Gulfton Circulator Promotion

Target Audience: The target audience for this entry focused on residents who live and/or work in and around the Gulfton area of southwest Houston.

Strategy Objective:The 32 Gulfton Circulator brochure was created to educate Gulfton community residents about the 32 Gulfton Circulator route and how it will benefit them. This brochure highlights the route's convenience and extensive accessibility while encouraging ridership through its access to numerous destinations. Approximately 2,000 of these brochures were printed in both English and Spanish. A limited amount of brochures were also printed in Vietnamese, Chinese and Urdu. METRO street teams distributed the brochures while visiting various community hotspots within the Gulfton community—64 locations in total over six months.

Situation Challenge: The Gulfton area of Houston was growing and is a popular destination for immigrants new to the region. The diverse population of the Gulfton community required a localized transit solution to connect residents to essential services such as schools, hospitals, places of worship and more. There was a need to promote METRO's 32 Gulfton Circulator route, its benefits to those living in the area, and how this service could benefit them.

Results Impact: The six-month education campaign ran from January to June of 2024. METRO returned at the end of FY24 to review the 32 Gulfton ridership at the end of October that same year and what we found was very encouraging. The 32 Gulfton had reached an all-time high in ridership: January 2024: 19,144 boardings October 2024: 28,629 boardings Result: 49.5% increase in ridership In addition, the total cost of this effort was nominal, considering all brochures were printed in-house and distributed by employees while attending 64 community events.

Why Submit: The 32 Gulfton Circulator project stands out for its tailored, community-focused approach, incorporating materials to meet the specific needs of one of Houston's most diverse areas. The most impressive takeaway from this campaign is that we were able to increase ridership on the 32 Gulfton Circulator by nearly 50% through good old-fashioned teamwork and a very informative printed brochure.