Customer Experience Action Plans - Best Practices
- 2 hours ago
- 11 min read
Introduction
More and more transit agencies are creating Customer Experience (CX) Plans that specify actions they will take to remedy pain points experienced by their customers.
Today, we take a deep dive into the CX Plans of nine transit agencies across North America to see how they are tackling the challenge of winning back riders and earning their loyalty. This blog post covers Customer Experience Plans from LA Metro (Los Angeles), TTC (Toronto), TransLink (Vancouver), CapMetro (Austin), MTA (Maryland), UTA (Utah), RTD (Denver), BC Transit (British Columbia), and CTDOT (Connecticut). Most of these agencies have published their first CX Plan with more to come, while other agencies have already published multiple plans (LA Metro, TTC, and TransLink).
It’s a fascinating landscape, filled with a whole lot of listening, honest self-assessments, and ambitious action. Let’s explore who is doing it right, who is taking bold risks, and what best practices every agency may want to emulate.
Common Flow
Most of the nine CX Plans have a similar flow. They usually start with messages from top officials, after which they follow a "Listen, Learn, Act" structure. They begin with research on pain points, move to diagnosing the problems, and conclude with actions. While the flow is common, each agency has their own vocabulary, for example:
UTA follows a sequence of "How We Created This Plan," "Understanding Our Customers," and "Improving the Customer Experience".
LA Metro (2023) has sections titled "We’re listening," "We’re learning," and "We’re improving".
CTDOT flows from "Connecting With Customers" to "What We Learned" to "Taking Action".
And here's a sample Table of Contents that illustrates a similar flow from Maryland MTA:
Most of the plans (UTA, TransLink, Connecticut DOT, CapMetro, TTC, RTD, and Maryland MTA) use the word Action in their title to emphasize their action orientation.
The Science of Listening
The foundation of any great CX plan is data to identify pain points. If you don't know what hurts, you can't cure it. However, the methods agencies use to diagnose pain points vary significantly.
The Gold Standard: Random On-Board Surveys
Some organizations generate large but unrepresentative samples by inviting the public to take surveys via social media posts or announcements on their website. While this type of survey may yield useful insights for initial CX plans, a more robust, statistically sound survey will eventually be needed to accurately track trends over time. To survey a representative set of riders, agencies have to use random samples to avoid bias. For most agencies, that means hiring a research firm or getting staff out in the field to survey riders on randomly selected runs. Rigorous, large-sample, random surveys not only help identify pain points more accurately, they also help correctly gauge the impacts of CX investments going forward.
The 2023 LA Metro Customer Experience Plan illustrates this practice. It is based on a Spring 2022 random survey of over 12,000 riders and sports a 63% response rate, which far exceeds typical response rates found in modern research. The combination of randomness, a large sample, and a high response rate make for highly accurate research.
The Power of the Quadrant Chart
Data is useless without prioritization. The 2022 LA Metro Plan included a Quadrant Chart—a tool that maps specific service attributes based on Satisfaction (how well are we doing?) vs. Importance (how much do riders care?). This tool identifies "Target Issues"—things that riders care deeply about but rate poorly. It takes the guesswork out of budgeting; you simply focus investment on the Target Issues from the Quadrant Chart.
Other agencies such as UTA and CapMetro instead ask customers what aspects of the customer experience most need improvement. That is a solid approach as well.
Humanizing Data: The "Verbatim" Effect
Surveys are great, but quotes from riders help paint a more detailed picture of the rider experience. The LA Metro Plans in particular are unabashedly transparent about the challenges that need attention. For example:
The 2023 Plan includes this quote about security: "Yes, Metro made some improvements, but it has a long way to go. I hope to see changes. As of now, I feel security is an issue. Homelessness is the other problem. Trains and buses should not be homeless shelters."
The 2022 Plan includes this quote about cleanliness: "Should I start with the beer cans and whiskey bottles rolling around trains? How about food wrappers everywhere?"
And the 2020 Plan includes this quote about bus stops: "This senior citizen lady had to stand there…waiting 23 minutes in the hot sun with no seats or benches." And this quote about time competitiveness: "It should not take two hours to get from the Valley to the city – it’s only 5 miles."
Some organizations may be hesitant to publish quotes that call out pain points that are embarrassing. That is understandable, but transparency paired with action to remedy pain points is a potent combination. It shows the public that transit agencies are not afraid to face up to problems and take action to fix them.
Rider quotes also help agency leadership empathize with the emotional reality of the rider's experience and motivates improvement efforts. And they prevent plans from becoming sterile corporate documents.
Transit CX Tip: Don’t be afraid of the drudgery of processing open-ended survey questions and rider complaint data. With artificial intelligence tools, this kind of qualitative data can be analyzed and summarized quickly and easily without having to comb through them one by one to manually code them into categories like we had to do in the old days. Also consider video-taping rider feedback. My staff at BART recorded rider testimonial videos as a companion to regular customer satisfaction surveys. Presenting these videos to decision makers helps bring the voice of the customer into decision making. It can be very impactful especially for audiences that are not statistically oriented. With either written quotes or video comments, the insights are invaluable, helping agencies ensure that they are solving the right problems!
Innovative Listening: Mindsets and Emotions
UTA is unique among the CX Plans in its psychographic approach. Instead of just demographics, they identified five Customer Mindsets (e.g., "The Deadline Mindset," "The Safety Mindset," "The Assistance Mindset"). They then mapped the journey for each mindset to find friction points. Furthermore, UTA democratized their planning by taking 138 customer ideas and letting the public vote their top 5 priorities.
BC Transit also stands out for mapping not just the steps of a journey, but the specific emotions associated with them. In their "Customer Journey" analysis, they explicitly identify the emotional spectrum for each touchpoint. For example:
Route Planning: Ranges from "Curiosity" to "Anxious."
Payment: Ranges from "Content" to "Financial Stress."
Pre-Departure: Ranges from "Hopeful" to "Rushed."
Understanding touchpoint emotions helps agencies understand the rider's mindset—shifting from a purely logistical view to an empathetic one.
A Lot of Common Pain Points
Despite the geographic differences—from the rainy coasts of Vancouver to the desert heat of Los Angeles and the muggy summers of Baltimore—rider pain points are remarkably consistent. Across all nine agencies, these "Big Four" dominate:
Reliability/Frequency (Is it coming soon?)
Safety/Security (Do I feel safe?)
Cleanliness (Is it sanitary?)
Information (Do I know what's happening?)
Some agencies go beyond these four areas, for example including restroom availability or shade at bus stops as additional critical comfort issues.
Remedies Firm Commitments vs. Vague Ambitions
The difference between a "wish list" and an "action plan" is the use of S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives.
TTC is a heavyweight champion here. Their plan is loaded with quantified targets such as:
Restore a 10-minute or better network.
Achieve 90% camera coverage in stations.
Increase annual trips to 479 million by 2028.
LA Metro is another top performer, with specific and quantifiable actions like:
Install lighting at 100 bus stops per year.
Double the amount of homeless outreach
Implement 40 new miles of bus lanes annually.
UTA has ambitious and specific targets for their Net Promoter Score (NPS), aiming for a score of 50 for Bus and 66 for TRAX by 2030.
Conversely, some plans have objectives that rely more on soft verbs like "explore," "evaluate," or "improve" without defining what "improved" looks like quantitatively. The best plans make firm commitments that the public can track. And they make their objectives S.M.A.R.T.
Transit CX Tip: Build a step into your CX Plan development process for leaders to review initiatives to ensure they adhere to the S.M.A.R.T. protocol, and to ensure the initiatives will be impactful and bold enough to adequately address the pain points customers experience and ensure the Plan is credible. Leave enough time in the process after the leadership review for staff to refine areas that need SMARTer or bolder measures.
Bold and Impactful Actions: The Highlight Reel
Here are some of the more ambitious actions in the nine plans:
Time Competitiveness
LA Metro is doubling the production of bus priority lanes, accelerating implementation to 40 new miles annually. They are also piloting Camera Bus Lane Enforcement to keep those lanes clear.
TTC is implementing the "RapidTO" surface transit network plan, creating a grid of priority bus corridors.
CTDOT targets improvements to increase rail speeds from 30 mph to 50 mph on specific sections of track—potentially a massive win for commuters.
CapMetro is adding a parallel line of rail track (double tracking) to allow trains to pass each other, improving frequency, reliability, and flexibility.
UTA plans to tackle one root cause of "pass-ups" (and safety) by improving bus stop lighting so operators can see customers waiting in the dark.
Safety & Security
LA Metro has launched a massive Ambassador Program, deploying over 300 ambassadors to support riders, and is implementing a "Flexible Dispatch" system where social workers or clinicians can be sent to non-violent calls rather than armed police. CapMetro, UTA, and TransLink are creating or expanding ambassador programs as well.
Maryland MTA, like other transit systems, is launching an app for reporting security incidents, allowing riders to text with police without drawing attention to themselves.
CapMetro is establishing a dedicated Transit Police Department to ensure they aren't relying solely on municipal police availability.
Cleanliness and Comfort
LA Metro replaced cloth seats with vinyl seats on all buses and trains—a simple change that dramatically improves hygiene. They also implemented "Cleaning Surges." This includes pressure washing of stations and cleaning hotspots like escalators and end-of-line buses and trains.
Maryland MTA is implementing Agency Management Walkthroughs, whereby leadership will walk the beat and observe cleanliness conditions firsthand.
CTDOT held "Bus Seat Labs" letting customers test and pick the new seats (silica cushions) for electric buses.
Passenger Information
CapMetro and MTA are waging war on "Ghost Buses" (buses that show on the app but never arrive) by upgrading vehicle tracking frequency from once-a-minute to once-a-second.
UTA plans to implement automatic detour detection in the Transit app so riders aren't left stranded when a route changes unexpectedly.
Other Rider Pain Points
TransLink is addressing rider needs by installing restrooms at key locations across the system.
TTC and LA Metro are exploring restrooms as well as retail amenities to turn stations into useful hubs rather than just transit points.
CTDOT is investing $17 million specifically for a statewide bus stop enhancement program to fix the "dignity deficit" of waiting in the mud.
Pilot Programs
Sometimes, when there is insufficient funding or uncertainty about the effectiveness of a remedy, the best path forward is a small, pilot program to test the solution. Here are selected pilot programs mentioned in some of the CX Plans:
Microtransit: CTDOT is funding up to seven microtransit pilot services (on-demand shared rides) to fill service gaps.
Audio Navigation: LA Metro is engaging with accessibility app providers to pilot innovative mobile apps (such as Waymaps) that help customers with visual impairments navigate stations independently.
Courtesy Stops: LA Metro is exploring a "courtesy-stop program" (also known as Request-a-Stop) that allows bus riders to request a drop-off between regular stops at night to get closer to their destination.
On-Vehicle Feedback: RTD plans to create a "Pulse Survey" pilot, installing push-button feedback mechanisms on vehicles for customers to rate on-time performance and cleanliness in real-time.
QR Code Reporting: RTD and TransLink are exploring the use of location-based QR codes at stops and stations. Riders can scan these codes to immediately report cleanliness or maintenance issues to the specific maintenance crews responsible for that location.
Route Supervision: TTC is evaluating the success of an "active and passive route supervision pilot" to better manage service reliability.
LA Metro and other transit systems are piloting E-paper real-time displays at bus stops. These are solar-powered and easier to install than digital screens, bridging the digital divide for riders without smartphones.
Specialized Seasonal Routes: TransLink is piloting specialized buses on key routes to service parks and popular seasonal destinations.
Open Payments: CapMetro and CTDOT, like many agencies, are piloting or introducing "open payment" technology, allowing riders to tap credit cards directly on validators.
Sometimes, pilot programs are greeted with disappointment because of the limited scale or long timeline for full rollout of solutions, but they can be an effective way to make progress when resources are limited or viability is uncertain.
Transit CX Tip: Make sure all pilot programs are accompanied by meaningful metrics and get started on the metrics early, collecting baseline data prior to launch.
Celebrating the People Who Deliver CX Excellence
While CX Plans mostly focus on problems and solutions, many CX Plans also celebrate high performing employees like the rock stars they are. The celebration of success reinforces a CX culture and can motivate continued excellence.
LA Metro's 2023 Plan has a section titled “Metro’s Frontline Workers are Heroes.” They dedicate full-page, high-quality spreads to profiling specific staff members, complete with years of service and personal philosophies. We meet Eleanor Orozco, a Senior Service Attendant with 13 years of service, who says her motto is to "Always do more than you’re asked". We are introduced to Demetrius Jones, a Bus Division Director with 38 years under his belt, who believes "Positive intentions lead to a positive workplace". And we meet Ruben Evangelista, a Rail Operator who placed second at the Rail Rodeo and loves that "Kids always love seeing trains".
TTC cultivates a "CX Network of Champions" that identifies and empowers CX advocates and gives frontline staff a seat at the table to infuse a customer lens into projects across the organization.
Institutionalizing CX: Changing the Soul of the Agency
The most mature plans recognize that you can't fix the ride if you don't fix the organization.
The 2022 LA Metro Plan dedicates an entire chapter to "Institutionalizing Customer Experience." One step LA made towards institutionalizing CX was to create a User Experience (UX) Testing Policy, meaning no new product or service launches without testing it with real humans first. Their plan also talks about other business processes, for example modifying hiring criteria to screen for customer-centric characteristics.
TTC, in its Annual Network Plan, sets customer‑focused service priorities ahead of the next year’s budget cycle and includes consultation on specific proposed changes to ensure investments reflect real customer needs.
RTD is developing comprehensive Customer Experience training for all employees, not just those in customer-facing roles, recognizing that decisions made in the back office affect the rider on the street.
Transparency and Tracking: Keeping the Promise
For the agencies that have published multiple CX Plans, a plan is only as good as its follow-through.
LA Metro Plans provide follow-through and accountability. They include detailed appendices listing the status of action items from the previous year (Completed, In Progress, or Superseded). For example, they reported that out of 69 action items from 2021, 36 were complete and 14 were in progress. This level of transparency is brave and essential for building trust.
TransLink is another good example of transparency and follow-through, publishing a "Report Card" section in their plan, explicitly stating, "We delivered over 82% of our customer-facing projects" from the previous plan.
How often do agencies update their CX Plans?
MTA has committed to updating their plan annually, acknowledging that "improving the rider experience is not a one-time effort".
On the other end of the spectrum, TTC and TransLink operate on five-year cycles (2024-2028 and 2022-2027 respectively), providing a longer and maybe more realistic strategic horizon but potentially less agility than the annual updaters. In the case of TTC, annual updates are made to the 5-Year Service and Customer Experience Action Plan via the Annual Network Plan. The appendix of the Annual Network Plan includes status updates on each item of the 5-Year Plan
Transit CX Tip: Consider something in between, like a two-or-three-year cycle. That leaves time to implement CX Plan actions before creating the next plan.
Many of the nine agencies have a dedicated website page for their CX programs, and some also have a dashboard of CX key performance indicators. Maryland MTA in particular has a very comprehensive Customer Experience Dashboard. For links to each of the CX plans and dashboards covered in this article, visit the Transit CX Resource Page.
Conclusion: The Race to the Top
The era of the "silent passenger" is over. These nine agencies demonstrate that the industry is moving toward a model where rider input is cherished and action is taken.
Agencies like LA Metro, Translink and TTC are showing that you can be big and responsive. UTA and CapMetro are proving that listening leads to better solutions. MTA, BC Transit, RTD and CTDOT are showing that tangible remedies can improve rider trust.
For transit agencies watching from the sidelines: these nine agencies provide a great playbook to emulate. The playbook involves statistically sound surveys, deep listening to fully understand pain points, taking a fresh and bold look at solutions, and a culture that isn't afraid to say, "We hear you and we're fixing it."
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Ready to get started on a CX Action Plan or taking your plan to the next level? Contact Aaron Weinstein, Transit CX Founder and CEO, to discuss ways to socialize the idea at your agency, get the support you need, create a transformative process, and build a compelling CX Action Plan. Aaron created LA Metro's first two CX Plans and recently helped two other agencies with their CX Plans. Feel free to contact Aaron at AaronW@TransitCX.org to chat about your needs and explore what's possible.