Campus Transit Accommodation
The final section of the survey asked the respondents whether they think more shelters should be placed around campus and whether or not they would be willing to pay a fee per semester to use the MAT services.
The first questions which asked respondents whether there should be more shelters or more heated shelters changed slightly when compared to 2003 survey results. Nearly 45 percent indicated they would like to see heated bus shelters and roughly 41 percent indicated they would like to see more bus shelters all together (Figure 26). In the 2003 survey 43 percent of respondents indicated they would like to see more bus shelters on campus, and 50 percent said they would like heated shelters. Those numbers decreased by 5 percent on heated shelters and 2 percent on bus shelters.
Figure 26. Desire for More/Heated Shelters (n=598)
One of the main factors that determine the value of service is whether the customer is willing to pay for that service. Students were asked if they would be willing to pay an activity fee for free, unlimited use of the MAT Bus around campus and the Fargo-Moorhead area (Figure 27).
Figure 27. Students Willing to Pay Activity Fee (n=598)
Students were then asked how much they would be willing to pay on a per semester basis for unlimited use of MAT services (Figure 28). Nearly 43 percent of respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay $10 or more. The majority indicated that they would be willing to pay an activity fee of 2 or 5 dollars.
Figure 28. How Much Students are willing to Pay for MAT Service (n=212)
Summary
In summary, the survey data collected revealed some key points about North Dakota State University campus transit needs. A comparison of data from NDSU 2002-03 and 2003-04 school year surveys show an increase in MAT riders of approximately 12%. Another question shows that the main reason that students are using MAT is to get to and from campus. The main reason some do not use the service is because of a preference to drive/walk/bike. Overall value found in public transportation according to the respondents is the service is free and MAT is reliable and on time. MAT users have been satisfied with current aspects such as taking them where they need to go, the ease of use, cleanliness of the bus, and on time arrival. Students indicated dissatisfaction with parking affordability but were satisfied with parking convenience. Over half of the respondents were familiar with the campus circulator. A much greater percentage of students live off campus than on campus leading us to believe there is a large need for public transportation. The information and knowledge that is gained by this data will not only help in making transit decisions for today, but also help build a foundation in planning for tomorrow.