This fall, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority and the University of Michigan will be included in on-board transit surveys conducted by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments as part of its TravelCount'10.

On-board AATA ridership surveys will be taken this fall.

Surveys of six regional transportation systems will be conducted this fall, with an "initial target" of 18,000 participants — or about 8 percent to 10 percent of ridership, said Alex Bourgeau, coordinator of intermodal programs for SEMCOG.

"A lot of things have changed in the past nine years (since the last survey of this kind)," Bourgeau said. "So the needs have changed. We need to understand how needs have changed to provide the best system."

The survey is estimated to take 3-10 minutes to complete. Bourgeau said it's preferred that people complete the survey while on the bus, but if they need more time, they can complete the survey online or mail it back.

Bourgaeu said it is unclear what day surveying will begin in the Ann Arbor area.

Heather Lockwood is a reporter for AnnArbor.com, reach her at heatherlockwood@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.