Attracting Riders in the New Normal

Rising gas prices and a slightly improved economy are some of the basic factors that contribute to increased public transit ridership. After posting 50-year ridership highs in 2008, transit agencies saw passenger counts dip during the recession. Although those figures still aren’t back to 2008 levels, they are slowly inching upward. The article shows how ridership for all public transit modes climbed 2 percent to 2.6 billion trips. For transit agencies, the “operate and they will come” idea is giving way to a marketing-based approach. Public transit agencies are adapting to connect with existing and potential passengers in the new normal – an era during which real-time information rules, customer profiling is more sophisticated and consumers expect more. Attracting new riders is about knowing and understanding passengers: where they go, what they do, how they use transit while tailoring services to meet their needs and expectations. In turn, new riders slowly will be drawn to the system and existing users will have reasons to keep riding. The article also discusses how social media affects ridership.