Latest news with #Tatham
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More San Diegans opting to take MTS over cars, new survey shows
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Metropolitan Transit System ridership has still yet to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels, but a recent survey conducted of its customers found they are becoming more satisfied with its services. The survey, which was conducted by ETC Institute for the transit system last November, also found the transit system is far exceeding the national averages in every performance metric — from timeliness, convivence and reliability to cleanliness and safety. On top of that, its results suggested the transit system's efforts to attract higher-income people who have a car or access to other options appear to be working, with greater shares of riders making $75,000 yearly or more saying they are choosing to use the system to get to their final destination than in years past. 'It's truly incredible,' Chris Tatham, CEO of the Kansas-based research firm who led the survey, said to the MTS Board of Directors during Thursday's monthly meeting. 'I do these presentations regularly. Very rarely do I see ratings as high as these.' San Diego once had an extensive streetcar network. Can it make a comeback? Of the roughly 4,000 randomly selected survey respondents, more than 80% expressed overall satisfaction with the transit system, with about five times as many people giving a better rating of the services than they did a year ago, compared to those whose opinion worsened. The shifts came in tandem with high marks from respondents in areas like on-time performance, ease with finding out whether MTS buses or Trolleys are experiencing delays, level of convivence and efficiency, and presence of security throughout the network. Each of these areas, which are ones MTS has made a concerted effort in recent years to improve upon, had more than 60% to 90% of surveyed customers respond positively to the transit system's performance, according to Tatham. The metric where MTS performed the lowest — but was still above the national average — was in cleanliness at transit stops and in buses and trolleys. Only about 65% of bus riders and 53% of Trolley riders said the vehicles were clean, while 54% of respondents said stations were clean. And it does not appear to be deterring riders. The survey found that far more bus and Trolley riders would recommend using MTS's services to friends or neighbors than those who would not or actively promote against it. This has spilled into more people from higher-income levels choosing to take public transit compared to the last survey two years ago — something that Tatham noted he has observed nationally over the last few years. In the study's demographic snapshot, roughly 23% of Trolley riders and 16% of bus riders reported annual income above $75,000. Similar portions of MTS customers stated they were not dependent on transit to get around, meaning they have alternatives like driving alone or calling a rideshare service. About 28% of Trolley riders and 17% of bus riders reported having other options. Of the people who said they were not reliant on MTS, many said they viewed the bus and Trolley 'just as convenient as walking or driving' or as a way to save money on car expenses like parking and gas. Parking rate increases take effect in San Diego Bay waterfront Work and school remained the top reasons why riders across the board were taking their respective trip when surveyed, but Tatham noted there has been an uptick in recent years of people using the system for leisure or to get to special events like sports games or concerts. The survey is a promising sign for MTS as it sets out on another comprehensive analysis of the system operations and the effectiveness of its services. The transit system's Board of Directors voted unanimously earlier this year to pursue the study, which would be the first since major capital projects like the Blue Line extension have come online, alongside one exploring a possible fare increase to avert a brewing budget crisis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
02-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
'I'm proud of where I'm from': Olympian joins film, industry changemakers to celebrate Malvern
Social Sharing For two-time Olympian Tamara Tatham, Malvern is more than just the place she grew up — it's also where her love of basketball took off. "That one choice, that one opportunity to just say yes for the sport, really dictated the direction of my life, so I'm proud of where I'm from," she told CBC Toronto. Tatham and other changemakers with Scarborough roots were in the spotlight this week, with the Malvern Family Resource Centre (MFRC) giving them the stage to tell their success stories in the hopes of inspiring others in the community. Tuesday marked the second year the centre held its Malvern Made event, which program director Dominique Robinson hopes shows how homegrown talent can make a difference locally and around the world. "Malvern is often seen in a very narrow lens," he told CBC Toronto. "It really gives an opportunity to really think about shifting that narrative." With the event aligning with Black History Month, Robinson says the centre featured three Black speakers from the community. CBC News got the chance to catch up with two of them. 'You can do anything you want to do' Tatham's successful basketball career sprouted when she was a teenager playing in Malvern's community centre and Scarborough's local team. She considers herself a late bloomer to the sport, but that never stopped her from taking a chance. "I wasn't supposed to be playing basketball, but it was something that kind of just fell on me," she said. By 2007, Tatham joined Canada's senior national basketball team where she played until 2016, bringing home the gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games and FIBA American Basketball Championships. While with Team Canada, she played in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She later became a mentor coach for the Raptors 905, making her the first Canadian woman to join the staff of a G League team. She then went on to become the head coach with the University of Toronto's Varsity Blues women's basketball team. She said she's excited to share her journey with the next generation in Malvern. "I think that's something that's going to continue to really build up the community and give young kids and people that are growing up in the community opportunities to see that you can do anything you want to do," she said. Uber policy advisor hopes to inspire youth Malvern was the first place Yanique Williams called home when she immigrated to Canada as a kid, later building her career as a public policy manager at Uber. From her family, the church to the teachers she had, she attributes much of who she is today to Malvern. "It's just a really great opportunity to be able to continue to give back to the community that I hail from," she said of the MFRC event. Williams previously served on the board of MFRC, where her favourite memory was taking former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne on a visit when she was part of Wynne's staff. "The community centre for me was just sort of a space for you to be able to go, to be yourself, to show up authentically," Williams said. In her current role as a public policy manager at Uber, she helps with operations ranging from rides to grocery delivery along with working to make the platform more inclusive to people who are blind or low-sighted. She hopes youth watching her speak see her as a living representation of what they could become. "Hopefully folks will be able to see themselves reflected to say, hey, you know, if Yanique has done it, I can do it too."
