Transpo K-12 Summer Travel Program to Increase Student Ridership

Target Audience: The target audience for the Transpo's 2018 K-12 Summer Travel Program was all K-12 students, parents, area school corporations, community organizations and resources geared towards K-12 students.

Strategy Objective:Transpo's strategy and objective was to leverage existing partnerships to minimize promotional expenses to launch the new program and promote all summer long. The new program was announced during a Roving Press Conference on May 18. Media boarded a Transpo bus at the mall and over the next 75 minutes toured sights along Transpo routes and heard from representatives from Transpo, area school corporations, parks and community centers. The launch was covered by all media outlets. Several weeks later, Transpo debuted a rap video showcasing local students and promoting the free Summer Travel Program. The video was sponsored on social media all summer with the goal of obtaining 12,000 rides (averaged 5977 rides with the discounted Summer Travel Pass 2013-2017).

Situation Challenge: Like many agencies, Transpo has seen a decline in ridership with the strong economy. In 2013, Transpo launched a Summer Travel Pass for $30 to provide discounted travel to K-12 students the months of June, July and August. In 2018, Transpo launched a new Summer Travel Program to reach more K-12 students and provide FREE, unlimited travel during the summer months. The immediate goal was to introduce and educate students on the ease and convenience of using public transportation while increasing ridership during the summer months. The longer term goal was to increase ridership during the school year and develop life-long transit supporters and riders. Community partners were engaged to connect students to resources such as employment, recreational and entertainment opportunities along routes

Results Impact: The Summer Travel Program exceeded all expectations. The Roving Press Conference garnered extensive coverage which helped improve Transpo's public image during a challenging time. The video went viral which also created greater public awareness. The goal of 12,000 rides did not stand a chance. Transpo set a new all-time record of K-12 summer student ridership of 27,751 - an increase of 360%. The overall budget for the program and promotion was under $4,000 ($3,100 rap song/video production, $400 social media promotion, $55 for printed passes = $3,555). The Facebook video post produced the following: 63,023 People Reached 46,399 Video Views 1,865 Reactions, Comments & Shares 5,506 Post Clicks

Why Submit: This entry was submitted because it demonstrates the Best Marketing and Communications to Increase Ridership on a shoestring budget. Transpo identified an opportunity to increase ridership while educating K-12 students on the ease and benefits of utilizing public transportation to connect to employment, educational, recreational and entertainment resources throughout the community. For less than $4,000, Transpo increased K-12 summer ridership by 360%, encouraging students to use public transportation all summer and reached many first time riders. The video not only increased ridership, but improved the overall public image of the agency and garnered support throughout the community. It is anticipated the success will also positively impact K-12 ridership throughout the school year.