RTC Campaign Providing Transit to Covid-19 Vaccination Locations

Target Audience: The target audience was comprised of individuals eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine with a focus on vulnerable populations such as those on a fixed income, seniors and cultural minorities.

Strategy Objective:The objective was to inform eligible individuals of the availability of the vaccine and free transportation options. Strategies included using many different communication tools, including materials in Spanish, to target vulnerable populations: low-income, senior, and minorities. We partnered with the SNHD to distribute the information in the following ways: - E-blast (Distribution: 147,000) - RTC website – COVID-19 pages & paratransit pages - Social media posts - Partner/elected official social media & newsletter outreach - Fact sheet - Flyer – both general & paratransit - On-hold telephone message - Blog post - Ads inside of buses - Transit text alerts - SNHD website

Situation Challenge: When the COVID-19 vaccine became available, many struggled to find transportation to distribution locations. To overcome this barrier, the RTC partnered with the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) to provide information on vaccine availability and transportation to public vaccination sites. The effort was rolled out in a three-prong approach: 1) Existing transit and paratransit customers received free digital or paper passes or door-to-door service to confirmed COVID vaccination appointments 2) Provided group transportation directly from community centers or senior facilities to large vaccination sites where SNHD officials could board the bus and administer the vaccine 3) Partnered with non-profit agencies around the valley to provide free passes to vaccination clinics and events

Results Impact: The goal was to increase awareness surrounding the availability of vaccine appointments and free transportation options. These targeted communication efforts led to greater public awareness as witnessed by individuals using the free service. More than 450 individuals used the SNHD group ride and paratransit door-to-door services. Local media provided coverage of the service, including heavy coverage of COVID-19 relief funding received to help make the service possible.

Why Submit: This comprehensive campaign addressed one of the many challenges resulting from the pandemic in a very targeted manner. Partnerships have been key for successful COVID-19 campaigns and by partnering with the SNHD, the RTC was able to coordinate messaging and cross promote vaccine eligibility, vaccine locations, appointments, and transportation options for all members of the community. Additionally, numerous communication tools were used to target specific audiences to ensure that information got to those who would benefit most. An added bonus was that these efforts may have provided information to those who previously have not used transit, tapping into potential new customers.