Palm Tran's Campaign to Increase Route 4 Ridership

Target Audience: The target audience of the Route 4 extension was residents and visitors of Palm Beach County who would benefit from improved access to the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Moreover, the six-month campaign specifically targeted seniors living in communities near the route who need access to medical treatment at the VA. The extension improves the frequency of buses and adds 20 bus stops to the route. The route extension provides direct transportation for baseball fans of all ages and demographics to frequent the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Moreover, the VA Medical Center is a key transfer point for other Palm Tran routes.

Strategy Objective:Palm Tran was able to negotiate an agreement in which the ballpark provided audio announcements and big-screen advertising during games. The ballpark was also used to celebrate the launch of the route extension in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Palm Tran staff also hosted information tables during the games. Palm Tran promoted the ballpark on its buses and social media platforms to increase attendance. Palm Tran partnered with the VA Medical Center to distribute collateral to patients and visitors. The VA Medical Center was also featured in social media posts. The promotion and outreach for the route extension were executed by "street teams" which visited locations along the route. The comprehensive campaign also involved radio ads and a color ad on the cover of 50,000 guidebooks.

Situation Challenge: Although serving a major corridor in West Palm Beach, Route 4 was highly underutilized. The most significant barrier to ridership was that buses generally arrived every 88 minutes. A lack of continuing northbound to serve major points of interest also led to low ridership. The extension addressed these issues, and a comprehensive sustained campaign was needed to communicate these improvements effectively.

Results Impact: The Route 4 extension led to an incredible 104 percent increase in ridership within the first four months. The hallmark of the Route 4 extension campaign was a ribbon-cutting event, with the goal of receiving three earned media placements. Media placement goals were surpassed with coverage on two major local TV channels, in the Palm Beach Post, APTA Passenger Transport, Metro Magazine, the Count-e-Line and Mass Transit Magazine. Additionally, Palm Tran streamed the ribbon-cutting with the goal of receiving 500 views. To date, the video of the stream has received more than 3,000 views -- the most of any video on Palm Tran's Facebook page.

Why Submit: Palm Tran identified a need then developed and implemented improvements. The Route 4 extension campaign exemplifies unique partnerships as Palm Tran worked closely with the VA Medical Center and the FITTEAM Ballpark of Palm Beaches to promote the route extension. The campaign highlighted the ease of public transportation to reach major points of interest without the use of a car. The creative artwork, which included a simplified map of the route, demonstrates creativity and innovation. Finally, while transit use has been declining nationally, this campaign led to significantly higher ridership that has been sustained even following the campaign.