C-TRAN - New Year's Eve 2019
Target Audience: This entry was targeted toward the general public: both existing riders and non-riders who would benefit from the free New Year's Eve service.
Strategy Objective:On New Year's Eve, safety becomes a community-wide concern where providing safe alternatives should be a collective effort among community stakeholders who share the same commitment. From this, C-TRAN formed partnerships with three local sponsors who provided financial support to fund the campaign and raise awareness in the weeks leading up to New Year's Eve. Ilani casino, the Port of Vancouver and People's Community Credit Union each contributed $15,000—more than enough to offset the operational cost of free service system-wide, plus advertising materials and local TV air time. C-TRAN created other materials to get the word out including posters, digital ads and custom drink coasters that were distributed to dozens of local bars and restaurants.
Situation Challenge: In 2017, as part of the agency's community safety initiative, C-TRAN introduced free New Year's Eve service on its BRT route, The Vine, as a safe alternative to drinking and driving. Following the first year's success, there was a strong desire to expand our free New Year's Eve service to all routes with extended hours of service on higher ridership corridors as a way to offer the community easy access to safe transportation options. That initiative continued in December 2019 with free service system-wide on New Year's Eve, and extended hours on seven routes, which ran until 2 a.m.
Results Impact: The "BUS or BUSTED" message was carried throughout the campaign materials, and that message resonated with the community. Local media in the Portland-Vancouver area further amplified the message in the community, as did the three sponsors, local law enforcement and other organizations. During in-person outreach with bars and restaurants, many already knew about C-TRAN's free New Year's Eve service, either from the ads or from previous years. The campaign paid off: C-TRAN carried more than 15,000 New Year's Eve trips in 2019, including more than 200 just on the extended trips that ran past our normal schedule. That ridership represented 6.4 percent increase compared to New Year's Eve 2018. If those rides took even one potential drunk driver off the road, then it was a success.
Why Submit: C-TRAN's free New Year's Eve service is provided through a unique partnership as a community safety initiative. Sponsorships have allowed C-TRAN to cover the entire cost of its service and leverage advertising dollars in ways that garner greater public awareness of transit options and the community partners that make it possible. It has positively impacted thousands of citizens since its inception by providing easy access to a safe alternative to drinking and driving. It has created greater public awareness through the promotion of alternatives and is an example of what successful partnerships can achieve.