Golden Empire Transit 2018 Summer Youth Pass Campaign to increase ridership

Target Audience: The Golden Empire Transit (GET) 2018 Summer Youth Pass (SYP) print media newspaper ads targeted youth up to the age of 20, with enhanced focus on high school and college students residing in the Bakersfield area. Caregivers and family members of these students were a secondary audience, as they are often concerned about the mobility options and safety of youth during less structured summer months.

Strategy Objective:Strategies for development of the 2018 SYP print media newspaper ads were drawn from the conclusions and recommendations of the GET 2017 Customer and Community Satisfaction Survey. Promotion of the program ran from mid-April through the first week of August and included a print ad campaign in hyper-local publications such as the Renegade Rip (Bakersfield College student newspaper), the Runner (California State University Bakersfield student newspaper), the Kern County Family Magazine, Bakersfield Life Magazine, Bakersfield Recreation and Parks Brochure, and El Popular (a Spanish-language publication). Approximately $15,000 was spent on the print media ads, comprising 75 percent of the total campaign cost.

Situation Challenge: The 2017 GET Customer and Community Satisfaction Surveys found that 37 percent of surveyed riders were youth riders (up to 24 years old), with students making up the largest occupation category. To address this large customer cohort, GET created the SYP to provide a relatively discounted fare for students and children older than six years of age to increase satisfaction among GET users. The GET 2018 SYP print media newspaper ads were a primary tactic used to educate students and parents about the limited time frame of the discounted pass which was paramount to the success of the campaign.

Results Impact: Over the course of the campaign, 2,222 passes were sold for $40,060.00 in total sales (a 6 percent increase from 2017 sales). Highlights included: April: 63 passes were sold, up 100 percent due to a 2018 program expansion. May: 791 passes were sold, up from 313 in May 2017 (a 153 percent increase). July: 417 passes were sold, up from 397 in July 2017 (a 5 percent increase). GET saw ridership increases during April, May, June, and July, which are months corresponding with publication of the GET 2018 SYP print media newspaper ads. April 2018 had 546,653 boardings, up 26 percent from April 2017. May 2018 had 535,546 boardings, up 25 percent from May 2017. June 2018 had 512,148 boardings, up 27 percent from June 2017.

Why Submit: The GET 2018 SYP print media newspaper ads represent how public transit can utilize hyper-local print publications to disseminate information about mobility and affordable transportation. The GET 2018 SYP print media newspaper ads promoted diversity, independence, and safety in public transportation. The graphic art and content utilized in the ads is colorful, fun, engaging, and appropriate for the targeted audiences. GET believes youth ridership is the future of the transit industry and the success of the GET 2018 SYP print media newspaper ads have helped lay the groundwork for future growth and expansion of the GET SYP program by welcoming a new generation of riders to transit.