How can you increase public transit ridership with effective engagement strategies?

If you want to grow ridership on public transit you should provide safe, efficient and reliable transit with world-class customer service. Ridership plummeted during the government mandated lockdowns of the pandemic. Now folks don’t always feel safe in some cities riding transit, due to highly publicized crimes. So transit agencies must keep their efforts focused on this important aspect of their service. More frequent and on time service are also what people want. More than free fares - riders want clean, safe, comfortable and frequent transit service. Add in civility and helpfulness of employees from way-finding to customer service employees answering the phones and you’ve got formula for winning back more riders!

Increasing ridership on public transit also requires a paradigm shift in the approach. In addition to my colleagues pointing out that a safe, efficient, and reliable service with world-class customer service. needs to be provided. Agencies also need to be creative and flexible to align transit schedules with the new way the workforce performs. For example, increased frequencies on regional and local routes to support the people who only have to report onsite to work every so often or only when needed. Multiple trips per day to accommodate commuters who only go in for meetings. Public safety will continue to be paramount as employers continue to transition back to "in-person" working.

Start with WHY ? and How using public transportation is convenient, cool, and ease of mobility both for work and leisure. Focus on customer experience and service reliability

The first and most important is a comprehensive research to understand your potential users,the industry,the strengths and weakness of competitors. Then design a unique strategy and entrance style which will not just attract customers but retain them. This was very helpful when I was employed to start a transport company. The knowledge gathered from extensive market survey,research and sampling of potential users helped the company to effectively gather clients in a short time.

Remember , in most cases you are competing with the Car. A Safe, frequent, On-time service utulizing clean equipment are essential elements. Customer service from point of purchase to crew appearance and demeanour should be experienced by you and the public to improve in all categories. Nothing better than being on a speeding GO Train as you pass stopped traffic along the way! The infastructure needs to be in great shape to make this happen.Most centres also have high parking fees as well as increased insurance premiums for commuters. That works to justify public transit.

The discount vouchers, free WiFi,free snacks and charging port point under passenger seats were few of the add on benefits i introduced during the beginning launch of the public Transport business. To effectively get this across we organised rallies,printed stickers and flyers,visited parks and got involved in mass media adverts to pass the benefits of patronising us to potential users and this was quite effective.

A form was printed and shared during trips.the data of users were also collected both to keep in touch qith them,celebrate their great moments,inform them of new developments and most importantly get feedback from them on the quality of service and their perspective on how to improve.

It’s as simple (and hard) as focusing on the three “S’s”…..safety, security and service. Without all three, you will not have any ridership.

Also, I believe area plays a major role. In the Denver mall area transit is free and people often jump on and off to get to key areas of that downtown area. The buses are always full for the most part. Lots of places to eat, shopping, and things to do.

Importance to recognising the convenience that Public Transport brings. This situation is necessary for the scale to tip and encourage the move towards public transport use more. For the inconvenience of public transport to outweigh other transport modes, we must improve the 1st and last mile connectivity. This is a challenge that must be addressed from the start of station, and township development and the planners must ensure connectivity solutions to public transport is in place from the beginning.

Increasing public transit ridership relies on effective engagement strategies inclusive of several approaches to boost public transit usage through engagement: a. Understanding Community Needs b. Enhancing Accessibility and Convenience c. Affordability and Incentives d. Marketing and Information Sharing e. Integrating User-Friendly Technology f. Collaboration and Partnerships g. Safety and Comfort h. Environmental and Social Benefits i. Transparency and Feedback By addressing the diverse needs of the community, making public transit more convenient, and actively involving the public in the decision-making process, transit agencies can effectively increase ridership and encourage a shift toward sustainable transportation options.

Using promotion aspects initiatives and incentives.Put in place good marketing and information initiatives.Organize employer outreach programs to develop partnership that will promote ridership grow with inclusion of institutions,malls center points etc.Identify gaps and plan a flexible adjustable service to attract and retain customers .Stakeholders engagement.Provide reliable and easy to use services by optimizing routes and ensure coverage across cities in line with provide high frequency, reliable services.Also do integration of operations by managing all transport systems to allow for seamless intermodal services.Initiate integrated fares so passangers only pay once.Proper physical planning to intesect each other for easy movement.