THE

BUS
Increasing Choice Ridership
Research Findings Report
Bow&Arrow Communications
Melanie Chalupa, Alyson Crooms, Ana Feria, Stino Lopez, Kara Wheeler
MC4320: Public Relations Campaigns
Tuesday/Thursday, 2-3:30 p.m.
Professor Paul D. Villagran


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

THE BUS is a branch of the larger transportation system, CARTS, used throughout
Central Texas. THE BUS is in its early stages of implementation due to the growing demand
for public transportation in San Marcos. The main issue that THE BUS presently faces is
choice ridership. Choice riders are defined as those who have other means of
transportation, but choose to take the bus instead.
The purpose of the research is to answer three main research questions: How many
students are aware of THE BUS; what are the reasons, if any, why students choose to not
ride THE BUS and what would make students more willing to ride THE BUS? The main
instrument used to find the answers to these questions was a survey distributed primarily
online. This survey was distributed online and in person. Qualitative data was also
collected through riding the bus and taking notes of the experience.
The survey revealed that many of the students would be encouraged to ride THE
BUS if hours extended past 8 p.m.. The survey also revealed that Texas State students listed
convenience and Wi-Fi as their top priorities in public transportation. However, many of
the students stated that they simply prefer to drive. Qualitative data revealed that the
condition of the older busses that are in place are of poor quality. However, the experience
of riding THE BUS was pleasant and timely.

INTRODUCTION:

The City of San Marcos has gained the title for the third consecutive year as the
fastest-growing city across the nation. As a result of this growth, the demand of public
transportation has increased. The City of San Marcos has taken steps to improve their
public transportation system by rebranding CARTS and introducing THE BUS. The people
who already are in need of public transportation are aware of its services and are using
THE BUS; however, the goal of this campaign is to increase ridership of choice riders. The
purpose of this study is to discover what can be done to increase the ridership of choice
riders within the age rage of 18-24.

PRIMARY RESEARCH:
Research Goal:
THE BUSs overall research goal is to find out how to increase the choice ridership
(those who have other means of transportation, but choose to take the bus instead) and
target the audience of people aged 18 to 24.
Research Questions:
1. How many students are aware of THE BUS?
2. What are the reasons, if any, why students choose not to ride THE BUS?
3. What would make students more willing to ride THE BUS?
Research Objectives:
1. To obtain 50 responses from Texas State students to the survey by October 11.
2. To ride THE BUS at two different times on two different days before October 11 and
take observation notes.

Methodology:
The target population chosen is choice riders aged 18-25. Choice riders are persons
who have the means of transportation to and from work or school but choose public
transportation as their preferred mode of travel. The age range was chosen based on the
clients request to target Texas State students. The sample frame or, n, are the students of
Texas State University. THE BUS would like to shape its look and feel to meet the wants and
needs of the target population.
A survey was created consisting of questions related to how and why someone
would ride THE BUS. The data was collected through our survey (quantitative data) as well
as physically riding THE BUS (qualitative data). The survey was distributed via Facebook,
email and through face-to-face interaction with Texas State students. Melanie, Ana and
Alyson dispersed the survey at their place of work, which consists of Texas State students
ages 18-25. We started to collect the data on September 26th and closed the survey on
October 11th. Qualitative data was gathered via riding the bus and taking notes. Melanie
rode THE BUS on September 23 and collected data consisting of information regarding how
long it took to get from place to place, what the bus looked like on the inside and out, and
what type of passengers rode THE BUS. Kara made an attempt to ride the bus on
September 15, but was unable to do so (See: Qualitative Data). With the data we collected,
we analyzed the survey and created tables and charts from the feedback. See appendix B.

Findings:
Quantitative Data Results:
THE BUS received 48 responses, and each participant is a student. The majority of
participants, 71.1%, are aware of the San Marcos city bus system. An overwhelming
majority has never used the current city bus system, CARTS. We found that those who have
used the city bus system tend to use it for general errands and to get to school. Wi-Fi and
convenience were cited as potential incentives for those who currently do not use the bus.
The majority of riders report that they would most utilize THE BUS past its current hours,
but 5:00pm to 8:00pm was the second most popular time reported. Lack of information
was cited as an issue throughout the survey, and participants learn toward a smartphone
app as choice means of information for THE BUS.

Qualitative Data Results:
Melanie rode the bus on September 23 at 2:45pm. She rode Route 5. The route
picked Melanie up on Craddock, then went through the university to the Gumbys stop, then
to the station, down I-35 through the shopping center that Target is in and then to the
outlets. The condition of THE BUS seemed questionable. The seats were weathered, there
was gum on the floor and the windows and panels were dirty. However, the bus driver
seemed friendly, it was equipped with seatbelts and the A/C was working well. One
passenger was picked up on campus; she used her student ID and went to the station to
transfer to Austin. THE BUS stopped at the station for 3-5 minutes. The station appeared to
be in very nice condition from the outside. Another young female student used THE BUS to
go to the outlets. At the station, 7 more people loaded onto THE BUS and headed to the

outlets. The full route took 38 minutes to complete. See Appendix A for Melanies complete
notes.
Kara attempted to ride the bus on September 15, but did not physically do so. She
waited for THE BUS approximately 30 minutes before it showed up. THE BUS was going to
Austin and she did not have time to go there and back. She waited another 15 minutes
before having to leave for class. In that time, the Texas State University bus stopped three
consecutive times. The data she collected contributed to further research on when and
where THE BUS stops.
Current Attitudes:
In response to why students choose not to ride THE BUS, the majority of
participants stated that they prefer to drive, but the second most stated answer was lack of
information. Wi-Fi, convenience and rides to the square were the most popular incentives
listed to ride THE BUS. A little over half of the participants report a small chance of them
riding THE BUS, and a little under half of participants report that they are moderate to
most likely to ride the bus. 7:00am to 9:00am and 5:00pm to 8:00pm are the two most
popular times for students to ride the bus within the city bus the current bus hours.
However, most respondents stated that they would be most likely to ride THE BUS outside
of its current running hours.
Media Use:
Students report that the best methods of communication to receive information
about THE BUS are a smartphone app and social media.

Demographics:
91.1% of the 45 participants are ages 18-24, and 8.9% of participants fell within the
25-30-age range. The majority of participants are female, with 28.9% of participants being
male and 2.2% falling under other. 99.8% of participants have completed at least some
college. See Appendix B.

Interpretation:
The survey and riding the bus supplemented our research on why people age 18-25
are not riding the bus. As stated in our findings section, college students were not riding the
bus because they would rather drive, did not feel the need to ride the bus or the hours in
which they were interested in riding THE BUS are outside of its running hours. Interpreting
that data, we can conclude to a couple solutions that can increase choice ridership. Possibly
the most important knowledge gained from our survey revealed students would most
likely utilize the bus after 8 p.m. The buses do not currently run after 8 p.m., so extending
the hours past 8 p.m. could potentially help increase choice ridership numbers. Many of the
students also listed lack of information as the main reason for them not using THE BUS.
Since the students stated a smartphone app would be their preferred method of
communication, this can be used as a way to distribute information about the bus system
or specific routes. For the students who would just rather drive, it can be explained to them
that the buses have Wi-Fi so they can be on their phones or laptops, which is important
since San Marcos is a hands free city. The qualitative data that was conducted produced
further inside as to why students may be deterred from riding THE BUS. For example, the
bus stops are often inconveniently located and may not come by often enough. Additionally,

the busses appeared to be old and dirty. The implementation of the new busses will solve
this particular issue. There were a couple limitations, including not being able to reach the
research goal of 50 responses on the survey and also not being able to ride the bus as many
times as planned. There was also a diversity problem within the survey. An overwhelming
majority of the respondents were Caucasian female. This will have to be considered when
implementing the data. Given these limitations, we were still able to productively and
effectively gather useful research for the client.

APPENDICES:
Appendix A:
Bus Riding Research
Friday, September 23 at 2:45pm
Melanie Chalupa

Route 5
Got on the bus at Craddock, got off the bus at the outlets
Handicap access
Bus looks weathered; gum on floor, dirty windows and panels
Friendly driver
Seats: 8 rows of 2 (4 rows on each side)
A/C works well
Equipped with seatbelts
No one was on the bus when I initially boarded
One passenger was picked up on campus, used student ID. She went to the station to
transfer and go to Austin.
Two people got on the bus at the Gumbys stop, neither showed ID or proof of
payment
One college or HS age girl headed to the outlets
One middle age male headed to the station
The station appeared to be in very nice condition from the outside
Two smaller buses have already been transformed into THE Bus, as seen at the
station
Only spent 3-5 minutes at the station
Seven people boarded on the station, all showed passes and all headed to the outlets
The route picked me up on Craddock then went through the university to the
Gumbys stop, then to the station, down I-35 through the shopping center that Target
is in and then the outlets.
Over all ride time: 2:44p pick up, 3:22p (38 minutes)

Appendix B: