Calgarians Give Thumbs Up To Public Transit

Calgary, AB - Calgary's growing population means increasing pressure is being put on City resources, including public transit. A new Ipsos Reid/Calgary Herald poll finds that Calgary's overall public transit system, including buses and LRT, receives high marks from City residents. In all, 78% of Calgarians rate The City's public transit system as `very good' or `good'. Only 17% of residents provide a `very poor' or `poor' rating, meaning positive perceptions of The City's public transit system outweigh negative perceptions by a ratio of greater than 4 to 1.

The poll also shows that one-in-five (19%) Calgarians personally use Calgary Transit `five times or more a week'. Another 7% report using transit `two to four times a week' and 10% say they use transit `four or five times a month'. However, there is a relatively large segment of City residents that rarely, if ever, use public transit, including 44% saying they only use transit `a few times a year' and 19% saying they `never' use transit.

Overall, Calgarians are most likely to use a private vehicle for their daily commute. When asked how they typically get to work or school, the majority of Calgarians (58%) say they `drive'.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Calgary Herald between September 2nd and September 7th, 2005 (no fielding on Labour Day). The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 500 adult Calgarians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Calgary been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Calgarian population according to the 2001 Census data.

Calgary's Public Transit System Rated Highly By Eight-In-Ten (78%) Calgarians

The majority of Calgarians give The City's public transit system, including buses and LRT, a high rating. In all, 78% of Calgarians rate Calgary's public transit system as `very good' (18%) or `good' (60%). Only 17% rate The City's transit system poorly, including 3% saying `very poor' and 14% saying `poor'. In other words, Calgarians are more than four times as likely to feel positively towards The City's public transit system as they are to feel negatively.

• Men are more likely than women to rate Calgary's public transit system as `very good' or `good' (84% vs. 71%).
• Frequent users of public transit (defined as those who use transit at least twice a week) are the most likely to rate Calgary's transit system as `very good' (28%). In comparison, only 14% of those who use transit less often than twice a week provide a `very good' rating.
• Calgarians living in the Southwest are the most likely to rate public transit poorly (24% overall), while those living in the Southeast are the least likely to do so (12%).

One-In-Five (19%) Calgarians Use Public Transit On A Daily Basis

In all, one-in-five (19%) Calgarians say they use Calgary Transit `five times or more a week'. Another 7% report using public transit `two to four times a week' and 10% say they use transit `four or five times a month'. However, there is a large proportion of City residents that rarely, if ever, uses public transit, including 44% saying `a few times a year' and 19% saying `never'.

A preference for driving appears to be the main barrier to using public transit more regularly. When those Calgarians who use public transit less than five times a week were asked why they do not use transit more often, one-third (33%) say they `have a car and prefer to drive'. Another 11% point to `scheduling issues'.

• Young and middle-aged Calgarians are the most likely to use Calgary Transit `five times or more a week', mentioned by 27% of those aged 18 to 34 and 18% of those aged 35 to 54. In contrast, only 9% of those aged 55 plus report using public transit `five times or more a week'.
• Newer residents to The City are also more likely to use Calgary Transit `five times or more a week' (31% of those who have lived in the area for 10 years or less). Only 10% of those who have lived in The City for more than 30 years use transit this often.
• Calgarians who rent their home are more likely than homeowners to use public transit `five times or more a week' (35% vs. 13%).

But Driving Is Still The Main Way Of Commuting In Calgary (58%)

Overall, private vehicles are the most common way of commuting in Calgary. In all, 58% of Calgarians say they typically `drive' to work or school. One-in-five (19%) say they take `public transit'. Meanwhile, 14% of Calgarians say they `do not go to work or school'.

• Driving or public transit usage is more common among young and middle-aged Calgarians (62% of 18 to 34 year olds say they `drive' and 26% say they take `public transit'; meanwhile, 64% of 35 to 54 year olds say they `drive' and 19% of 35 to 54 year olds say they take `public transit').
• In comparison, only 39% of those aged 55 plus `drive' and only 6% take `public transit' to work or school.
• Homeowners are more likely than renters to say they `drive' to work or school (65% vs. 41%). On the other hand, `public transit' usage is more common among renters (35%) than owners (12%).

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Peter Weylie
Vice-President
Ipsos Reid Corporation
403.390.7052
[email protected]

Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos-Reid employs more than 300 researcher professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada--including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country--all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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