convenient for riders and more efficient for transit administrators. Triangle Transit established two primary goals: increase customer satisfaction and attract more choice riders. Its first step was to ensure all riders including transit-dependent riders had access to real-time information. To accomplish this the agency invested in LED signs at transit hubs and static signs with instructions on how to get real-time information via SMS. As the graph from the Pew Research Trust shows, smartphone penetration rate is increasing with all income levels, all races and all education levels. As more and more riders gain access to this technology, their expectations for its use will continue to rise.
@citybeautiful21: Getting great use out of the @Transloc app riding @triangletransit @gotriangle. TXFRs easier than ever. @thedustin: @gotriangle has real-time bus tracking via mobile & web apps! To attract choice riders in higher income and education levels — currently the highest level of smartphone riders — Triangle Transit realized it has to overcome the “chocolate cake problem,” a funny but true analogy from Glenn Kurtz, VP of Alternative Transportation for Lanier Parking. “It seems if people have a car, they drive it, even if other options are available,” he says. “It is like having a big piece of chocolate cake placed in front of them after every meal. They just eat it.” Convincing people to consider not using their single-occupancy vehicles can be tough. They are so convenient, comfortable and trustworthy. On the other hand, public transit introduces other variables and brings up questions like: Will my bus arrive on time? Where is my nearest stop? What do I do if I have to leave work early? The challenge for transit is to be on a more equal footing with automobiles. Triangle Transit opted for more advanced technology to provide its customers the means to see five different transit agencies in the same place.
BUSRide
August 2012
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