OCTA "Savings Pass" Campaign to increase OC Bus Ridership

Target Audience: The target audiences for this entry were current and potential public transportation riders, particularly cash-paying customers, and those from disadvantaged communities.

Strategy Objective:Our campaign was inspired by our riders, whose input we gathered at our Customer Roundtable. They shared how savings from bus fares would help cover basic needs, like groceries, entertainment, and family activities. This feedback shaped our robust campaign, employing bus ads, emails, social media, blog posts, and targeted outreach to reach diverse and underprivileged communities. We timed the campaign launch with our August Service Change, promoting the Savings Pass alongside service enhancements. Additionally, we partnered with Northgate Markets, a leading Hispanic retailer, for weekly in-person promotions, enhancing direct engagement with our customers.

Situation Challenge: In response to the challenges of post-pandemic ridership recovery and surging inflation, we secured a California state grant for our "come back" campaign. This initiative offered the Savings Pass with a 40% discount on both a bundle of five One Day passes and the 30-Day Pass, with the goal of boosting ridership. The Savings Pass was pivotal, making travel more accessible and affordable, particularly for cash-paying customers and those from disadvantaged communities, thus promoting equitable public transportation access in an uncertain economy.

Results Impact: The promotion significantly increased ridership with 406,018 boardings by Savings Pass holders, which accounted for 7% of systemwide ridership. More than 50% of the ridership came from our core service area, which primarily serves disadvantaged communities. In addition, we received hundreds of positive comments on social media.

Why Submit: Our Savings Pass campaign was not just a campaign but a community-focused movement, aimed at addressing post-pandemic ridership and inflation. The initiative made an impressive mark with over 6.4 million impressions from bus ads, outreach in diverse languages at local events, decals at 168 retail vendors, 12,891 webpage views, an email blast to 64,127 riders, and digital ads impacting 245,709 people. The heart of our success lies in the genuine social media feedback, with hundreds of people taking the time to thank OCTA. This initiative not only boosted ridership but also provided significant financial relief to Orange County bus riders. The blend of direct engagement and a comprehensive campaign strategy underscores our commitment to positively impacting our riders.