CTA complaints are down, agency says

Jon Hilkevitch:

CTA bus drivers who don't stop to pick up riders are responsible for causing the  most common complaint to the transit agency, although the number of gripes in almost all the major categories has fallen since last year, according to new data based on customer phone calls and e-mails.

In the first three months of this year, riders have contacted the CTA to complain about 468 "pass-up" incidents in which bus drivers failed to stop at bus stops or wait for people flagging down a passing bus, according to a summary compiled by the transit agency to track complaints, kudos and trends. A total of 606 pass-up complaints were received in the third quarter of 2008, and there were 602 such complaints in the fourth quarter of that year.

Rude bus and train operators ranked as the second-biggest irritant to riders so far this year. Complaints about rude operators totaled 458 in the first quarter, down from more than 500 in each of the two previous three-month periods, the records show.

The replacement of aging buses with a modern fleet as well as track work to reduce rail slow zones may account for a decrease in complaints about service delays, officials said.  The reduction in complaints overall his year is occurring amid a ridership increase of 2.5 percent through April, compared with the same four-month period in 2008.

If the complaint statistics continue to drop, the customer feedback suggests that the CTA's frontline employees are behaving more politely, operating buses and trains in a safer manner and are more helpful in giving directions and answering questions about fares.

Read the comments over at the Breaking News blog, they are very interesting. They certainly indicate a cynicism.

Does anyone take issue with any aspect of CTA service?