Improve Transit Knowledge
One impediment to taking transit is knowledge. Many individuals and families are unfamiliar with the transit in their neighborhood, including the cost, schedule, and the destinations that it serves. Increasing people's awareness of transit can strongly influence their likelihood of taking advantage of transit.
Transportation Management Agencies (TMA) often reach out to individuals about commute alternatives. The City of Portland and many other cities have conducted door-to-door engagement processes to make people aware of transit. And transit agencies themselves often conduct neighborhood-based outreach at events.
Many households can benefit from existing transit and reduce their reliance on expensive automobile travel. These programs provide the information that may allow individuals to overcome their ignorance, fear, reluctance, or stigma related to transit use.
Additionally, some regions and transit agencies have underutilized assistance programs for low-income individuals. Providing information about these opportunities in communities that most need them is a valuable way to increase the utility of existing transit service. This objective may be best met by partnering with local transit agencies to provide outreach services.
Potential outreach actions:
- Staff information tables at neighborhood events
- Provide a transit ticket kiosk for monthly transit pass sales operation
- Sponsor transit-focused neighborhood events
In addition, existing services could be expanded to reach a broader subset of low-income households. Potential expansion opportunities:
- Fund a scale expansion of existing programs
- Expand programs to new subsets of the population
- Leverage new partners (e.g. Transportation Demand Management Agencies) to increase market penetration
Burbank, California
Founded in 1989, the Burbank Transportation Management Organization (BTMO) is a private sector, dues-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving air quality and reducing traffic. The BTMO combines land use, transportation, air quality and energy planning and programming to create solutions that address transportation problems and congestion during peak hours. The BTMO has created Burbank’s first On-Demand Commuter Rail Shuttle Service, Burbank’s first Fixed Route Metrolink Shuttle Service, a Middle School Traffic Reduction and Clean Air Curriculum, Alternate Fuels and Electric Bike Demonstration Projects, implementing lower Metrolink fares for Burbank riders, and a Home-to-Work and Noon-Time Work-to-Lunch Taxi Program, among various other initiatives. The BTMO has incorporated a program called “Sustainable Streets” which promotes “sustainable, active transportation for livable communities” through education, community facilitation and planning assistance. The BTMO seeks to reduce single-driver commutes and in essence, promotes gasoline savings, pollution reductions and productivity through commute time savings.
Bay Area, California
TransForm is an advocacy organization in the Bay Area that has conducted door-to-door outreach in several neighborhoods. Their program, called TravelChoice, provides households with personalized transportation information with the goal of reducing solo driving trips by increasing transit usage, carpooling, biking, and walking. TransForm believes their programs must be substantial enough to counteract significant advertising conducted by auto companies. The process is hands on, personalized, and consists of several steps.
First, surveyors visit homes to ask about household interest in walking, biking, carpooling, or riding transit to various destinations. Back at the office, information and materials are compiled for the household’s specific requests. Cotton shopping bags with relevant transport timetables, maps, water bottles, and other materials are then delivered to the house. Follow-up calls ensure receipt and reinforce TransForm’s pledge to answer any questions that might arise.
While the Clean Air Board and local transit agencies have sponsored TransForm’s Bay Area program, packets reflect the interests of the households rather than the funders. In the Travel Choice program, people interested only in walking options receive no information on cycling or transit. As John Knox White, TravelChoice’s manager, says, “Our program is mode and motivation agnostic. People shut down when you tell them what they should do and why they should do it.”
Knowledge can have a major impact on behavior and these programs have been shown to produce significant results. In one instance, TravelChoice demonstrated that this strategy reduced single-occupant auto trips by 14%.
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