Better Way to BART! Radio Traffic Sponsorship

Target Audience: The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) provides transit services to the Tri-Valley area of the East Bay, serving the cities of Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton. There are two Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) stations in the LAVTA service area, the West Dublin/Pleasanton Station and the East Dublin/Pleasanton Station. Parking at both stations is typically at capacity by 7am on weekdays. The target audience for this campaign was commuters who would like to travel by BART but are either currently spend time searching for parking at the station or have been previously frustrated by the lack of parking availability.

Strategy Objective:We chose to sponsor morning and afternoon traffic reports to target local commuters who may have the option of riding BART if there was a convenient way to make the connection. Several 15-second spots were developed focusing on the difficulty of parking at BART and the convenience of Rapid bus service. Part of the strategy was based on the fact that there is only one radio station in the Bay Area (KKIQ) that focuses its traffic reports solely on the Tri-Valley, making it a very effective way to reach are target audience.

Situation Challenge: Parking availability at the East and West Dublin/Pleasanton BART Stations is typically non-existent after 7am on weekdays. The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority has two high frequency bus routes, the 10R and 30R Rapid services. Each offers 15 minute weekday frequencies with schedules that provide timed transfers for both departing and arriving BART trains, dropping passengers right at the station entrances. These 15 second radio spots were played as part of a sponsorship of local radio traffic reports. The purpose of the campaign was to promote the fact that there is a better way to get to the BART Station than by driving and hunting for difficult to find parking.

Results Impact: Average weekday ridership on the Rapid Route 30R increased by 11.3% from 1,939 per day in September 2017 to 2,159 in September 2018. LAVTA's overall system ridership increased by 7.2% for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2018.

Why Submit: These radio spots are short but to the point. They reference the feeling of futility that many experience when looking for parking at either of the two local BART Stations. They identify the problem (no parking), offer a solution (ride the Rapid) and provide a call to action (go to wheelsbus.com) all in 15 seconds.