Metro Moves to Begin "Mystery Rider" Program

[Howard Hartman]

Metro Moves to Begin "Mystery Rider" Program

A “mystery rider” program is in the works at Metro. The transit agency’s Board of Directors today approved awarding a five-year contract to the winning bidder.

“We need to be able to see the riders’ experience through their eyes. We want to know what works and doesn’t work, and what can be made better. This is one way to gather that information,” said Metro Board Chairman Christopher Zimmerman, who represents Arlington County, Va.

In February, Zimmerman asked Metro to begin the program as part of a series of goals to improve service.

Metro will hire a company to assess the quality of service on Metrobus and Metrorail. The company will provide experienced and trained staff to objectively evaluate the service from a customer’s perspective. Similar programs are used in other industries, including banking, retail, restaurant and health care.

The contract budget is about $1 million. It will last for three years with two one-year options to renew the deal. The program could start as early as August.