A Survey For OC Transpo That Works: CRERAR

09/28/2025

Data, data, data. Everyone collects it, analyzes it, saves it, and like cash, no one feels they have enough.

Does OC Transpo feel it has enough data?

Last week Barrhaven East Councillor Wilson Lo noted that two people with contradictory stances can use the same data to prove their point is correct and their opponent’s is not. If that’s true, then the argument that data can be used to solve all our problems is flawed. So, if data can’t be trusted to solve problems, what should we do? Sometimes well-designed and well-executed surveys are a better option.

“Oh no, I’m tired of being surveyed. It seems every time I blow my nose someone wants to know how satisfying the experience was.” Fair comment, but let’s see if implementing a survey can provide value to, say, OC Transpo.

Most of us receive at least one request daily via email, asking us to complete a survey with the promise that it will take only two to three minutes of our time. Fifteen minutes later, you feel like contacting Guinness to let them know you’ve just set a new world record for a two-minute segment of time while wondering whether or not to continue with the survey or abandon ship. My advice? Time to opt out.

If the survey asks you to provide a rating on a scale from one to 10, again it’s best to stop immediately for the following reason. Let’s say two of us are in a room responding to the same survey. If we both select one in response to a question then logically both of us are not at all happy. Similarly, if we both choose a rating of 10, it can be assumed we’re both quite pleased. But, what if each of us chooses a rating of seven? What does that mean? Does seven have the same meaning for both of us? Not likely, so a rating of seven provides little value, as do all other choices between three and eight.

Some people might agree with this assessment and say “Okay, I’ll grant you that, so let’s reduce the number of choices to five: “Very pleased, pleased, neutral, unhappy, very unhappy”. Because we now have an odd number of choices, most results will end up somewhere between pleased and unhappy and a graph illustrating the results will invariably take the shape of a bell curve. Is this result helpful? Not at all, because the results were predictable before we began and all we did was waste respondents’ time.

When surveying customers, any organization’s goal should simply be to determine whether the customer will continue to do business with them or not. The most effective survey I’ve seen is one that comes twice a year via email from the company who provides my HVAC services. When I open their survey email there’s a question asking: “How did we do?” Below the question are two faces, one is green and has a happy face, while the other one is red and sports a frown. Once I’ve clicked on the appropriate face, I’m thanked for my feedback and the survey is over. No muss, no fuss, and completed well within two minutes of my time.

So, how can surveys be used to improve the service OC Transpo provides? Six sample questions follow.

1. Do OC Transpo vehicles arrive on scheduled? Yes or no – Enter comment
2. Is the ride on OC Transpo vehicles comfortable? Yes or no – Enter comment
3. Is the time it takes to arrive at your destination reasonable? Yes or no – Enter comment
4. Does OC Transpo provide good value for your money? Yes or no – Enter comment
5. Would you recommend OC Transpo as an effective means of travel to friends and co-workers? Yes or no – Enter comment
6. Overall, are you pleased with the service OC Transpo provides? Yes or no – Enter comment

Next, sum the yes and no responses for each question and graph the results for all questions on one page using vertical bar charts. The real value to OC Transpo management is not in the pretty picture, but lies within the comments made by respondents.

If for example a comment appears on 20 surveys and there’s an easy solution, management should start by resolving that problem. Addressing the “low-hanging fruit” will help alter the attitude of the greatest number of riders in the shortest timeframe. There’s no need to begin with the most difficult tasks, for example, throwing a lot of money into the e-buses program, although this could still be considered as a long-term project. This having been said, all issues must be addressed, one way or another, within a reasonable time frame.

Two final comments must be made at this point. First, don’t allow anyone to respond to a survey more than once or the results will be skewed, and second, once responses to the survey have begun to wane, compile the results and publish them so they can be viewed by the target audience, that is, all city residents.

If results are not made public, it’s unlikely people will respond to requests for their opinion on future issues.

Howard Crerar is a project manager and has worked in the software industry for three decades.