Metrolink Campaign to Increase Ridership on the San Bernardino Line

Target Audience: This Metrolink marketing campaign was targeted to potential and former Metrolink riders living in households within a 3-5 mile radius targeting stations along the San Bernardino Line as well as San Bernardino County cities including Covina, Rancho Cucamonga, and San Bernardino. The campaign also targeted employment centers in Inland Empire especially along bus routes providing service to the San Bernardino Line. Finally, as part of the campaign, outreach was conducted to Universities and Colleges along the San Bernardino Line to target student ridership.

Strategy Objective:The goal was to halt ridership decline and drive growth. The marketing plan was designed to deliver a marketing and media mix campaign to acquire new riders and re-introduce former riders to the new value-enhanced San Bernardino Line service. Messaging positioned Metrolink as a viable transportation alternative to driving through benefits and incentives. The campaign objectives were to increase daily commuter, off-peak, weekend, and student ridership and revenue along the San Bernardino Line. Metrolink promoted the event via the website, email blasts, paid Facebook and digital ads, rack cards distributed on trains, social posts on Twitter and Facebook, Instagram story series, conductor announcements and CIS messages at the stations as well as billboards along the 10 freeway.

Situation Challenge: Ridership along the San Bernardino Line has been declining since FY 2012 and was down a total of 16% in the five years previous to the Metrolink campaign. Various factors have contributed to the San Bernardino Line ridership losses including reduction of service, increased costs at some stations, major service delays with infrastructure track work, delayed trains with the addition of the BNSF locomotives and the discontinuation of the Express Train service twice affecting the existing rider experience.

Results Impact: The marketing campaign began on June 18th and ridership on the San Bernardino Line has increased over the last four months. The following is ridership year over year growth as compared to the previous year months. : July 2018 vs. July 2017 +5.2% August 2018 vs. August 2017 +8.2% September 2018 vs. September 2017 +9.8% October 2018 vs. October 2017 +8.9%

Why Submit: In support of building ridership on the San Bernardino Line, Metro and San Bernardino County Transportation Agency (SBCTA) have provided funding for this marketing campaign to promote the new San Bernardino Line Fare Discount. This marketing program and campaign has been modeled after the similar Antelope Valley Line discount which continues to grow ridership four years after the program was initiated. This entry shows how a comprehensive campaign to drive awareness and demonstrate value can result in increased ridership. The effect of this campaign has been validated with immediate ridership growth results and Metrolink is committed to continue to grow ridership on the San Bernardino Line.