Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation (2022)

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59   A P P E N D I X B Survey Questionnaire Introduction The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is leading research on the use of social media in public transportation for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). The current research project, TCRP Synthesis J-07/Topic SB-33: Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation, will document transit systems’ current social media use and provide an overview of transit agencies’ social media use for the following: 1) Timely updates and crisis information 2) Public education and awareness 3) Public engagement 4) Transit promotion 5) Support and influence organizational goals This survey is the first step in the research project, and it needs to be completed by March 9, 2021. This survey will take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete, and it will allow you to save your work and return to finish at a later time. This survey will ask questions about your transit agency’s usage, including but not limited to the following: • Reasons for adopting social media platforms • Barriers and concerns • Advice and lessons learned The answers you provide will be synthesized with the information collected from other public transit professionals. Your answers will remain confidential to the extent allowed or required by law. We greatly appreciate your participation in this study. If you have questions or concerns regarding this study, you may contact the principal investigator, Subasish Das, at s-das@tti.tamu.edu. The survey is only open to individuals 18 years and older. Your answers may need to be clarified, or further information may be collected by TTI. 1. Do you agree to participate in this survey? a. Yes b. No → THANK AND TERMINATE

60 Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation Agency Information 1. Participant information a. First Name: b. Last Name: c. Title: d. Agency Name: e. Address Line 1: f. Address Line 2 (Optional): g. City: h. State/Province: i. Postal Code: j. Country: k. Phone Number: l. Email Address: m. Website: 2. Describe the service area size of your agency. a. Large urbanized area (population over 200,000) b. Small urbanized area (population 50,000–200,000) c. Rural or non-urbanized area (population under 50,000) d. Both rural and urbanized areas are served 3. What is the principal mode your agency focuses on? Please check all that apply. a. Bus b. Light rail c. Heavy rail/subway d. Monorails and tramways e. Streetcars and trolleys f. Cable cars g. Commuter rail h. Vanpool i. Paratransit services j. Other (specify): 4. How many riders did your agency handle in the most recent years? Name Estimated Annual Riders 2017 2018 2019 2020 Agency ridership ____ ____ ____ ____

Survey Questionnaire 61   Social Media Platforms 5. What social media platforms does your agency use? Please check all that apply. a. Facebook b. Twitter c. YouTube d. Instagram e. Tumblr f. Reddit g. Medium h. Flickr i. LinkedIn j. Viber k. Pinterest l. Quora m. Twitch n. Other (specify): 6. Indicate the type of information your agency provides via the following major social media platforms. Please check all that apply. Type of Information Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Other N/A Service information Real-time service information Emergency alert and crisis information Agency news and projects Other news Press releases and statements Agency promotion Feature stories Meeting and event notices Job listings Other (specify below) NOTE: N/A = not applicable. List any other types of content provided via the major social media platforms listed above. Enter text in box.

62 Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation 7. How frequently does your agency update the following? Type of Information Several Times a Day Once a Day A Few Times a Week Once a Week A Few Times a Month Once a Month N/A Service information Real-time service information Emergency alert and crisis information Agency news and projects Other news Press releases and statements Agency promotion Feature stories Meeting and event notices Other (specify below) List any other types of content and identify the frequency of updates. Enter text in box. 8. How many people are instrumental in reviewing social media content before posting? a. No one b. One person c. Multiple persons d. N/A e. Other (specify)

Survey Questionnaire 63   9. Who is responsible for creating and circulating the posts on different social media platforms? Please check all that apply. Type of Information Senior Manage- ment Marketing Staff Information Technology Staff Admin- istrative Staff Customer Service Staff Others (specify) Service information Real-time service information Emergency alert and crisis information Agency news and projects Other news Press releases and statements Agency promotion Feature stories Meeting and event notices Job listings Other (specify below) NOTE: The dashes in the “Others (specify)” column indicate that the respondents did not provide any further information for these categories. 10. How many man hours does your agency dedicate toward managing social media? Enter text in box. 11. What is the budget allocated for social media engagement? Enter text in box.

64 Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation Agency Considerations 12. How important is each of the following considerations in your agency’s decision to use social media? Considerations Not Important at All Slightly Important Important Very Important N/A Communicate with current and prospective riders Distribute general information Distribute real-time service information Prevent misinformation Crisis communication Public health information Improve customer satisfaction Improve agency image Citizen engagement Recruit and keep staff Increase ridership Promote agency services Other (specify below) Indicate any other agency considerations for social media use and their level of importance. Enter text in box.

Survey Questionnaire 65   13. How effective have your agency’s social media activities been in achieving the following goals? Considerations Not Effective at All Slightly Effective Effective Very Effective N/A Communicate with current and prospective riders Distribute general information Distribute real-time service information Prevent misinformation Crisis communication Public health information Improve customer satisfaction Improve agency image Citizen engagement Recruit and keep staff Increase ridership Promote agency services Other (specify below) How effective has social media been in meeting other objectives? Enter text in box. 14. Which social media metrics are important to your agency? Please check all that apply. a. Engagement: Likes, comments, shares, and clicks b. Awareness: Impressions and reach c. Customer care: Response rate and time d. No evaluation e. Other (specify)

66 Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation 15. How does your agency measure the effectiveness of your social media success? Please check all that apply. a. Twitter Analytics b. Hootsuite c. Facebook Insights d. Direct messages e. Sprout Social f. Zoho Social g. N/A h. Other (specify): 16. Which social media platforms does your agency use to reach specific audiences? Please check all that apply. Users Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Other N/A Regular riders Occasional riders Students/young adults Seniors People with disabilities Low-income communities Minorities Agency employees External stakeholders

Survey Questionnaire 67   17. Is your agency effective in reaching specific audiences with the help of social media platforms? Users Not Effective at All Slightly Effective Effective Very Effective N/A Regular riders Occasional riders Students/young adults Seniors People with disabilities Low-income communities Minorities Agency employees External stakeholders 18. Do your agency’s social media posts tie in with other activities and/or information distribution platforms, such as real-time alerts or service advisories? Please check all that apply. a. Marketing and communications plan b. 511 (traveler information) c. 311 (citizen information) d. 211 (human services information) e. Real-time service alerts f. Service advisories g. Other (specify): 19. Does your agency share third-party private company information or promotions via social media platforms? a. Yes b. No c. N/A 20. [IF Q19=YES] If yes, how often? a. Regularly (every day) b. Often (once or twice in a week) c. Very often (once or twice in a month) d. Other (specify):

68 Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation 23. Is there a social media strategy policy at your agency? a. Yes b. No c. In development d. N/A 24. [IF Q23=YES] If possible, please upload the social media strategy policy document your agency follows. 25. Please describe the changes made (by your agency) in social media information sharing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Enter text in box. 21. Is there an employee conduct policy (in social media) at your agency? a. Yes b. No c. In development d. N/A 22. [IF Q21=YES] If possible, please upload the employee conduct policy document your agency follows.

Survey Questionnaire 69   Challenges and Barriers 26. Below are some commonly identified barriers to using social media. Indicate the importance of each component in your agency’s decision to use social media. Barriers Not Important at All Slightly Important Important Once a Week Very Important N/A Requirement of support from IT staff Time constraints for posting Agency managers do not see the benefits of social media Lack of smartphone usage Harsh or impolite comments Staff will waste time updating their personal pages User privacy Prevent misinformation during crisis management Track interactions and feedback 27. If there are any other specific barriers and challenges, please describe below. Enter text in box. 28. Can people with disabilities access your agency’s social media sites? a. Yes, completely accessible b. Partially accessible c. No, not accessible d. In process of making it accessible e. N/A 29. Does your agency actively handle direct messages or mentions from social media users? a. Yes b. No c. N/A

70 Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation 30. How does your agency archive social media interactions? Enter text in box. Lessons Learned and Future Needs 31. What are your social media goals over the next 1–3 years? Enter text in box. 32. Please describe any lessons learned by your agency that could be useful to other transit agencies. Enter text in box. 33. Please describe any suggestions on improving social media interactions in the future. Enter text in box. 34. Do you know of any peer transit agencies that may be interested in this survey? a. Yes b. No → THANK AND TERMINATE 35. Please provide contact information for the peer transit agency that may be interested in this survey. a. Agency name: b. Contact person name: c. Contact email: 36. [FOR TERMINATIONS] Thank you for participating in this survey. Please advance so your information will be recorded.

Survey Questionnaire 71   37. [FOR SURVEY COMPLETES] Thank you for completing our survey! Your input is greatly appreciated. We will happily provide you with a link to the synthesis report when it is published. We hope that information provided in this report will be useful to your agency in operating current transit agency resources and in planning of adopting new methods. If we need more information or clarification, we may need to contact you in the future. Please feel free to contact the principal investigator at s-das@tti.tamu.edu with any questions in the meantime.