TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Salvador Llamas, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Rider Profile Survey
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ?
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Considering receiving the results of the 2025-2026 On-Board Rider Profile Survey administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and conducted by ETC Institute.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Chief Planning and Development Officer
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Strong Public and Policymaker Support
Initiative - Financial Efficiency and Revenue Maximization
Rider profile surveys done every 5 years help the District identify strategies to increase ridership, improve service, strengthen engagement with communities of color, low-income populations, and people with limited English proficiency. The survey also helps the District evaluate fare policies, products, and technologies.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no fiscal impacts associated with receiving the report. The District budgeted and spent $160,000 in FY26 as its 20% share of the survey cost, in partnership with MTC.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Title VI guidelines require large transit providers to collect and report on rider demographic and travel pattern data at least once every five years. To meet this requirement, since 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has led a coordinated effort with AC Transit and other Bay Area transit agencies to collect passenger data through the Transit Sustainability Project (TSP). Consequently, AC Transit regularly updates its ridership profiles via this five-year FTA/MTC cycle with onboard surveys to better understand service-related issues and how policies and plans influence travel behavior. The current survey cycle was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an approximately eight-year interval since the previous onboard survey conducted in 2017. This survey represent...
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