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Fundamental Strategies

Fundamental Strategies

Jump to Strategies:

Branding Fundamentals

Passenger Information Fundamentals

Awareness, Image, and Support-Building Fundamentals

Generating Ridership Fundamentals


The fundamental communications strategies that should be implemented by every transit system are branding and passenger information. These are the most basic, and absolutely critical, strategies for success in your marketing program. They are the essentials that identify your service to the community and provide directions for using it. In addition to these, this section includes very basic strategies for communicating with your news media and key stakeholders. If you implement the strategies outlined in this section, you will have the foundation of an effective marketing program.

Branding Fundamentals

For more on transit branding and other awareness-building techniques, click here to watch the Marketing Workshop #1: Build Awareness webinar.

Bluegrass RIDE text in blue and green gradient

Branding is the foundation of your marketing program. It identifies your service and everything associated with it, conveying a unified image to potential customers and helping to create immediate recognition of all aspects of the service. The “look” of vehicles, bus stop signage, shelters, and benches is essentially the transit system’s packaging; vehicles and facilities are its most visible marketing tools.


Effective branding will enhance a transit system’s image. It can help turn capital investments—buses and facilities—into powerful marketing tools, raising awareness and visibility throughout the community.


The principal elements of a transit system’s brand are:

  • Name
  • Logo
  • Vehicle colors and graphics
  • Bus stop signage and facilities

Your system name and logo are the basics of branding. For maximum effect, these must be used consistently on vehicles, bus stop signs, and facilities, and be carried through in all passenger information and promotional materials.


You may also use a slogan or theme line as part of your branding. However, this is subject to change to reflect the current focus of your messaging, while your name, logo, and colors should remain stable over a longer time period.

Name

A system name should be short and easy both to say and to remember. It also should communicate the nature of the service and the service area. A few things to keep in mind when selecting a name for your transit service:

 

  • Acronyms are short and easy to use, but not generally very friendly or descriptive unless they actually spell a relevant word.
  • Very long names are difficult to use and generally end up getting shortened to acronyms (hence Helena Area Transportation System was briefly styled as HATS, which has little to do with transportation, before rebranding as Capital Transit).
  • If your service is general public transit, be sure that the name conveys this fact.
     

For example: The demand-response transit services in Douglas County, Oregon, evolved from being Douglas County Special Transportation, to Douglas Rides. The new name is easier to use and avoids limiting the perception of who can use the services, which are open to the general public.

Logo

Basin Transit Logo samples in color and black and white

A logo is a graphic representation of the name. It is used on everything associated with the transit system—vehicles, signage, printed materials, the website, and driver uniforms—using the same palette of colors for every application. A good transit logo:


  • Is attractive, clear, simple and immediately recognizable
  • Reinforces the system’s name, service or service area
  • Can be used easily in a variety of applications and sizes
  • Can be used in both horizontal (for example, on the side of a bus) and vertical (on a sign or brochure) applications
  • Works well in black and white, as well as color

Vehicle Graphics

Vehicle graphics can turn a simple bus into a rolling billboard to market your service. Not to be confused with exterior transit advertising, such as bus wraps, which can be sold to generate revenue, branding vehicles involves using them to build visibility for your own service and communicate clearly that this is public transit.



For optimum effectiveness, vehicle graphics should include:

 

  • A distinctive base color used consistently for all vehicles. This becomes the “color of transit” in your community. (It is important to note that all-white cutaway vehicles, without significant branding and design elements, are often confused with social service vehicles or RVs, and are not perceived as public transit.)
  • The logo, phone number, and website address.

Bus Stop Signage

Bus stop signage is another key element of branding, an important passenger information tool, and a marketing strategy that provides value every day:

 

  • It lets passengers know where they can catch the bus.
  • It creates system visibility throughout the community.

 

Because it advertises the availability of transit service within a given area or to a specific destination, information at the bus stop is particularly important for building ridership among transient populations such as visitors and college students, and for encouraging first-time use by new riders.

 

Bus stop signage should be implemented along all fixed routes, identifying each stop with a permanent sign that includes, at minimum:

  • System logo
  • Universal bus symbol and/or the text “Bus Stop”
  • Telephone number
  • Website address

 

Bus stops are also a place to provide additional information about routes and schedules. This is addressed further in the “Passenger Information at the Bus Stop” section.

Bus Stop Facilities

Shelters and benches at major bus stops increase the visibility of the stops. These amenities are as much a part of the system’s brand as the buses themselves. Their style, color, and quality should be consistent with the overall image you are trying to create.

Family of Brands

Two buses side-by-side. The right bus is blue, white, and orange. The left bus is green, white, and orange

Often a transit system will operate multiple types of service, such as fixed route, demand-response, express, or specialized shuttles. To differentiate between these services, you may want to use different names and branding for each service. However, to create maximum awareness for public transit and your agency overall, it is best if these various brands are clearly related– a family of brands. This can be achieved by using a common graphic approach and coordinated names.


For example, Mountain Line in Flagstaff, Arizona, operates three services:

  • Mountain Line (fixed route)
  • Mountain Links (bus rapid transit)
  • Mountain Lift (paratransit)

Each service has a distinct vehicle design but with a common style and colors that clearly show the relationship of the services.

Passenger Information Fundamentals

Brochure sample for Calaveras Connect with blue, white, and green branding.

Along with branding, passenger information tools are the basis of any transit marketing program; they are the directions for using public transportation. Effective, easy-to-use passenger information is essential for making public transit services accessible and useful to the community.


The familiarity of driving and the ease of getting route directions make the automobile tough competition for transit, which requires a little more thought and planning. Good passenger information makes riding easier, especially for a first-timer.


Passenger information tools, like the services themselves, should be designed with the potential riders’ needs in mind. They should be clear, attractive, and intuitive, so the rider does not have to “figure out” how the system works.


Different passenger information tools are needed for different situations:

  • Different types of passengers: those who are more or less tech-savvy, those who are non-English speaking, or those who have disabilities.
  • At different points in the journey: information needed for trip planning, making a reservation, finding the stop, knowing exactly when the bus will arrive. Many riders rely on multiple sources of information.
  • Different types of services: Google Maps and real-time information are critical for fixed-route services, while a reservation system is only needed for demand-response service.

Some of the tools discussed in this section are fundamental for all transit agencies, while others will be relevant only for specific types of systems. Which information tools you use for your system should be based on what services you provide and a thorough understanding of your passengers and their needs. 


 Passenger information tools discussed in this section include:


We will begin with the three tools that are fundamental to all transit systems—a website, basic passenger guide, and telephone support—then continue with strategies that are critical to specific services.

Website

Check out National RTAP’s Website Builder here.

For more on how to build a customer-focused website, click here to watch the Marketing Workshop #2: Transit Websites webinar.

Laptop with Trinity Transit website displaying.

New riders to transit are most likely to turn to the Internet for travel information. This is particularly true for younger riders, but increasingly true for everyone. Whether you operate fixed-route or demand-response service, your website will be the first experience that most new riders have with your system, and an ongoing resource for existing riders. It also can be a useful tool for gatekeepers (such as human service agencies) who often are charged with planning trips for their clients. Here are some basic guidelines for developing a customer-focused website.


Design Development


To be an effective transit marketing tool, a website must take certain design and management principles into account.

  • It must be easy to access, with a web address, or URL, that is short and memorable owing to its relationship to the area or the name of the system. For example: OurTownTransit.org is better than TownofWhateverState.gov/publictransit. 
  • It should focus on answering the questions that current and potential passengers will have, enabling them to understand quickly and easily where the system goes and how to plan a trip to their destination.
  • It should be as simple as possible, so the user can see what the site has to offer from a glance at the home page. People do not read web pages. They scan them, looking for quick answers or links to specific information. With that in mind, your website, particularly the home page, should use a minimum of text and should have a clear navigation structure.
  • Your website should be refreshed and updated regularly to ensure all information is accurate.
  • Your website must work on any size screen–computer, tablet, or phone–as many transit riders view websites on their smartphones. This is called “responsive web design” because the layout of the website “responds” to the width of the screen on which it is being viewed. See an example of responsive web design at SedonaShuttle.com. The display of the web page will vary depending on the width of the screen on which it is displayed.
  • Your website should follow basic web accessibility guidelines for persons with disabilities. The National RTAP Website Builder has guidance for creating accessible websites.
  • If your system will serve those with limited English proficiency, your website will benefit from a translation widget. The Website Builder provides a translation tool with more than 55 languages.  

If your transit agency is part of a city or county and your website is a page on a larger website, you can still often improve your web presence.  


The best choice is to establish a stand-alone web page with a separate domain name. The type of information transit agencies provide and the regularity with which users access it are quite different from other government functions.


If a separate website is not possible, then consider acquiring a short, memorable domain name which can “point” to your page on the jurisdiction website. In this way, passengers can access your page directly without having to navigate the city/county website.

Website Content

Your website is the one place you can include complete information about every aspect of your transit service. Unlike a printed guide or sign, your website is not limited by space—but it is limited by the viewer’s attention span. That means the way information is organized on your website is very important. Hence, the top of your home page—the area that is seen immediately when someone comes to your website—is the most important space and should be reserved for critical, customer-focused information.

Ideally, the website home page should include the following elements:

 

  • Menu/navigation bar providing immediate access to key information:
  • Routes/schedules
  • Demand-response services
  • Fares
  • Customer service
  • Trip planner based on Google Transit (for fixed-route services).
  • A map that provides an overview of your service area so viewers can see where transit goes. On a website, it is easy to make a map interactive by including hyperlinks from the route line, demand-response service areas, or legend to schedules or information about specific services.
  • Rider alerts for weather, holidays, and other important notices.
Browser window with El Dorado Transit website displaying.

The El Dorado Transit website shown here is an example of this approach. For additional examples, see TrinityTransit.org, MendocinoTransit.org, SageStage.com, KernTransit.org, and SedonaShuttle.com.


Like the home page, secondary pages are best kept short so that no scrolling is necessary.


Key secondary pages (those linked to from the primary navigation bar) should provide the following information:

 

  • Fixed-route service: Individual route maps, displayed along with the schedules for those routes.
  • Demand-response: Information about service area, hours, and how to make a reservation. Note: A map of the service area is very useful for demand-response services to let potential riders see if their origin and destination are within the service area.
  • ADA complementary paratransit: Clear information about service area, hours, reservations, and eligibility, including a printable ADA application form.
  • Fare information and information about fare media and where to buy it.

 

There is likely a great deal of other information that your agency will need to include on the website. Some of this will be rider-focused, other material will be administrative information. This less-critical information can be provided via links from lower on the home page. The top of the page should be reserved for the most important information: that which helps riders plan a trip.

Information that might be linked from a footer could include:

 

  • Rider-focused information:
  • Contact form or information for submitting comments, questions, or complaints
  • Holiday calendar
  • Wheelchair accessibility information
  • Bike rack information
  • Links to websites for other transportation services, such as intercity bus, social services, and taxis
  • Administrative information:
  • Title VI statement and complaint form
  • ADA complaint form
  • Agency policies
  • Transit plans
  • Board members (and their contact information, if appropriate)
  • Board meetings and agenda, and any other transit-related community meetings
  • Employment notices
  • Agency mission statement and history


Note: Schedules displayed in HTML format are easier to read than PDFs or graphics. The HTML format also allows the schedules to be accessed by persons with sight impairments, using a screen reader, and by search engines. You may also wish to provide a PDF link for easy printing.

Printed Guide

For more on creating effective passenger guides and other information tools, click here to watch the Marketing Workshop #3: Passenger Information webinar.

Check out the printed guide templates here.


Whatever type of service you operate, a printed passenger guide is an important companion to your website and a key marketing tool. A printed guide offers several advantages: it appeals to passengers who are less tech-savvy, it has the potential to build awareness of the service through distribution within the community, and it allows for easy display of maps and schedules in a “take-along” format.

 

A passenger guide for a fixed-route service should include:

 

  • A route map or maps showing all routes with bus stop locations, landmarks, and key destinations clearly noted
  • Schedule information for each route
  • How-to-ride information, including fares, fare media (such as tickets and passes), how to identify a bus stop, and any other information specific to your service type (i.e., how to request a deviation, how to apply for paratransit certification)
  • Contact information, including a website address and reference to Google Maps trip planning, if that is available
Woman reading a brochure.

A passenger guide for a demand-response service should include:

  • A map showing the area your system serves, with landmarks and key destinations
  • Hours of service
  • Eligibility requirements, if any
  • How to make a reservation
  • How-to-ride information, including fares, fare media, connecting services and any other information specific to your service type (i.e., how to request a deviation, cancellation policy, etc.) 

If you operate multiple services or routes, you will need to decide whether to provide a single comprehensive passenger guide that includes information about all your services, or individual guides for each service or route. To make that decision, consider these questions:

  • Do you want your riders to use your various services in combination, for example, transferring from one route to another or from demand-response to fixed-route service? If yes, then a comprehensive guide will help riders see how the system works as a whole.
  • Do your individual services target different market segments or communities, with little crossover in ridership? If yes, then individual guides for each service will be more effective as riders won’t have to wade through irrelevant information to find what they need.

The following are some key things to consider in developing a passenger guide. These design principles have been incorporated into the templates that are included as part of The Marketing Toolkit.


The guide must be clear and easy to understand. If the potential rider thinks the guide is too hard to read, they will think riding the bus is difficult.

  • Use font sizes that are easily legible to most people. If your primary target market is older adults, use 12-point to 14-point font size.
  • Use color to make maps and schedules easier to read and reference.
  • If you have a significant non-English speaking population in your community, either make your guide bilingual or have a version of the guide in the alternate language. Click here for more information on communicating with limited-English-proficiency (LEP) populations.

Passenger guides often can be designed to be used in two ways: folded as a rack brochure on a bus or in another display fixture, or flat, as a poster. Designing your guide to work both as a brochure and poster will save costs on printing.
Brochure display for NAT with a map.

Of course, your passenger guide is valuable only if it’s in the hands of potential riders. Widely distributed, your passenger guide can build visibility for your system as well as make sure that information is available when someone needs it. To develop a distribution network for your passenger information:

  • Begin by identifying high-traffic locations in each community you serve and for each target market of interest. Ask these locations if they would be willing to provide space for transit information in a visible spot.
  • Provide the locations with a customized brochure holder such as the one shown here. These are available from a variety of sources (see Resource List) and can be imprinted with your logo and phone number.
  • Establish a contact person at each location who will let you know if the rack is empty. Maintain an inventory of distribution locations and refill brochure holders on a regular schedule.

Telephone and Email Support

One of the most basic and essential means of communicating passenger information is the telephone. While it should not be the primary source of information, it is particularly important for certain constituencies, including older adults and people with low literacy.

 

The telephone number for a system should be easy to find. It should be displayed prominently on bus stop signage, on vehicles, on the website, and in all printed materials. If your community has a local printed phone book, it should be listed there, too. 

 

Options offered on an automated phone answering system should be very clear and should include an option for speaking with a real person.

 

If your community has a significant non-English speaking population, language accommodations by way of a bilingual staff member or a translation service are necessary.


You can also provide support via email. If you haven’t already, consider creating an email address such as “info,” “support,” or “help.” Designate someone to monitor this address. When you mention this address in any public-facing materials, list the hours during which the address is monitored.

Google Maps and Other Apps

Consumers have become used to relying on smartphone apps for a variety of tasks, particularly getting driving directions. Getting transit directions or scheduling a transit trip can be just as easily accomplished using Google Maps or one of many transit apps such as Transit and MoveIt. This can help overcome the perception that public transit is too hard to understand and use.

Apps for Fixed-Route Services

Woman holding a cup and looking at her phone.

Reading maps and schedules is difficult for many people unfamiliar with transit. Apps such as Google Maps can provide detailed transit trip plan instructions in an interface that people are already familiar with. 


To make your transit service accessible in Google Maps, and other apps, you must format and submit your routes, bus stops and schedules in the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS). GTFS data is used by Google Maps, Apple Maps, Transit, MoveIt, and other trip planning apps to provide transit information.


If your system operates fixed-route transit services, it is highly recommended that you maintain up-to-date GTFS data in Google Transit, the tool Google provides for transit agencies to submit such information. This offers several benefits:

  • It provides easy access to transit information on smartphones, tablets, and computers.
  • It avoids the difficulty that many potential riders have understanding transit schedules to plan trips, particularly trips requiring transfers.
  • It provides gatekeepers, such as human service organizations and medical personnel, with an easy way to plan and print trip information for their clients.
  • It provides a seamless way of coordinating trips between your transit system and other connecting systems that have also submitted their information via Google Transit.
  • A valid GTFS file is now required by the FTA for agencies that provide fixed-route service (including deviated) as part of their NTD reporting.

National RTAP offers a free tool called GTFS Builder to help you build your GTFS file, as well as step-by-step instructions and technical assistance. For more information about GTFS Builder, click here.


Real-time information (how long until the bus gets here) is the ideal for transit users. A system that uses automatic vehicle locator (AVL) technology to track vehicles can deliver this information to riders through a variety of customer-facing applications.

  • It can be integrated into GTFS (GTFS Realtime) so that it shows up in Google Maps, Transit, MoveIt and other transit apps.
  • It can be delivered via proprietary apps such as TransLoc, RouteShout and others.

Apps for Demand-Response

Smartphone apps can also enhance the user experience for demand-response riders by allowing riders to schedule and manage trips, pay their fare and track their ride, all from their smartphone. Software systems can also make automated calls to remind riders about scheduled trips and alert them when the vehicle is approaching. 

 

Unlike Google Maps, most of these apps are commercial apps offered by software companies such as TransLoc, EcoLane and Trapeze.

Rider Alerts and Social Media

Another option for providing updated information to customers is to allow passengers to sign up to receive alerts via email or text message. Alerts can be issued to let customers know about service changes or disruptions (e.g., service cancellation due to bad weather).

 

A simple sign-up form on your website can allow passengers to “opt in” to alerts. The ideal is to allow those requesting alerts to specify which services they want to be informed about, such as a specific route or community. One option for issuing alerts via text and email is Simplify Transit. Contact information is included under “Resource List.”

 

Service alerts also can be issued using social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). However, if you want to ensure that riders see critical alerts, a text or email system is preferable.

At the Bus Stop and On the Bus

We’ve already talked about the important role that bus stops play in branding and building visibility. Bus stops also are an opportunity to provide route and schedule information at the point when the rider may need it most—when they are ready to take a trip. There are a number of ways in which information can be provided at the bus stop:

NAT, Basin Transit, and Sedona Shuttle bus stop signs.
  • Decals added to a basic bus stop sign can show what routes serve the stop, their destinations, and the days/hours of service. An example of this style of sign is shown here.
  • Changeable information panels can be used to easily display schedule information for the route or routes serving a specific stop.
  • QR codes at each stop can connect riders with schedule information for the route or for the specific stop.
  • A phone number and bus stop number can be provided, allowing the rider to access automated schedule information for that stop via a call or text.
  • Display panels affixed to the back of shelters can be used to post system maps, schedules, and other information. 

Having information available at the bus stop is particularly important on low-frequency routes. If the bus comes to a stop only a few times a day, or even a few times a week, knowing the precise time is crucial for a potential rider.


Once information is provided at the bus stop, it must be updated on a regular basis. Outdated information will not win friends—or riders.


While passengers are on the vehicle, they are a captive audience. On-board signs, video, or announcements can be used to educate them about new services, service changes, fare media and other topics.

Awareness, Image, and Support-Building Fundamentals

While effective branding is the most fundamental awareness building strategy, there is one other strategy that is essential for building support for your agency and a positive image. That is the regular distribution of information about your system and services through local news channels.

Media Relations Basics

Stories in local news publications and websites, as well as on radio and TV stations with local news coverage, can increase awareness of public transit and educate residents about what it has to offer.

 

Here are some best practices for media relations:

  • Know your local media. Maintain a list of publications, websites, and channels with up-to-date contact information.
  • Establish a relationship with reporters and editors. Call or write and introduce yourself. Invite them for a tour. Comment on their stories. Be available to answer questions.
  • Provide them with a regular stream of information about your transportation services to increase news coverage about public transit.

News Releases

Check out news release guidelines here.


Providing news channels with well-written news releases makes their job easier. A well-written news release includes the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the information you want to share.

  • Organize the information from most important to least important. When space is limited, newspaper editors remove text from the end of your story.
  • Write in a newspaper style. Use short sentences—20 words or fewer. Keep vocabulary simple and avoid jargon. Make paragraphs short, focusing on a single thought.
  • Write in a facts-oriented, educational fashion. Do not try to “sell.” If you want to include opinions or interpretations, include them as quotes from an agency official (e.g., general manager or board member), being sure to give the speaker’s name and title.
  • Be sure to include the date the news should be released and provide a contact phone number and email address that reporters can use if they have additional questions.

 

Create a news release calendar to identify newsworthy activities going on at your system and anticipate key dates when you want to release news stories. News release topics might include things like:

 

  • Service changes or new services
  • New vehicles or facilities
  • New passenger information tools
  • Special event services
  • Tie-ins with local events (such as the county fair)
  • Public meetings
  • Promotional activities (free-ride day, holiday food drive)
  • Milestones (100,000th rider, or 10-year anniversary)

 

Update the news calendar periodically to reflect changes and new story ideas. 

 

Email or fax the news release to the appropriate editor or reporter at the publication or channel. Be sure to include your contact information in case they have questions. You may want to call to make sure they received it and ask if they need any additional information. This is a good way to encourage them to pay attention to your releases.

 

The next section, “Recommended Strategies,” identifies many additional ways that you can get your news out to the community. But if your resources are limited, issuing news releases to local media is fundamental.

Generating Ridership Fundamentals

There are hundreds of strategies that can be used to generate trial ridership. Many of these are discussed under “Recommended Strategies” and “Optional Strategies.” However, one approach to building ridership is fundamentally important for any kind of public transportation service. We will refer to this as “gatekeeper communications.”

Gatekeeper Outreach

For more on working through gatekeepers to implement community-based marketing, click here to watch the Marketing Webinar #4: Community-Based Marketing webinar.


Gatekeepers are organizations and individuals who can provide access to an audience of potential riders. These include:

  • Social service agencies and human service organizations
  • Employment programs
  • Senior centers and complexes
  • Schools and colleges
  • Youth programs
  • Libraries
  • Recreation centers
  • Support organizations for persons with disabilities
  • Medical clinics and facilities
  • Addiction recovery organizations
  • Criminal justice system and courts


Note that this list is just a thought-starter. Think about the audiences you’d like to reach in your community and the organizations already in touch with those populations.


These organizations, and particularly their front-line employees, often are charged with identifying transportation options for getting their clients to programs, appointments, trainings, classes, interviews, and jobs. As a result, they have the potential to serve as salespeople for public transit.

 

To capitalize on your relationships with gatekeepers and their potential to be marketing partners, start with these three steps:


  • Establish a list of gatekeepers for the target markets in which you hope to build ridership. Create a simple database that includes the organization, contact person, and contact information, including email. These individuals should be provided with regular email updates about changes in transit services and programs, availability of new passenger guides, and other updates.
  • Solicit opportunities to conduct training sessions at meetings of front-line staff who need to understand how transit works so they can pass the knowledge on to their constituents. For example: front-line staff might include social service caseworkers, medical office staff, or student services staff at a college. These sessions should include an overview of the service area and your transportation services, including relevant information for sharing with their constituents such as service area/system route map, how to use the schedules to plan trips, how to use the Google Maps trip planner (if available), and information about demand-response reservations and ADA paratransit eligibility.
  • Work with the gatekeepers to identify ways that you can market to their constituents. A variety of communication channels generally can be accessed through partnerships with gatekeepers:
  • Permanent information displays in their facilities
  • Distribution of customized information
  • Bulletin board posters and flyers
  • Inclusion of transit information in orientation packets
  • Website links
  • Email blasts
  • Social media posts
  • Newsletter articles
  • Travel training presentations
  • Prepaid fare programs

 

These various communication channels are detailed under “Recommended Strategies.” Note that it is not necessary to do everything with every organization. Gatekeepers know what works best for their populations.

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