Pleasant Street Shuttle Survey Results

Survey Dates: August 13, 2018 – September 28, 2018

The Town of Watertown and Watertown Transportation Management Association (WTMA) conducted a survey to evaluate interest in new transportation services. In particular, the possibility of offering shuttle service along the Pleasant Street Corridor to connect to transit.

There were a total of 383 survey respondents, of which more than half (212), indicated an interest in a shuttle service for the Pleasant Street Corridor. Respondents who said they would use the shuttle reported that they would use is at least 3-5 times per week and would be willing to pay at least $1 per ride and be on it for a maximum of 15-30 minutes. The top three most popular locations for the shuttle service to connect were the Red Line to Harvard, Watertown Yard Bus Terminal and Watertown Square Bus. 

The Town of Watertown and the WTMA are continuing to look for potential partners who would like to participate in a Pleasant Street shuttle and share in the cost. Details of the project are being discussed, interested participants should contact Sophia Galimore at 781-404-5008, director@watertowntma.org.

Employees and tenants of participating locations in the Pleasant Street corridor received a link to a survey that took 5-10 minutes to complete. The thoughts and opinions shared will be used to help determine what services should be offered and are summarized in this report.  

Download the Full report as a PDF

Conclusions

• There is high interest in a shuttle service for the Pleasant Street Corridor.

• Retirees are interested in a shuttle.

• Red Line to Harvard, Watertown Yard Bus Terminal and Watertown Square Bus were the top 3 transit stations for the shuttle service to connect to.

• Respondents are willing to pay at least $1 per trip.

• Respondents are willing to ride the shuttle between 15 – 30 minutes maximum.

• Respondents who said they would use the shuttle reported that they would use it at least 3-5 times per week.

• The data shows that a peak period (7:00 AM – 8:30 AM) and (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM) service is the most desirable based on work hours.

• Majority of respondents own 1 or more vehicles per household.

Survey Results Overview

Note: Numbers of respondents indicated below are the numbers for each specific question.

• Total Survey Responses = 383

• The majority of respondents (252) were Watertown residents.

• Most work a Monday to Friday schedule.

• Almost all respondents (348) have 1 or more cars in their household, 169 of those have 2 or more cars.

• The majority of respondents (213) reported working full time (41 or more hours a week), and another 111 work 31 or more hours per week.

• Most respondents (213) leave for work sometime between 7:00 and 8:30 AM and the majority leave for home between 5:00 and 7:00 (208). These correspond to the most likely times for a commuter shuttle service.

• 238 respondents reported that they did not work from home and 238 did not work from another location, these responses indicate this group is part of the target market for a shuttle service.

• 245 respondents reported that they currently drive alone to work and only 65 take public transportation as their primary commute mode.

• More than half of the respondents (212) indicated that they would be interested in using a shuttle bus service if one were available.

• The top three spots that respondents indicated interest in were:

  • Red Line – Harvard (165)

  • Watertown Yard Bus Terminal (143)

  • Watertown Square Bus (130)

• Respondents who said they would use the shuttle reported that they would use it frequently with 3-5 times per week (106) being the most popular answer.

• Almost 75% of respondents (229) indicated that they live within walking distance of a transit stop.

• When asked about what they would expect from a shuttle service, respondents were looking for:

  • 15-30 minutes maximum time (159)

  • $1 cost per trip (176)

• Many respondents (176) indicated that if a shuttle service was provided, it would influence them to stay at their current job or residential location longer than they planned.

• Respondents top answers for what their biggest concerns about their commute were:

  • Congestion on streets and highways (193)

  • The frustration of commuting (179)

  • Overall travel time (168)

• The main reasons why people choose to drive to work were:

  • Driving takes less time than other options (147)

  • Transit takes longer than driving (141)

  • A transit stop is too far from my final destination (108)

  • A transit stop is too far from my home (98)