Increasing Bus Ridership with Innovative College Pass Program

Target Audience: Located in a high transit-demand area of Orange County, the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) includes: - Santa Ana College (SAC) (19,600 students) - Santiago Canyon College (SCC) (8,900 students) - District-wide Continuing Education Program (20,400 students) The college pass program was launched in August 2017 with students from Santa Ana College and the Continuing Education Program. Based on the success of the program, and demand from both students and school administration, it was expanded to include the additional 8,900 students of Santiago Canyon College in August 2018. The College Pass Program now provides bus service to all students in the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Students from all schools were target audiences.

Strategy Objective:The objective was to provide low-cost bus rides to all RSCCD students. This was accomplished by leveraging LCTOP funds and working with district management and students to highlight the benefits of the program: - Increased transit ridership - Attracting new riders / new students - Saving on the cost of transportation - Ensuring reliable access to education - Managing campus parking Starting with initial information about the student vote, marketing soon focused on encouraging students to use their new transit benefit. For less than $7 per semester, all RSCCD students can take unlimited bus trips within Orange County to school, work, or fun. Tactics included: on-campus marketing materials / outreach, bus ads, on campus ads, brochures, and Facebook advertising.

Situation Challenge: Like many transportation agencies across the country, OCTA has experienced a decrease in bus ridership. College students are a key audience for ridership growth, so OCTA reached out to local colleges to establish partnerships for a new program. The Rancho Santiago Community College District expressed interest in working with OCTA to create a program that would provide affordable public transportation for students. The challenge was that while multiple colleges were interested in the College Pass program, many would not qualify for funding from California's Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP). Additionally, the students would need to vote to approve the proposed program. If approved, the College Pass Program would allow all students to use OC Bus by using their student ID.

Results Impact: The College Pass Program allows more than 48,900 RSCCD students to ride the bus by showing their student ID or using the mobile app. With the use of LCTOP funds and the student approved transportation fee, the cost of the pass is low while also encouraging students to use their free ride benefit. As of November 2018 (Aug. 2017 to Nov. 2018), the College Pass has: - 1.5 million student boardings - Been used by 9,759 unique students Based on student survey results: - 14% of SAC and 26% of Continuing Education riders were new bus riders - 77% of existing student riders rode more frequently with the College Pass Program - 99% of students would recommend OC Bus to a friend - Nearly 70% of those who rode the bus to school also chose OC Bus to travel to other destination

Why Submit: The first program of its kind in Orange County, this is a positive and achievable example of developing new programs and increasing ridership using existing transit service. The OCTA College Pass Program provides a road map for other transit agencies to follow to grow ridership while helping the community thrive. The College Pass Program also ensures access to education and future opportunities to disadvantaged communities. Based on a 2017 student survey, 4% of participating students from Santa Ana College and 23% of students from Continuing Education said that if it wasn't for the College Pass Program, they would not be able to attend college. This innovative program helps students discover the benefits of public transportation, get to school and, ultimately, achieve their dreams.