Los Angeles County has embarked on an exciting public outreach effort to engage citizens in reimagining the bus system for the next generation. The current system hasn’t had a major update in 25 years but carries over 70% of LA Metro transit users. With over a million residents added, the County has become more vibrant with even more places to go and all new travel patterns – it was time to design a modern, usable bus network that serves modern needs.

To offer a highly visual and interactive online survey experience – that both educates LA County citizens about the alternatives and collects informed public input – LA County and planning firm Arellano Associates chose MetroQuest.

The MetroQuest Site for the NextGen Bus Study is now live and fabulous! Take a look at the demo version of the survey here (demo data will not be counted toward the final results):

While all MetroQuest Sites start with a Welcome Screen and conclude with a Wrap Up Screen, up to three additional question-oriented Screens are selected (from 14 available Screen templates) to collect interesting and dynamic data that can be used for various public engagement projects. Let’s take a look at the three MetroQuest Screens specifically chosen for the NextGen Bus Study and explore how they educate the public about the project while allowing them to place the future of transit in their own hands.

The Budget Allocation Screen gamifies budgeting and spending by asking LA County citizens what decisions they would make about transit spending.

Participants invest coins in the areas they feel need the most focus, giving LA Metro insights into the options that are most important to the public, while weighted data reveals how much more important alternatives are in relation to the others. Answers to this question will empower LA County to understand transit market demand.

The Tradeoffs Screen allows LA County residents to choose their preferences in what the new design will focus on, whether it’s more stops, bus frequency, service hours, or wait times. This will help make important decisions about how to redesign the transit system to better fit what people want and need.

The Map Markers Screen will help identify exactly what LA citizens need today by giving them the opportunity to map their trips and explain how they get around, as well as what challenges they face in the process. The data collected with this MetroQuest Screen will allow LA Metro to see how the existing system serves current and potential users and to identify weaknesses for the new transit system to address.

LA Metro engaged Arellano to plan their outreach strategy, aiming to engage frequent, occasional, and infrequent riders, as well as non-riders to see how best to serve them over the next 25 years. They’ll be using this information to create smarter bus lines that can serve the community in the long term.

Congratulations to Arellano and LA Metro on launching a fantastic MetroQuest Site!

We love to celebrate great engagement. The quantifiable and actionable results from this MetroQuest Site will inform the future of LA County’s bus systems for the next generation. We can’t wait to see how the data collected will help shape and develop a modern transit system that meets the current and future needs of people who work, live, and play in LA County.