What are some of the things your agency is doing to help bring back ridership?

Katharine Kelleman, CEO, Port Authority of Allegheny County

Port Authority of Allegheny County has developed and executed a multi-prong marketing effort to let riders know that it’s ‘Safe to Go,’ that our vehicles, stations, and facilities are disinfected daily, our operators continue to wear masks, and that we’ve begun installing air filtration devices in all our vehicles. A future campaign dubbed ‘Good to Go,’ will remind riders of the services, technologies, and amenities our system provides. Good to Go will be launched when our region’s largest employers begin to call more of their employees back to the office, most likely this spring.

Inez Evans, President/CEO, IndyGo

At a time when many transit agencies are cutting service, IndyGo has been able to make minor schedule adjustments, such as temporarily suspending morning and evening rush hour service on our lower ridership 60-minute routes to greatly improve service reliability and on-time performance. Additionally, we’re preparing to launch a partnership with a company to install UV-C technology to our entire fleet, cleaning and disinfecting the air our riders and operators breathe eliminating pathogens, allergens, and even odors. 

Alex Wiggins, CEO, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority’s commitment to our riders has afforded a seamless phased implementation back to full service during morning and afternoon peak travel hours. RTA also introduced a temporary fare pilot which reduced the cost of a monthly pass from $55 to $45 and debuted reduced fare offerings for seniors and youth. The new offerings include a 1-day pass and monthly passes and have helped to increase ridership by breaking demographic mobility barriers to affordable transit access.

MJ Maynard, CEO, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada

We implemented our largest transit service change in recent history, providing transit to 185,000 residents who previously did not have access, restoring reduced service, launching two new routes, and increasing frequency. Additionally, we recognized an invaluable opportunity to capitalize on the returning workforce. We launched Try Transit, a program that encourages newly hired or rehired employees to take transit by offering two complimentary, seven-day passes. We’ve partnered with 100 employers who’ve requested nearly 30,000 passes.