How do Dalhousie University’s Studley Campus students rate public transportation user experience on the Halifax peninsula?

Abstract

Public transit can offer many valuable benefits to cities worldwide. However, ridership can often be low due to several different factors that can make it difficult or inconvenient for people to rely on it as a regular mode of transportation. University students who regularly commute to the same locations are prime candidates for understanding barriers and for suggesting possible improvements to public transit. To better understand the perceived user experience of Halifax public transportation on the Halifax peninsula according to Dalhousie University Studley Campus students, an online survey was made available to Dalhousie students from March 12 to March 23, 2024. This survey was conducted through voluntary participation administered through posters on campus with a QR code link to it. 79 students completed the survey which included 10 Likert-scale questions and 4 open-ended questions. The survey gathered information on three categories related to the transit usership experience which were cleanliness, safety, and efficiency. The most recommendations coded across all responses were regarding the efficiency of Halifax Transit, accounting for 61% of responses. The most popular recommendations were wanting to see shorter intervals between buses and to have quicker and more efficient routes. Accessibility was the second-most frequently occurring concern, accounting for about 12% of responses. The most common recommendations being more accessible routes to areas less accessible by transit such as places inside Halifax Regional Municipality that are outside the downtown core and better serving the North End of the peninsula. Safety and comfort were also frequently mentioned recommendations, both accounting for about 8.5% of responses. The most common recommendations included improvements needed for the cleanliness of bus stops and better licensing, training, and overall responsibility of the driver in ensuring passenger safety.