RTAMS Survey Results Show Importance of Tool

August 31, 2016

By Brad Thompson, Manager of Data Services and Analytics, RTA

For more than a decade, the RTA has provided RTAMS (Regional Transportation Authority Mapping and Statistics), a one-stop, easy-to-use website offering a wealth of planning, operational and financial information about the transit system in northeastern Illinois.  As the Manager of Data Services and Analytics, I lead a team responsible for maintaining the content and operation of the website.

This summer, our department embarked on a visioning exercise to help direct the future of RTAMS.  To assist in this endeavor, the RTAMS team asked for input from our users via an on-line survey, to help us better understand how the website is used, and more importantly, what we can do to improve it for users.   Nearly half of the respondents aren’t transit providers, which illustrates the impact and relevance of transit information to many groups in our region.   Even those who don’t ride transit regularly, or don’t work in the sector, use RTAMS and want a voice in how to enhance the site.

A few of the survey result highlights include:

• 
  
• Ridership is by far the most frequently visited content area
  
• Most users visit the site twice a month, 16% visit weekly
  
• Almost a quarter of those surveyed want the site to include more data
  

To see more of the survey results, please visit RTAMS Survey Results.  To visit the RTAMS site, click here: RTAMS Website.