Commuter rail seeks customer feedback

In an effort to be more responsive to customers, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad today introduced a program to solicit feedback from customers and to better inform management on all areas of performance including fare collection, cleanliness and on-time performance.

In a press release, Richard A. Davey, general manager of the commuter railroad, said, "It is critical that we hear from customers about our performance and that we remain accountable through providing accessible performance statistics are to riders.

"By putting our on-time performance on the internet and in stations, we will ensure riders have every opportunity to know about our efforts to provide safe and reliable commuter rail service."

The commuter rail company is asking customers to grade performance, by signing up to take part in a week-long electronic survey about the service they have experienced on their train. Customers completing this survey will be entered into a drawing to win a free monthly pass. As part of its customer information efforts, the company will post monthly on-time performance numbers online at www.mbcr.net and at South, Back Bay and North stations.

This is the latest MBCR effort to better understand the service their customers receive and to provide customers with easily accessible performance records for all commuter rail trains operated by MBCR on behalf of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Davey said.

The program is part of MBCR's ongoing effort to raise awareness of the company's goal to achieve at least 95 percent on-time average performance throughout the system and to improve the traveling experience.

MBCR operates and maintains the fifth largest commuter rail network in the United States under a contract with the MBTA. MBCR provides service to 40 million passengers a year in nearly 80 cities and towns in Massachusetts, as well as Providence, R.I.

This was originally posted on the Franklin/Wicked Local Gazette

My 2 cents: If the MBCR/MBTA really wants to listen to the riders, all they need to do is pay attention to what the riders are already saying on their blogs or in Facebook, Twitter, etc. about the performance. Even Clever Commute is a better peer-based information delivery system on what is hapening with the schedule than the current T-Alerts.