MAX's Rideshare Week campaign to increase Ridership

Target Audience: The Modesto Area Express (MAX) 2018 Rideshare Week represents an effective Special Event campaign with educational purpose. This was an outreach campaign targeting potential MAX riders in the Modesto community with special attention given to residents unfamiliar with public transportation, students, senior citizens, working commuters, and those with environmental and economic priorities.

Strategy Objective:MAX sought out transit riders and non-riders to make smarter commute choices (such as biking, walking, carpooling, vanpooling, or riding MAX) to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicles on roadways and educate residents about the value of rideshare options and benefits. Significant focus was placed on promoting MAX in an attempt to educate and introduce "choice riders" to MAX. MAX promoted the tagline "MAXimize Your Rideshare" via bus stop and onboard bus marketing, social media/website promotion, and employee outreach. Modesto city employee drawings encouraged participation in Rideshare Week by offering valuable daily prizes, and a MAX social media contest invited Rideshare Week participants to post photos of themselves while riding MAX as a commuting alternative.

Situation Challenge: According to the 2018 MAX Customer Survey, 66.1 percent of respondents indicated they did not have a working motor vehicle at their household. This data is vastly different from that reported in the American Community Survey, which indicated 80.2 percent of Modesto residents drive alone to work and only 1.6 percent of Modesto residents take public transportation (such as MAX) to work. Rideshare Week, which took place nationally during the first week of October 2018, presented an opportunity for MAX to educate Modesto residents about how traditional commuting habits negatively impact the environment and individual expenses.

Results Impact: Raising the public awareness of commuting alternatives and convincing thousands of commuters to change their habitual behavior is a long-term goal for the City of Modesto in order to decrease traffic congestion and increase pedestrian safety. Rideshare Week plays a large role in Modesto's shifting of the commute mode away from single-occupant vehicles and opening residents up to the possibilities of transportation alternatives. As a result of the 2018 special event outreach efforts, 40 employees from the City of Modesto participated in Rideshare Week, with a total of 112 round-trip commutes by bike, bus, carpool, walk, or transit. Also, over a dozen MAX riders participated in the Rideshare Week social media contest for two 31-Day Bus pass prizes.

Why Submit: MAX is striving to educate Modesto residents about public transportation services and mobility options. This objective plays a large role in its yearly marketing goals. Participation in special events such as Rideshare Week has helped MAX promote this goal and improve the image of public transportation through education and awareness. MAX's 2018 Rideshare Week campaign created an elevated sense of pride among riders on the MAX Facebook page where riders expressed thanks for MAX services and public transportation in general. MAX is positive this pride in ridership and transit will continue to grow so long as MAX actively engages with current and potential riders.