Underground Research In UK Reports Example

Part 1 – A Discussion of Distribution Methods

Manual distribution and social media distribution methods:
Manual Method of Surveying
The researchers are using the manual methodbecause it’s cheaper and the researcher is able to meet face to face with the targeted group and quantify the number and scope of the survey. one is able to critical analyze the face of the survey since the researcher is able to differentiate between facial expressions and real ones from the respondents.

How?

Why social media?
Direct contact to consumers, interested parties and also other businesses
Access to people worldwide who are already interested in the business, institution or ideals.
Cheap, or even free, to distribute the questionnaire
Social media is an excellent way to reach large swaths of the population, because social media reaches millions of people each day. Mobilizing people via social media is an excellent way to get the information necessary regarding public transport, because so many people utilize both services.

Critical Evaluation of Questionnaire

The questionnairewil be enabling the researcher to achieve the following objectives:
The number of people using the rail system
The specific users of the railways system
The use of a questionnaire allows the researcher to get unbiased feedback from the people who are actually using the light rail system. This feedback is fundamentally important insofar as improvements and such are concerned—it will give the researchers the information that they require for the further improvement of the system.
The researchers have decided upon a manual distribution of the survey in order to better reach a wider array of individuals who are using the light rail system. The hope is that the individuals using the system will be able to take the survey on their journey and turn the questionnaire in to pre-arranged boxes upon their arrival. There are 200 respondents that taken into consideration for this research report.
This particular questionnaire was specifically designed to guage reactions from those who utilize the mass transit system in the United Kingdom, particularly the light rail transit system. These individuals were chosen because they were present on the system, and the researchers have hoped to get a good cross-section of the population that uses the light rail system by assessing the system at various points during the day and night. This will give the researchers access to people that may not otherwise ever be questioned, particularly those who use the mass transit system at strange or particularly unusual hours of the evening or early morning. These people will often have different insights, from their counterparts who use mass transit at busier points during the day.

Part 2: Data Analysis

Mention below is the graph representing the amount of people that would like to travel on weekends, as compared to week days
According to the analysis of the data provided, most of the people travel during the weekday. The proportion of people travelled frequently in weekends is 60.5%, while it is nearly 39% for those people who travel frequently on weekdays. Those travelling prefer to travel in the evening. In addition, the analysis shows that most men travel during the evening and late hours. The data indicate that the females travelling in late hours tend to travel in groups rather than one person. This may be attributed to the safety precaution due to the late hours of the night. Further analysis shows that all those travelling during the early hours, irrespective of gender, travel for long hours. One of the main reasons behind high amount of travelling during the weekends is the holoday of the individuals from their workplaces. People prefer to go on vacations with their families in order to make their weekend happy, effective and powerful. From the above mentioned graph, it is also found that there are some people who don’t prefer to travel. In addition, those preferring to travelling for long hours also chose to travel very late hours. This might be due to the fact that at night, the trip can be less hectic than early morning hours. It is arguably the most types of ticket used is the monthly pass with a few more picking the yearly ticket pass. The number of retired persons using the free pass is quite a few and travel in groups probably visiting folks and family. Tourists are, however, a very important part of the light rail transit system; gleaning information and perceptions from people merely passing through is fundamentally important.

Safety of Light Rail Transit

Safety and consumption has a strong and direct linkage with each other. Any single point of safety in a transport system or facility will certainly increase the level of satisfaction among the users. Very few people are afraid for their safety; most customers are satisfied with the security offered by the Light rail transit. The proportion of people who are afraid related to the safety of Light Rail Transit is only 21.5%, while almost 78% of the respondents are in the favor of the fact that Light Rail Transit are safe enough to travel. According to the data provided in the analysis, most females are concerned about their safety when travelling during the evening hours and late hours.
This satisfaction can be attributed to the fact that most are travelling alone on the train, and in the late hours. A different analysis is seen on the male counterparts, they are quite assured of their safety according to the data provided. Regardless of the time of travel, the male commuters are above average in terms of their safety.Most of the retired persons are below average when it comes to safety, with a high number of females who are very much concerned about their safety and time of travel. Both the male and female commuters feel safe when travelling during the day rather than the night, with most travelling in pairs or groups. The female, irrespective of their age group and time of travel, are bellow average in rating the safety of the transport system. For many people, the safety of the transit system is their primary concern; as a result, care should be taken to ensure that the light rail system has both the appearance of safety as well as actual safety precautions in place.

Travelling of the Commuters during Day time

The data indicate that most people travel during the weekdays, with a few travelling during the weekends. From the aforementioned graph, it is clear that almost 83% respondents travel during the weekdays predominaltly in the commuters travelling is concerned. Such tarvellings usually associated with commuters or the workers engage in different organizations, and travel for the official purpose. Most of the commuters travelling during the weekdays travel a bit earlier than those travelling over the weekend, perhaps because travellers over the weekened tend to be travelling for leisure. It is further noted that during the weekdays, most commuters travel in the early evening rather than the late evening. In addition, the analysis further shows that those taking the weekdays prefferingto travelling alone or in a group of two. This fact may be attributed to working patterns of the commuters. In contrast, those taking the weekend trip travels long hours and take the late evening trip. The evening trip is characterized by people travelling long hours and in groups of more than two people.

Preference of Travelling time

According to the data provided, those individuals travelling during the day and early hours give a positive feedback and rating. Nealy 57% of the total respondents would like to prefer to travel in the earlier times, while 81 out of 200 respondents are in the favor of travelling at late hours. On the other hand 3% of the individuals has no preference of time in terms of travelling. One of the main reasons behind preferring to travel in the earlier time rather than travelling in the later hours is the safety, as more time passing out, the probability of being robbed will increase resultantly. In addition, the pattern recorded indicates that those travelling from early hours give a high rating and that particular rating gradually declines with the time of travel with late hours recording a very poor rating. The correlation between late travel and unhappiness with the system may have something to do with the fact that people are tired and unlikely to be happy about their late travel arrangements, although care should be taken to consider that the late-night light rail system is not as effective as the daytime system.
It can be difficult to determine which of these factors can be attributed to the light rail transit system itself and which are the result of individuals and their lives; however, trends overall suggest that the late-night and early-morning rail customers are generally satisfied with the service that they are receiving in terms of transit, safety, cleanliness, and so on and so forth. The analysis seems to suggest that overall satisfaction may be correlated with the amount of time that a commuter spends on the light rail transit system on a daily or weekly basis; fortunately, higher amounts of time seem to correlate with higher overall levels of satisfaction with the light rail transit system in the United Kingdom.
In today’s world, there are a variety of different issues that face managerial staff at light rail transit systems. As previously noted, safety is a primary concern for many individuals who are traveling, especially at night; regardless of time of travel, most women seem to be more uncomfortable on light rail transit in the United Kingdom than men. The researchers have found that men’s safety concerns do not seem to be as in-depth as women’s; this may suggest that women who are utilizing transit are fearing something that male riders do not need to fear, like other male riders of the same system.

Managerial Implications and Conclusions

According to a variety of sources, determining the relationship between commuter satisfaction and the actions taken by the light rail transit system is not an easy task. St-Louis et al. (2014) write, “Understanding and representing commuter satisfaction is not a straightforward task It is necessary to consider which elements can be influenced by policy, and which can be changed through ‘culture’ Commute satisfaction may be influenced differently when several
modes are combined in a commute” (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014). However, there is little literature and even less analysis done on the difference between different types of public transport; happy commuters are generally those who use active transportation, and those who use public transit are generally less satisfied as far as customer satisfaction is concerned (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014).
Light Rail Transit has already been put into use in the United Kingdom in many places, so people are used to the existence of the system; it is in places where they are not used to the system that the light rail transit (LRT) system can be problematic (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014). Because it takes up space in the same space as other commuters—particularly those with cars and bicycles—it can be perceived as problematic in a number of different ways. It is the managerial position to ensure that the LRT system is minimally problematic for other commuters, as this will help improve the image of the LRT system as a whole in the United Kingdom (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014).
It is also important to understand what the LRT system is for, functionally; LRT is not designed to be a system that will take over for other types of commuter options entirely, but will add to the functionality of the mass transit program in the United Kingdom overall. Farrán (2006) writes, “Accommodating light rail in these multiple environments while maintaining or improving safety has led local transportation planners and engineers to use a variety of innovative traffic control practices to manage conflicting movements with LRVs and to provide motorists, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists, with better information on which to base their decisions” (Farrán, 2006). The traffic control patterns in a major city are, of course, difficult; the information provided by the survey in this case will give individuals responsible for the management of the light rail transit system in the United Kingdom a more comprehensive knowledge of the way the LRT system is perceived by the individuals within the community (Farrán, 2006). This perception can make the difference between widespread use of mass transit and the avoidance (and thus, lack of success) of a particular project (Farrán, 2006).
One of the major concerns for almost all individuals insofar as mass transit is concerned is safety (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014). In the survey conducted by the researcher, almost all individuals noted that safety was a concern for them when using mass transit; this is not the first survey to discover something similar. St-Louis et al. (2014) also noted that the perception of safety is fundamentally important for the success of a particular mass transit system (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014). Although the study measured the perception of safety by consumers, managers within the mass transit system should strive for stringent levels of safety and excellent safety procedures to ensure that the mass transit system is safe from a variety of different potential problems and issues (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014).
Light Rail Transit authorities must ensure that there is both actual safety and the perception of safety in the Light Rail Transit system—this means that the transit system must be well-lit, and security must be both present and evident (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014). Evident security will have the added bonus of deterring some crime and protecting individuals who are vulnerable in some way, like a lone woman riding alone at night (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014).
One of the positive things that can be noted from the study is that when individuals spend more time in the Light Rail Transit system in the United Kingdom, they are more likely to rate the system highly in terms of safety, cleanliness, etc. A lot of these issues can be easily alleviated by managers; cleanliess, for example, is something that is relatively easily attended to but can make a large difference in the perception of safety and care taken on the part of employees of the LRT system. While things like reliability are overall more difficult to address, it should be noted that the reliability of the LRT is generally considered very good. St-Louis et al. (2014) suggest that reliability is one of the key facets to the success of a particular system of transit (St-Louis, Manaugh,vanLierop and El-Geneidy, 2014).
The survey that was done by the researchers has determined that there are a number of places where the United Kingdom’s light rail transit system has been very successful in its development of safety procedures and overall satisfaction; however, there are always places where management can develop plans to improve the system. Improving overall safety and cleanliness of the light rail system and its various platforms and station areas will help improve overall consideration of the system.

Appendix A

Questionnaire on Light Rail Transit (LRT) system
Hello: You are invited to participate in our survey [assess our new products swift fast train]. In this survey, approximately [200] people will be asked to complete a survey that asks questions about [our services and the introduction of new product]. It will take approximately [15 ) minutes to complete the questionnaire. Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. There are no foreseeable risks associated with this project. However, if you feel uncomfortable answering any questions, you can withdraw from the survey at any point. It is very important for us to learn your opinions. Your survey responses will be strictly confidential and data from this research will be reported only in the aggregate. Your information will be coded and will remain confidential. If you have questions at any time about the survey or the procedures, you may contact [Light Rail system xxx] at [Phone Number xx] or by email at the email address specified below. Thank you very much for your time and support.
What is your gender?
Male
Female
What is your age?
Younger than 18
18 - 24
25 - 34
35 - 44
45 - 54
55 - 64
65 or older
Prefer not to answer
What is your marital status?
Single (Never married)
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
How many children do you have?
No Children
1 child
2 children
3 children
More than 3 children
When do you use the light transport services?
Morning and evening on Weekends
Morning and evening hours Working days
Other
Which means of transport do you use daily?
public Bus
train
flight
Other
How often do you use Light Rail Transit (LRT) system?
Weekly
Monthly
Daily
Annually
Which category best describes your annual income?
Under $15,000
$15,000 - $29,999
$30,000 - $44,99
$120,000 or more
Prefer not to answer
Which part of the locations do you often use the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system ?
North
East
other
What types of credit cards do you use to pay for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system (Select all that all that apply)
Visa
MasterCard
American Express
Other
How would you rate our Rail Transport service?
Below standard
Insufficient
Satisfactory
Good
Excellent
How well did our staff respond to your needs?
Below standard
Insufficient
Satisfactory
Good
Excellent
How would you rate your level of satisfaction with us?
Highly satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Neutral
Somewhat dissatisfied
Highly dissatisfied
How likely are you to continue doing business with us?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Neutral
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely
How flexible is the company with respect to your family responsibilities?
Very inflexible
Somewhat inflexible
Neither
Somewhat flexible
Very flexible
Have you ever observed or experienced any of the following forms of discrimination or harassment at this company?
Racial discrimination
Sexual harassment
Age discrimination
Gender discrimination
Sexual orientation discrimination
No, none of the above have been observed or experienced
References
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Cervero, R. (2010). Effects of Light and Commuter Rail Transit on Land Prices: Experiences in San Diego County. Journal Of The Transportation Research Forum, 43(1).doi:10.5399/osu/jtrf.43.1.741
Chinomona, R., Mofokeng, T., &Pooe, D. (2013).The Influence of Condition of Minibus Taxis, Compliance with Road Rules on Quality of Service and Commuter Satisfaction in Harrismith, South Africa. Mediterranean Journal Of Social Sciences.doi:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n14p319
Farrán, J. (2006). Pedestrian and Motor Vehicle Traffic Control Practices for Light Rail Transit: Innovations in New Light Rail Transit System, Barcelona, Spain. Transportation Research Record,1955(1), 56-61. doi:10.3141/1955-07
Kruger, J., &Lubbe, A. Forecasting Ticket Sales – the Case of Commuter Rail in South Africa. SSRN Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1935196
Litman, T. (2005). Part 2: Rail Transit and Commuter Rail: Impacts of Rail Transit on the Performance of a Transportation System. Transportation Research Record, 1930(1), 21-29.doi:10.3141/1930-03
Owen, J. (1969). THE VALUE OF COMMUTER SPEED. Economic Inquiry, 7(2), 164-172.doi:10.1111/j.1465-7295.1969.tb01474.x
St-Louis, E., Manaugh, K., van Lierop, D., & El-Geneidy, A. (2014). The happy commuter: A comparison of commuter satisfaction across modes. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology And Behaviour, 26, 160-170. doi:10.1016/j.trf.2014.07.004
Strivens, D. (1993). Light-rail systems. IEE Rev., 39(1), 29. doi:10.1049/ir:19930010
Sullivan, B. (1980). Light rail transit in Canada. Transportation, 9(1), 75-82.doi:10.1007/bf00147820