CMT’s Try & Ride exceeding expectations with new riders clammering to get on board transit

The Lawrence Group Try & Ride Challenge Team giving transit a try for the work commute with CMT

The CMT Try & Ride program continues to attract new riders to the transit system in St. Louis.  As of Monday, November 3,  2014, 1,030 have registered for the program and are giving transit a try – more than 37 percent over the 2 year goal in five months !

CMT’s Try & Ride program is an incentive program that provides a month worth of transit tickets for the work commute and a personalized route to work in exchange for committing to take transit to work at least 3 days a week for two months.  Participants are asked to complete a survey at the end of the first month and at the end of the second month, and the data from these surveys is invaluable.  It will be compiled and sent to Metro and East-West Gateway in a report designed to inform their efforts.

“The Try & Ride program demonstrates people will ride transit if we help them over the initial perceived hurdles.  What is even better, the survey results are showing more and more riders committing to using transit after the initial two month period. We are excited to see how much more this program can grow and bring in new riders,” said Kim Cella, CMT Executive Director.

An overview of the data received from the 2nd survey to date is provided below.  If you are interested in Trying & Riding, register today!

• Even though the commitment is to use transit for their work commute at least 3 times a week, 40% of riders are using it 5 days a week.
• 43% of riders use a bus and train combo route.  35% take MetroLink only.  38% take MetroBus only.
• 43% have less than .25 miles to walk to their boarding point, and 44% have less than .25 miles to walk to their final destination after boarding.
• Only 27% of riders list a longer commute as their biggest transit hurdle.
• 52% of riders say that the cost savings of taking transit is their biggest benefit to transit use.  40% say its less stress and 37% say that more time to themselves is their favorite part of commuting by transit.
• 62% of riders say they’ll stick with transit after the program ends.    26% say they might stick with it.  Only 12% say they won’t.
• 55% say they use transit outside of their work commute.
• 69% of participants own their own car.
• 61% of participants are female
• 75% of participants are between the ages of 25 & 54, 30% between the age of 25 & 34.

Stay tuned for more!