Direct Mail Transit Campaign Successful

Lori Van Beek
Transit Manager
City of Moorhead

In 2005, Fargo-Moorhead Metro Area Transit (MAT) conducted a marketing campaign directed at single-family households located along bus routes. Past marketing efforts indicated that direct mail with free rides were the most successful. Taken a step further, mailing route information and free rides to homes with the best transit service at their finger tips should be even more successful - and it was.

The mailings to each "neighborhood" were customized with the bus stop locations and times the bus arrived. Special 10-ride electronic coin cards were assigned to each household. A colorful brochure showcasing all of the recent transit improvements was also included in the mailing. To reinforce the campaign, billboards and shelter posters with the "X Marks the Stop" theme were placed strategically around town. Also, flags with the "X" were placed in each neighborhood at their specific stop locations. The reminders were everywhere. In fact, a survey conducted recently by the F-M Metropolitan Council of Governments indicated that 30 percent of metro residents were aware of the campaign.

Multiple media were used to reinforce the promotion. Try Transit Week, held in October, combined the "X Marks the Stop" theme with a treasure map. High gas prices were shown along the treasure map with 25-cent rides on MAT as the final "treasure" during the week-long event. Bench ads, magazine ads, and newspaper ads were also used, including a picture and quote from a regular rider.

The 10-ride cards distributed in the mailings were tracked through MAT's electronic fareboxes to verify usage. The results verified that the promotion was a success, with an average return rate of 7.3 percent.

"Nothing About Us, Without Us"

Alan Abeson, Ed.D.
Director
Easter Seals Project ACTION

At the heart of the Americans with Disabilities Act is the publicly stated purpose of providing people with disabilities the opportunity to enjoy living, learning, working and playing in communities just like all other Americans. Readers of this newsletter that serve people with and without disabilities through the provision of transportation recognize that without mobility, the goal of the ADA is unachievable for people with disabilities and for other groups of Americans such as seniors and those with low incomes.

With the passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) by the Congress last summer, an important step was taken in trying to advance the availability of transportation to these people. Three federal transportation programs, two previously existing and a new one, designed to serve these populations are now the focus of mandated local planning intended to break down previously siloed programs into a coordinated effort. The underlying logic is formidable - through coordination, more quality rides can be given to more people at improved costs with simplified access.

The programs to be coordinated are the ongoing Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and Elderly Individuals and Disabilities (Section 5310) programs and the New Freedom Program (Section 5317). The goal of the New Freedom Program is to reduce barriers to transportation and provide services for people with disabilities beyond the existing requirements of the ADA. Because of the difficulties of transportation in rural America, the also law includes a considerable increase in rural transit funding.

Despite the challenges implementing the coordination provisions of the statute, because the mandated planning specifically calls for the involvement of the people being served, as well as providers of human services and transportation, it presents a significant opportunity for entire communities to advance the purpose of the ADA for people with disabilities and others as well. A frequently heard theme of the disability community that also applies for others is "nothing about us, without us." The message is clear, to improve mobility, to serve these populations, to receive these funds, communities must come together and must plan effectively.