Insight into Passenger Rail Riders in the United States

摘要

The results of the investigation into customer rider vs. non-rider behavior on Amtrak suggest that customers utilize a holistic view of travel as opposed to focusing entirely on the in-transit experience. The sample" of respondents indicated that cost, comfort, and the customer's ability to travel when and where they desire were important to all travelers. Therefore, Amtrak must remain competitive in the areas of cost, comfort and traveler flexibility since the traveling public perceives these as important attributes of the transportation mode choice. Interestingly, of the eight characteristics found to be significantly different between riders and non-riders (Table 1), five of them (convenience to Amtrak station, convenience from the station to destination, station is a pleasant place to wait, convenient departure and return times and do not have Amtrak schedule information) do not directly relate to the actual in-transit experience. The five variables are ancillary issues that influence a cus- tomer's broad view of the entire travel experience. Overall, customer's attitudes were positive when being asked about various in-transit issues (e.g., the mean score for comfort on Amtrak was slightly over four on a five point scale (better than auto) and no significant differences in perceptions of comfort were detected when examining riders and non-riders of Amtrak). It appears customers perceive the actual on-board experience provided by Amtrak as being adequate. The research suggests it is the activities which precede and follow the in-transit experience which differentiate riders and non-riders.