Legislature required the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to begin reporting on regional customer satisfaction (CS) throughout the Chicago area. Until 2010, each Service Board providing transit services – CTA, Metra, and Pace – had conducted separate customer satisfaction studies with differing methodologies. RTA sought a holistic approach to integrating the CS studies to obtain consistency and economies of scale, including efficiencies gained using a set of common questions, consistent sampling methods, and unified funding applications.

RSG was hired by RTA to develop their CS program and to advise on myriad technical, logistical, and other issues. We were able to develop a consistent, transparent, and defensible customer satisfaction program for the full service region overseen by RTA. We have since worked with CTA, Pace, and Metra to conduct the regional CS survey program in 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2020. The 2020 CS survey continues this decades-long work with RTA and builds upon past surveys. Unique in 2020, RSG is advising on the methodology and recruitment for an online-only panel study that the RTA intends to field on a yearly basis. These findings will help RTA and its three Service Boards combat declining ridership by navigating the fast-changing transportation landscape, which is offering travelers a growing array of mobility choices.