Guaranteed Ride Home Focus Groups

 

 

SPONSOR:

 

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

          Contact: Charlene “Gus” Robey, TDM and Marketing Section

 

RESEARCH VENDOR:

 

THE MARKETING SOURCE, INC., Chester, VA.  Conducted 1994

Contact:  Joni Carter

Telephone:  804-438-6091

Email:  marksorc@crosslink.net

 

OVERALL PURPOSE:

 

A Guaranteed Ride Home service was under consideration for Northern Virginia.  However, it was unclear exactly how the service should be designed and if commuters would be willing to pay for this service.  Therefore, focus groups were conducted to help refine the service model.  Results from the focus group were later tested among a larger audience in a quantitative study (phone survey).  (See Guaranteed Ride Home Research Study – Quantitative.)

 

OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH:

 

Ž    To gauge reaction to a Guaranteed Ride Home program.

Ž    To refine the product specifications.

Ž    To determine the extent to which the program would help convert single occupancy commuters to a rideshare commute alternative.

 

METHODOLOGY:

 

Mode of Data Collection

Focus Groups

Completed Groups

3

Survey Population

Group #1: Carpool/Vanpool commuters.

Group #2: Commuters who drive alone to work. (SOV commuters)

Group #3: Mass transit commuters

Survey Instrument

Moderator’s Guide

Criteria for Participation

List of interviewees was generated by VDRPT

 

SELECTED KEY FINDINGS:

 

Ž    Those in the focus groups perceived a Guaranteed Ride Home [GRH] service as

Ž    one that would be attractive to persons who currently rideshare, not as an enticement to convert single occupancy drivers to a rideshare commute.

Ž    In terms of service area covered, the GRH service needs to cover a wide portion of Northern Virginia, including Southern Maryland. Most participants felt that it would be fair to develop price zones to allow for varying travel distances.

Ž    Focus group participants also viewed this as a service that would be of use to long distance commuters and persons who lived outside the beltway.

Ž    Participants did not believe their employer would support this service. In fact, many did not want their employer to sponsor the service for fear that the employer would use it as reason to have employees work unscheduled overtime.

Ž    Some group members likened the service to AAA, saying that it was a type of "assurance plan" against being stranded. Most persons liked the idea of paying an annual premium along with a small co-payment at the time of service. They were particularly receptive to the idea of a graduated co-pay schedule where the co-pay amount increased with each additional use of the service.

Ž    Under the annual premium with a "set" number of rides, participants said they would feel the need to use all of their rides in order to "get their money's worth." Many group members believed they should be able to carry over" unused rides to the next year.

Ž    Participants believed that all ride sharers should be eligible for this service. Many suggested that interested persons might register with a central organization. However, most felt that payment into the service would adequately qualify the individual.

Ž    There were several concerns about how abuse could be controlled. However, nearly everyone agreed that it should not be necessary to have the situation "approved" as being a true emergency. Participants thought that co-payments would help curb abuse.

Ž    In terms of operational issues, all three groups preferred having a taxi service provide the service. Most agreed that the service should be in operation from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Also, all groups agreed that 15 to 20 minutes was an acceptable time to wait for the service. Thirty (30) minutes was considered to be too long.

 

Recommendations:

 

Ž    Based on the information from the focus groups, it is recommended that the GRH service should:

–         Require an annual premium with graduated co-payments based on usage and distance traveled.

–         Be offered from Fredricksburg to Front Royal to Baltimore.

–         Be in operation from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

–         Allow for the member to "carry over" his/her outstanding rides from one year to the next (however, a cap should be set for the maximum number that an individual can carry over).

–         Be priced according to zones to allow for variation in travel distances.

 

AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS:

 

Moderator’s Guide

Final Report

 

KEY WORDS:

 

GRH, Guaranteed Ride Home, Northern Virginia Guaranteed Ride Home, Rideshare,

VDRPT