Interpreting Metro Spin

So Metro released its own "customer satisfaction survey" today, and the media gave them a headline they were dying for.

OK. Let's break that down because NOTHING Metro says is the real story.

First, Metro is comparing the recent data to a survey that was conducted during peak SafeTrack. If people aren't a little happier after that mess, it would be shocking. (Also, SafeTrack is not over, it just doesn't have a name.)

Here are the two major SafeTrack events that occurred during the first three months of 2017. It would frankly be a huge disappointment if customer satisfaction was worse now, a year later, than it was then. https://t.co/JyAlrU96FA #wmata pic.twitter.com/IjzO4rKVYT

— James Pizzurro (@jamespizzurro) April 26, 2018

To be clear, the issue here is not whether Metrorail or rider satisfaction has improved, it's that #WMATA is saying rider satisfaction has improved because if you compare it now to what it was during SafeTrack, it's better. That's bonkers.

— James Pizzurro (@jamespizzurro) April 26, 2018

Metro said 76 percent of riders in the survey were happier. That's up from 69 percent during SafeTrack.

The punch line comes at the end of the WTOP article. Metro's goal is a B. Sad!