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Case Studies

Case Studies

These case studies illustrate how rural transit agencies have used the strategies addressed in the toolkit to achieve their own marketing goals. Click through to see the full case study and the how-to text relating to the strategy that it exemplifies. 

Branding: Bluegrass Ride

Blue Grass Community Action Partnership (BGCAP) Transit, of Central Kentucky, rebranded to Bluegrass RIDE to raise the public profile of the agency and...

A blue and green bluegrass ride bus is parked in a grassy field.

Branding: A Family of Services

The Belknap-Merrimack Community Action program operates fixed-route service in Concord, NH, and demand-response service throughout its two-county region.

A green bus and a blue bus with mst written on the side

Community Outreach: Westmoreland County Transit

Go Westmoreland, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, felt the need to broaden awareness by increasing their outreach and community education efforts. To broaden awareness...

Two women standing behind a table with brochures and a rainbow wheel that says wt go.

Customized information: Verde Shuttle

To make transit as easy as possible to understand, sometimes it is helpful to customize information tools for a specific group or trip. The flyer shown here was created for...

A poster that says verde shuttle service to courtyard by marriott with bus times and routes.

Digital Advertising: NWOTA

Five small transit organizations serving the Northwest Oregon Coast banded together to promote travel to and from cities in Central Oregon to the coast and north...

Two cell phones are displaying a facebook ad on their screens.

Direct Mail: Verde Shuttle

Cottonwood Area Transit launched the Verde Shuttle to help employees living in Cottonwood, Arizona, travel to nearby Sedona for work. In addition to marketing conducted...

An advertisement for verde shuttle shows a man getting off a bus.

Event: Sedona Shuttle Stuff the Bus

The Sedona Shuttle, operated by the City of Sedona, Arizona, successfully sponsors annual “Stuff the Bus” events in partnership with Toys for Tots. The events occur for one...

A colorful bus is parked next to a picture of the inside of the bus.

Increasing Ridership: A Reason to Market

The City of Durango involved community members in developing a new brand for the transit system. Surveys revealed that while most residents weren’t aware of the...

A durango transit logo next to a newspaper article.

Messaging: Personal Benefits

These two print ads focus on the personal benefits of riding transit (what’s good for the rider) by using testimonials from actual riders. Missouri Rural Transportation interviewed a...

A black and white advertisement with an elderly woman and man for a company that says

Messaging: Targeting Specific Audiences

Different appeals and images are appropriate when communicating with different target audiences. These marketing materials used by small transit systems throughout...

Two posters on a brick wall that say set yourself free.

Newspaper Ads: Different Approaches

Transit systems in rural and small urban areas often have a promotional advantage in their local newspapers, which usually have more loyal readers than big-city publications.

A man is getting on a bluegrass ride bus.

Passenger Information: Calaveras Connect

Calaveras Connect operates a combination of deviated fixed-route and demand-response service over a very rural county. Some services only operate one or two...

A map is sitting with bus routes and times on top of a wooden table next to a calendar.

Permanent Information Displays: VVTA Victor Valley College & Needles

Permanent information displays are stands and information holders that can be placed in the offices and facilities of your community partners' and gatekeepers’ locations.

A woman is standing next to a sign and a map.

Posters

Posters and flyers provide effective promotion through their affordability and flexibility. You may be able to print high-quality posters and flyers on your office printer.

A poster that says fun sun and a cool set of wheels.

Prepaid Fare Programs

Many colleges and universities participate in pre-paid fare programs for their students. These types of programs...

A brochure titled

Radio: Bluegrass RIDE

Local radio stations in Central Kentucky, as in many small communities, have loyal listeners. Bluegrass RIDE chose radio as a strategy for...

A person is adjusting the volume on a car radio.

Social Media: NWOTA, Calaveras, SBCTA

Social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, or other channels can be used to deliver a wide variety of messages to your followers. Remember...

Three phones are displaying different advertisements on facebook.

Transit Advertising: Window Clings

Beyond basic branding, vehicles can also be used to advertise your services to people who see them on the street. Here are examples of side window clings and...

A sign on the side of a bus window that says

Video: Verde Shuttle

Video provides a great opportunity to show viewers your system in action, raising awareness and giving important directions for riding. The Verde Shuttle used videos...

A person is watching a video on a computer.

Website: Trinity Transit

Trinity Transit provides a network of intercity routes connecting the communities of Trinity County, California, with transit services in neighboring Humboldt and Shasta Counties. Their interactive...

A person is typing on a laptop with a map on the screen.
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