7.3. SR 08-16-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Northstar Commuter Coach Survey was conducted on June 29, 2004. A total of 240 persons rode from Elk River that day and 212 surveys were completed. The results of the survey are detailed below. The Northstar Commuter Coach provides a valued transportation option to area commuters. All of respondents said they are either very satisfied or satisfied with the coach bus service. - There was unanimous support for continuing the bus service as a needed alternative to driving to jobs downtown. The majority of respondents said they are willing to pay slightly higher fares to be able to continue using bus service. The median fare that riders said they would be willing to pay from Elk River to Minneapolis is $4.00, compared to the current fare of $3.50. Without a transit alternative, a significant percentage of commuters will resort to driving on area roads. When asked what travel option they would choose if bus service were unavailable, 51 percent said they would use a car to travel to work - 43 percent using a single-person car and the remainder saying they would carpool. Anecdotally, some respondents who said they would use another transit option still said they would need to drive some distance to link up to a different service. Riders strongly support and will use the Northstar Commuter Rail service. More than 90 percent of respondents said they favor the proposed Northstar Commuter Rail service. When given a choice between bus service and Northstar Commuter Rail, 63 percent said they would be more likely to use Northstar Commuter Rail. Even when given the alternative of Northstar Commuter Rail at an estimated $5.00 one-way fare, which is higher than both the existing bus service fare ($3.50) and the fare respondents were willing to pay ($4.00), riders still preferred Northstar Commuter Rail.