Transit communicators serve as strategic advisers in helping shape the narrative of the value of public transportation.
Now that the FAST Act has passed it seems like it might be a good time to sit back and enjoy the dedicated funding. But as the American Public Transportation Association’s Marketing & Communications Workshop got underway this week in Phoenix, Arizona, industry leaders stressed now is the time to focus on the future and importance of the transit communicator’s role in that future.
Part of the success of passage of the FAST Act came out of a tremendous amount of hard work over the past 10 years and the grassroots advocacy program developed over the last several years. Marketing & Communications committee members worked with APTA, its marketing, PR and advocacy partners to develop messaging that spoke to the public and contributed to the creation of more than 200,000 active advocates.
Valarie J. McCall, chair, APTA, Board of Trustees, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, said, “It was hard work to pass the FAST Act and without you, we wouldn’t have been as successful.”
Over the past two years, “Where public transportation grows, community grows” was more than tagline, she said.
“In this time of hyper-connectivity and borderless messaging, how and what we communicate is more important than ever. Without public support, transit cannot prosper. You develop those speaking points we use in our communities.”
Valley Metro Interim CEO Scott Smith welcomed the crowd to Phoenix and talked about the role of public transportation in a community and the role of communication.
We are a car-centric society and transit is used in most areas by a minority. Because of this, transit communicators have the easiest and hardest job of the system, he said. “It takes no effort to market transit to those that have to use transit. If someone is dependent on us, we are a monopoly.
“It’s the hardest job to sell it to the majority.” But, he stressed, we are dependent on them for funding. “We have to create a narrative that talks about the overall benefit to our communities.
“All great metro areas have choices, have options in their transportation. It’s not only a way to transport people but an economic driver to transform communities.”
Emphasizing the value of this conference, Morgan Lyons, assistant vice president, external relations, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and chair, APTA Marketing & Communications Committee, said of his role as a transit communicator at DART, “If we don’t pull out, my day’s going to be very busy and very bad. But it’s important to remember why we do this.
“It’s not about the transaction, it’s about the transformation we bring to the community. If we can stay focused on helping communities grow, ridership will take care of itself.”
Transit communicators serve as strategic advisers to their agency and to their communities. Lyons said coming together to take a breath to realize their success is an important opportunity for these professionals. But after that breath, to recalibrate the next steps and focus on the future.
McCall said of transit funding, “It’s five years, but we’re really into one year already. We have to get back out there and your work should help make that easier.
“We need to start focusing on the future now.”
