2022 Onboard Survey

ABQ RIDE (a department of the City of Albuquerque) is conducting a survey onboard all ABQ RIDE bus routes during February 2022 to help inform transit planning. During this period, interviewers with tablet computers will ask randomly selected passengers questions about their transit trips. For further details, please refer to the frequently asked questions below.

If you are selected to participate, you will be eligible to win 1 of 5 Family Play Packs – valued at $375 each! The play pack includes: 5 Hinkle Family Fun Center Ultimate Play Passes, 5 Hinkle Family Fun Center Fun Pass Gift Cards, and a Pizza 9 Gift Card.

• What is the Onboard Transit Passenger Survey?

The survey is a study of how people use transit to travel in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Questions focus on the specifics of how people get places using ABQ RIDE, what types of places they’re going to (e.g. work, school, shopping, etc.) and the demographics of transit riders. Your responses will help ABQ RIDE better understand the travel patterns and choices of transit riders. This information will be used to plan transit improvements and to understand equity impacts of any proposed changes.

• How often are these studies performed and why now?

ABQ RIDE conducts onboard transit passenger studies every five years. The region’s last survey was conducted in 2017. Since that time, our ridership numbers and patterns have changed, as have overall conditions in the region and aspects of transit service.

• Who is conducting the study?

ABQ RIDE hired a contractor to conduct the onboard transit passenger survey. The people you see on ABQ RIDE buses administering the surveys are contracted employees. The data, however, belongs to ABQ RIDE.

• How do I take the survey?

Interviewers with tablet computers will randomly select passengers to take the survey on board the transit vehicles. (The tablet computer tells the interviewer who to pick based on a random number formula.) Random selection is necessary to ensure that the data are statistically valid. Although we appreciate everyone’s willingness to take the survey, questions will only be asked to those individuals who were randomly selected by the computer system.

• How long will it take to complete the survey?

Your individual survey will take about five minutes to complete.

• What is the Survey Incentive Sweepstakes?

As an incentive for survey participation, each transit passenger completing a survey is entered in the Onboard Transit Passenger Survey random drawing.

• Why do you need to ask about personal information such as income? What does that have to do with how I use transit?

ABQ RIDE is required to collect specific demographic data about passengers including race, household income, and English language proficiency in order to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and to receive federal funding support for our transit system. This information is submitted periodically to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Also, studies have shown that certain household characteristics, such as income, are key indicators of travel behavior. By understanding these relationships, planners are better able to predict how potential service changes might affect riders. Please keep in mind that personal information is removed from all records, and the results are aggregated, a measure that ensures your privacy and anonymity.

• What if I am asked to participate in the survey more than once?

We’re looking for data about trips because we count trips (not specific individual people) all the time, regardless of who’s making those trips.  (Whenever someone gets on a bus, that’s a “trip”.)  So the focus is on finding out more about those trips – how, when, why, by whom, etc., which is why if you ride the bus a lot you might be asked to respond to the survey more than once just by random.  If you’re selected more than once, we’d appreciate your participation each time you’re selected. Each interview you complete gets you one entry in the drawing to win a prize. 

• How will I know that the interviewer is legitimate?

Official survey staff members wear a uniform consisting of a blue vest with reflective stripes and “survey team” on the front and back. They carry tablet computers and will never ask you for information such as your social security number or bank account information. 

• What if I have a complaint or a concern about a specific interviewer?

Please note a description of the interviewer and contact customer service at 505-243-7433 or 311. Please include all relevant information (date/time/location/route/bus number of encounter, reason for concern), so that the matter can be investigated.

• Is the survey available online?

No. Since the survey asks about the specific transit trip, only passengers who are actually on the bus on the survey day are being selected for interviews.

• Are people with disabilities included in the survey?

Yes. All persons riding transit during the survey period are included in the random selection. Interviewers can assist customers with disabilities in completing the survey, or they can provide a paper version of the survey, the option to complete it later by phone, or a handout with details about how to request accommodation.

• Is the survey available in other languages?

The surveys will be available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.   

• How will these data be reported?

Published reports will summarize the survey data, but will not disclose personally identifiable information.  The summary of the 2017 data is an example of the type of information that will be published.

• Will I have access to the data or the final findings?

A summary report will be available when the study is complete in the summer of 2022.

• Is the data shared with or sold to anyone other than the City of Albuquerque / ABQ RIDE?

No. To ensure the anonymity of survey respondents, personal information will not be included in the final data files.

• Will my route be eliminated or changed based on my information?

The survey results will help ABQ RIDE to consider possible changes to the transit system that could make it more effective in meeting public needs for getting around Albuquerque by transit.  This survey is part of a background data collection process.  There will be plenty of opportunities in the future to give your opinions on any proposals for changes, but ABQ RIDE does not have any particular changes planned at this time. 

• When will the project be completed?

Surveying of all transit routes is expected to be finished by March 15, 2022.

• Who is paying for the survey?

This project is being funded by the City of Albuquerque using federal and local funds. 

• How do I know that my personal information is safe?

The survey consultant and ABQ RIDE are required to protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information.  Key provisions include storing your survey responses on secure computers, protecting it from unauthorized use, and destroying personally identifiable information after an agreed-upon time period.

Also, as previously noted, published reports will summarize the survey data but will not disclose your individual responses.

• Who can I contact to get more information on the study?

You can contact the ABQ RIDE project manager, Andrew de Garmo, [email protected].