Metro is Driving Change in Hamilton County

Target Audience: The target audience for this entry was the business community and elected officials who are always looking for real stories about real stakeholders and constituents who benefit from riding the bus. Often, bus riding is seen as a social service for the poor and not something worthy of support or investment. This video was designed to showcase riders who come from many walks of life and use our services to be productive, independent, and impactful members of society.

Strategy Objective:The objective of this entry was to find real people in Hamilton County OH who were willing to tell their Metro stories. We wanted to model the real-life diversity that is our ridership; not just poor people or those who cannot drive. While those are important rider segments, there are also working people, professionals, and even business and elected leaders who use our services. We wanted to showcase them on our buses in real-time and hear from them in their own words about how Metro has impacted them.

Situation Challenge: The situation that prompted this entry was our annual meeting where we present our past accomplishments and future plans to the community, particularly business. community, and faith leaders and other stakeholders. We wanted a way to showcase how our services help real people do meaningful things and live impactful lives right here in our community. And we wanted a way to capture for posterity all the ways we have touched people's lives in more way than just providing a ride on a bus.

Results Impact: This video premiered at our annual State of Metro meeting and it received a standing ovation. Many people commented that it was the highlight of the event and really opened their eyes to the importance of Metro. Several said it moved them to tears. Since then, it has received more than 400 views on YouTube, generated nearly 1,000 views on Facebook, and 1,400 interactions on LinkedIn. A number of peer agencies have contacted us asking about its production, how we found the riders to feature, and how much it cost to produce.

Why Submit: We submitted this entry because it presented a moving portrait of our riders. It should win an AdWheel Award because it highlighted the humor, spirit, resourcefulness, and independence of our customers and serves as a testament to why we all work in service of this industry. It should be required viewing for all employees of transit systems and every elected official at every level in government office.