysis, fare modifications and much more.

The project team surveyed riders on most Trans-Hudson buses into Manhattan including 37 NJ TRANSIT routes that use the Port Authority Bus Terminal, George Washington Bridge Bus Station and the Holland Tunnel to Lower Manhattan. The survey also included intra-New Jersey riders that use NJ TRANSIT Trans-Hudson buses and four long distance NJ TRANSIT bus routes that serve as feeders to PATH.

The format was based on the 2002 survey with revisions to gather information on current topics of interest. The project team surveyed riders on:

• the beginning and ending point of their trip
• access/egress information
• trip purposes
• trip frequencies
• ticket types used
• demographics
• customer satisfaction

The survey was conducted from March-June 2012 and the final report was completed in May 2013. 

For further information, contact Bob Diogo at (973) 639-8409 or diogo@njtpa.org.
 

Trans-Hudson Ferry Survey (2013)

Ferry service is an important supplemental component of the Trans-Hudson transportation market in northern New Jersey. The NJTPA partnered with NJ TRANSIT to sponsor a survey in 2013 to address federal data requirements. The last full survey of ferry riders was conducted in 1998.
As with the Trans-Hudson Bus Survey, the ferry survey provides data for developing and validating the Enhanced North Jersey Regional Transportation Model (NJRTM-E), for air quality conformity analysis, to update the regional transportation plan and for other planning studies. NJ TRANSIT also uses the survey data to update their transit forecasting model and for transit planning and analysis.
The Trans-Hudson Ferry Survey format was based on past surveys with revisions to gather information on current topics of interest. The project team surveyed ferry riders on:

• the beginning and ending point of their trip
• access/egress information
• trip purposes
• trip frequencies
• ticket types used
• demographics
• customer satisfaction

The ferry survey complements other planned NJ TRANSIT studies so that, together, data will be developed for all NJ-NY ferry routes. Ferries are operated by private carriers (e.g., NY Waterway, BillyBey, and Seastreak) and provide service between landings in NJ — Edgewater, Port Imperial/Weehawken, Lincoln Harbor, Hoboken, Newport, Paulus Hook, Liberty Harbor, Liberty Landing, Port Liberte, Belford and Atlantic Highlands — and NY — Pier 79, World Financial Center and Pier 11.

The survey was conducted during August 2013 and the final report is posted here. Results from the survey are available on request.

For further information, contact Keith Miller at (973) 639-8444 or kmiller@njtpa.org.

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