Golden Gate ferry riders are among the most well-heeled commuters in the region, according to a new survey.

The average Golden Gate ferry rider is 45 and has an annual household income of $149,446, according to the survey released by Golden Gate Bridge officials Thursday. That ferry rider income is $17,500 more than a similar survey done by bridge officials in 2008.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a transit agency that has an annual average (customer) income that approaches what you see here,” said Denis Mulligan, general manager for the bridge district, as he spoke to the district’s Transportation Committee about the report Thursday.

Those who ride Golden Gate Transit buses are 42 years old on average and have a household income of $85,238 per year, about $1,000 less than 2008. While not as high as ferry riders, the income is still substantial for a typical bus rider, Mulligan said.

“On the bus side our annual average income is almost four times that of a Marin Transit rider,” he said.

Marin Supervisor Kate Sears, who sits on the Transportation Committee and on the Marin Transit Board, said the survey data can be used to help attract more well-to-do riders to the bus system.

“We spend a lot of time talking about how do we get folks in Marin County who may think that transit doesn’t fit their socioeconomic self-conception to actually get on public transit,” she said. “I think the marketing piece is really crucial.”

That doesn’t mean the bus system is only for the rich.

The survey showed an increase in low-income riders by 6 percent and minority customers by 9 percent since 2008, an increase the district has strived for, officials said.

Golden Gate bus and ferry passengers are happier with service than they were seven years ago, according to the survey.

Asked to grade bus service from 1 to 5, riders gave a 4.02 rating, up from 3.92. Ferry riders have an approval of 4.30, up from 4.15. The survey was conducted in October and November of 2015 when erratic bus service was vexing the system, or the approval might have been higher, officials said.

“We are a little surprised they are as high as they are,” Mulligan said.

The survey also provided the district with information on riders’ trip patterns, frequency of riding, how they get to the bus, where riders get on and if they transfer to other systems, and where they transfer.

“Commute trips have dropped a little bit, and recreation trips are increasing,” said Barbara Vincent, principal planner for the bridge district. “More people are telecommuting as people are looking to avoid the terrible traffic on Highway 101.”

Officials are also seeing reverse commute bus trips from San Francisco into San Rafael, which was non-existent in 2008. The survey also found 6 percent of ferry riders — more than 350 daily riders — are using Golden Gate buses for half of their commute.

“They take the bus in (to San Francisco) in the morning because it is fast from the Ross Valley,” Mulligan said. “In the evening the traffic congestion is much worse and the travel time is much longer, so they take Route 24 in the morning and take the ferry and The Wave (shuttle) home. They are making a choice based on travel time. We are glad they are not adding more congestion to the Sir Francis Drake corridor and Highway 101.”

Survey results will help shape future transit decisions, officials said. The survey was conducted by San Francisco-based Corey, Canapary & Galanis and was compiled from on-board questionnaires. About $194,000 was budgeted for the work. The query was of 4,190 bus passengers and 2,643 ferry passengers, with a margin of error of between 1 and 4 percent. The survey results can be found at bit.ly/2dnF5oz.