Despite the availability of alternatives — including the regional 511 system — more than half of the calls to San Francisco’s municipal 311 customer service phone center focus on Muni. From The New York Times:
Questions, complaints and incredulous sighs about the city’s beleaguered transit system account for nearly 60 percent of the more than 2.5 million calls that 311 operators answered in the past 12 months.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (CA) pays for its proportion of 311 call center resources, which amounted to $6.3 million in the current fiscal year. And with the cash-strapped agency making service cuts, the number of 311 calls has increased, which means Muni will pay even more to support the call center. To help save money, the agency is working to shift transit customers to automated options like the 511 system and NextBus arrival predictions. Link to full story in The New York Times.
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For some more info on transit, call centers, and 511 systems, take a look at TCRP Report 134.
Here’s a link to the PDF: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_134.pdf
Interesting article. We too have implemented service cuts and fare increases and are realizing a change in our customer call-ins. These calls, however, come directly to our Customer Contact department at our HQ building.
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