General Population Survey Summary A short online survey was used to get input from general population users of the Highway 169 corridor. The survey was promoted through a press release, email blast, social media, word of mouth, various in-person outreach events, and the study website. There were a total of 1,941 responses to the survey, with 1,408 participants choosing to complete the survey online. Approximately 533 participants completed a paper copy of the survey through in-person outreach, including 354 responses from area bus riders, 47 responses from adult basic education classes through the Mankato Area Refugee Consortium Community event, and 132 responses at the 50+ Lifestyle Expo event. The survey asked participants if they have a car, if they travel to Mankato or the Twin Cities, and if so, for what, how and how often. The survey consisted of 20 multiple choice questions, including some opportunities for open-ended comments. The survey also asked a series of demographic questions to help further identify potential bus users and to determine that the survey reached an expanded population. Below is a summary of the general population survey. Q1: Are you currently making connections between Mankato and the Twin Cities via Highway 169 The majority (86.5%) of respondents said they are currently using Highway 169 to travel between Mankato and the Twin Cities, while 13.4% said they are not. Figure 1. Question 1 86.5% 13.5% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 1
Q2: How are you making the connection? Most respondents (65.4%) stated that they drive their car when traveling along Highway 169 between both cities. This was followed by Land to Air Transit Service (11.2%). Respondents that answered other said they use multiple options to make the connection personal car and Land to Air Transit Service or personal car and carpooling. Not applicable was selected by 6.7% of respondents. Figure 2. Question 2. 65.4% 1.9% 5.9% 11.2% 2.2% 6.7% 6.5% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 2
Q3: Typical Final Destination Respondents chose Minneapolis (26.7%), Other (22.7%), and Mankato (15.6%) as the most frequent final destinations along the Highway 169 Corridor. Other responses included selecting multiple final destinations along the corridor such as Mankato, Le Sueur, MSP Airport, and Mall of America. Open ended answers about final destinations included using Highway 169 to connect to the suburbs and outlying cities surrounding the Twin Cities Metro area. Figure 3. Question 3. 15.6%.8% 1.5% 7.8% 7.0% 22.7% 9.5% 5.1% 3.3% 22.7% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 3
Q4: Reasons for connections Social/Recreation/Events was selected as the top reason to use the Highway 169 corridor to travel between Mankato and the Twin Cities by more than half of respondents (66.5%). Shopping (44.8%), work (31.4%), and school (20.9%) were other reasons. Other was chosen by 21.3% of respondents, which included open ended answers such as: going to the airport, Mall of America, sporting events downtown Minneapolis (Target Field), medical appointments, immigration services, visiting the University of Minnesota, and visiting family/friends. Not applicable was chosen by 4.1% of respondents. Multiple answers were allowed to be selected for this question. Figure 4. Question 4. 31.4% 20.9% 44.8% 66.5% 4.1% 21.3% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 4
Q5: Use of existing bus connection service More than half (58.2%) of respondents said they have never used an existing bus connection between Mankato and the Twin Cities, such as Land to Air Express, while 41.8% said they have previously used an existing bus service. Figure 5. Question 5. 41.8% 58.2% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 5
Q6: How to increase use of bus service Offering lower bus fares (72.6%) and running buses more frequently (64.1%) were the top two reasons respondents said they would use the bus service more often. (Note: Q9 asked for opinion on acceptable fares.) Other open ended responses included more trips to the airport, reliable trips, availability of parking at the bus station and nearby, and flexibility to stop at multiple destinations. Figure 6. Question 6. Run buses more often 64.1% More convenient boarding locations More convenient destinations 35.3% 42.6% Lower fares 72.6% None Other, please specify 4.2% 7.8% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 6
Q7: Not using a bus connection, why? Respondents could select all that apply from a predetermined list of six choices as to why they are currently not using a bus connection. The most popular answer was being unaware of bus service availability between Mankato and the Twin Cities (37.7%). This includes 42.8% of 19-24 year-old respondents and 38% among the 16-18 and 25-34 year old age groups. Bus fares being too expensive (27.9%) was the second choice, which was cited as a concern across all income ranges (Q14). Those two answers were closely followed by respondents saying bus service does not serve convenient destinations (21.9%), and would take too long (21.3%). Having a personal car, traveling to multiple destinations, and having an irregular schedule (both work and personal) were other reasons respondents cited for not using a bus service. Figure 7. Question 7. No need to travel along the Highway 169 corridor 7.1% Does not serve convenient destinations Too expensive 21.9% 27.9% Service would take too long 21.3% Did not know about bus service 37.7% I do not understand how to use the service Other, please specify 19.6% 17.3% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 7
Q8: Frequency of Service, if provided Respondents could select one choice from a predetermined list of six options as to how often they would use an intercity bus service on along the Highway 169 corridor between the Twin Cities and Mankato. More than once a month was selected as the top frequency (22.9%), followed by once a week or more (18.2%), fewer than five times a year (16.4%), and once a month (16%). A total of 13.1% of respondents said they would not use the bus service if offered. Exactly 24.2% of respondents with a household income over $100,000 said they would use the service fewer than five times a year. This was followed by 18.9% of that same group never planning to use the service, which is the largest percentage across all income levels. 18% of these same households said they would use it more than once a month. Of the under $20,000 income earners, 26% said they would ride the intercity bus more than once a month. This group had the highest percentage across all income levels that said they would use the service once a week or more with 22.2%. Figure 8. Question 8. 18.2% 22.9% 16% 13.5% 16.4% 13.1% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 8
Q9: Appropriate Fare Respondents were asked to choose which of the four pre-determined fare prices they think would be a reasonable fare to pay for an intercity bus service between the Twin Cities and Mankato along Highway 169. Respondents could also write in a fare through an open ended response. Many said they were willing to pay $5 to $15 for a bus fare. Between 39.4-49.2% of respondents from all income levels said they would pay $5-$10 for a bus fare, with under $20,000 income earners making up the largest percentage. 29.4-35.3% said they would pay $11 to $15. Only 2-5.3% of all incomes said they would pay $20 or more. Respondents also indicated the cost could fluctuate depending on the time of day, but the cost would need to be lower than the cost to drive. Figure 9. Question 9. 45.9% 32.2% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 9 13.5%
Q10: Convenient Connections An overwhelming majority of respondents said having convenient connections to public transportation at their final destination is important to them with 87.4%, followed by 12.6% indicating it was not important. Figure 10. Question 10. 87.4% 12.6% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 10
Q11: Transportation to Final Destination Respondents stated they would take public transportation (37.5%) to their final destination or get picked up (27.9%). Open ended responses included using their personal car, biking, walking, or using a park and ride facility at a transit station. Figure 11. Question 11. Picked Up 27.9% Taxi Uber, Lyft, or other ride hailing app 5.7% 9.3% Public Transportation 37.5% Not Applicable (don t go to Twin Cities) Other (please specify) 9.8% 9.8% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 11
Q12: Access to a Car The majority of respondents currently have access to a car where they currently live with 79.3% responding yes and 20.7% responding no. Thirty eight percent of householders earning under $20,000 and 12.6% of households earning $20,000-$50,000 said they do not have access to a car. Figure 12. Question 12. 79.3% 20.7% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 12
Q13: Race/Ethnicity The Highway 169 corridor between Mankato and the Twin Cities is a diverse corridor with diverse residents. To better understand if this survey was successful at getting input from a wide audience, respondents were asked about their race/ethnicity, among additional demographic questions. White/Caucasian made up 69.4% of respondents, followed by 12.8% identifying as Asian, and 6.9% identifying as Black/African-American. Native American, Middle Eastern, and multi-racial (Black/African American and White), were additional open ended responses. Figure 13. Question 13. 12.8% 6.9% 3.8%.1% 69.4% 4.4% 2.6% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 13
Q14: Annual Household Income Annual household income was another demographic question asked to gauge if the survey was reaching a broad audience as well as to help understand the varying range of incomes present throughout the corridor. Having an annual household income of under $20,000 was selected by 33.5% of respondents. Between $50,000-$100,000 was selected by 21.3% and $20,000-$50,000 was selected by 20.5%. This data showcases the need for bus fares to be affordable in order to accommodate lower income residents living in the corridor and those who rely on transit. Figure 14. Question 14. 33.5% 20.5% 21.3% 11.8% 12.9% MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 14
Q15: Age The last demographic question asked the age of each respondent, with 40.7% stating they are between 19-24 years old. 24-35 year olds were 18.9% of the respondents followed by 35-50 year olds with 16.9%. Exactly 2% declined to answer. Figure 15. Question 15. 0% 1.7% 40.7% 18.9% 16.9% 11.8% 7.9% 2% Q16-18: Zip Code of Current Address, Employment and School Each respondent was asked for zip codes of their current address, place of employment, and where they attend school (if applicable). These were concentrated to three main zip codes: Mankato, North Mankato, and St. Peter. Attachment 1 shows maps of the zip code density for each question. Q19: General Comments General comments received were overall very positive towards implementing a bus service along Highway 169 between Mankato and the Twin Cities. Respondents indicated adding a bus service would be beneficial and open up a number of economic opportunities (access to jobs, businesses, etc.). Many respondents said they would like it to see this study develop into light rail service and that the bus route should terminate near other existing public transportation. MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 15
Q20: Survey Promotion Sharing the survey via email proved to be effective as 64.9% of respondents said that is how they heard about it. In-person outreach at events such as the 50+ Lifestyle Expo, Mankato Area Refugee Consortium, and distributing paper copies on the local area bus routes were also effective methods in promoting the survey and informing the public about the study. The survey was distributed on eight routes over eight days and an additional nine routes over 16 days. Summary of General Population Responses Similar to the University/College responses, we are seeing that the cost and frequency of service, and connection to public transit at the end of the route, are subjects that effect current use of service (Land to Air), and will influence usage of any new intercity bus service. MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 16
Attachment #1 General Population Zip Code Density Maps MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 17
Q16: Zip Code of Current Address MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 18
Q17: Zip Code of Employment MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 19
Q18: Zip Code of School MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 20
MnDOT Highway 169 Intercity Bus Study Mankato/Twin Cities 21